#1194: WG New Spec: HDR on the web (CSS, Canvas, WebGL, WebGPU)

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Opened Feb 12, 2026

Explainer

https://github.com/w3c/ColorWeb-CG/blob/main/hdr-big-picture.md

Links

The ColorWeb CG would like a TAG review of the "HDR on the web, the big picture" constellation of explainers.

This is an evolution of work previously reviewed by the TAG in https://github.com/w3ctag/design-reviews/issues/917.

  • Many of the topics from that review have been completed (e.g, high bit depth support for 2D canvas, WebGL, and ImageData, ergonomic color spaces for HDR canvases, etc).
  • Some features have been abandoned due to security and privacy concerns that arose in TAG review

The specification document includes:

  • Background to topic of HDR on the web
  • Example user applications
  • Alternatives considered for some API surfaces
  • Privacy and security discussion
  • Testing strategy

The specification

Where and by whom is the work is being done?

  • GitHub repo: https://github.com/w3c/ColorWeb-CG
  • Primary contacts:
    • Christopher Cameron @ccameron-chromium, ColorWeb CG chair
    • Chris Lilley @svgeesus, ColorWeb CG chair
  • Primary standards group developing this feature: Color on the web Community Group
  • Incubation and standards groups that have discussed the design: WebGL and WebGPU working groups

Feedback so far

You should also know that...

This is an overarching proposal that has the goal of covering HDR for 2D canvas, WebGL, and WebGPU in a coherent way. The "big picture" document linked above has much of the background. The individual features for each API are discussed the overarching document, and then the API-specific explainers are linked to. Below is a reproduction of the individual feature explainer links.

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