# Install libultrahdr with Homebrew, dnf, Nix, pacman

Reference codec for the Ultra HDR format. Version 1.5.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#libultrahdr.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:libultrahdr
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install libultrahdr
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install libultrahdr
```

  Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libultrahdr from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/210a2053c8e007daf9ae39c2a21daaed9b2ddd07d63ecffa597050361e73650c-primary.xml.zst

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#libultrahdr
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libultrahdr/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- pacman (92%):

```sh
sudo pacman -S libultrahdr
```

  Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: libultrahdr from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:libultrahdr
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libultrahdr>
- **Version:** 1.5.1
- **Source summary:** Reference codec for the Ultra HDR format
- **Homepage:** <https://developer.android.com/media/platform/hdr-image-format>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/google/libultrahdr>
- **Upstream docs:** <https://developer.android.com/media/platform/hdr-image-format>
- **License:** Apache-2.0
- **Source archive:** <https://github.com/google/libultrahdr/archive/refs/tags/v1.5.1.tar.gz>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-04T22:13:35+00:00

## Executables

- ultrahdr_app (cli)
- ultrahdr_app (alias)

## Dependencies

- jpeg-turbo

## Build dependencies

- cmake

## Install behavior

- Post-install hook: not defined
- Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-04
- Package-manager version: 1.5.1
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://github.com/google/libultrahdr
- Upstream latest detected: v1.5.1 (current)
- info: No package-manager update timestamp was available.
## Project history and usage

libultrahdr is Google's reference codec for Ultra HDR, a backward-compatible HDR image format that stores an SDR base image plus a gain map and metadata so legacy JPEG readers can still display the SDR rendition.

### Project history

Android's Ultra HDR specification defines a JPEG-based format that encodes a logarithmic range gain map. libultrahdr implements the codec side: it can compute a gain map from SDR and HDR renditions, store the base image, gain map, and metadata, and decode them back into an HDR rendering on compatible displays.

The GitHub release history starts with version 1.0.0 on October 24, 2023. The 1.1.0 release in August 2024 added image-quality features, command-line tool updates, editing support, and ISO 21496-1 standard support. The 1.4.0 release in January 2025 added per-channel content boost configuration and alternate color-space handling.

### Adoption history

Ultra HDR entered Android developer workflows with Android 14 API level 34 support for displaying Ultra HDR images. Android documentation tells app developers to detect gain maps and switch windows into HDR color mode when displaying these images.

Google's Android Developers Blog described Instagram as an early adopter that began implementing Ultra HDR in late September 2023, highlighting the format's movement from platform feature to high-volume social media use.

### How it is used

Developers use libultrahdr to encode HDR still images into a backward-compatible JPEG container and to decode Ultra HDR images for HDR-capable displays. The bundled ultrahdr_app command-line tool makes it useful for testing encodes, decodes, performance, and format behavior outside Android app code.

### Why package nerds care

libultrahdr matters to package nerds because it turns a mobile platform media feature into a portable codec library that distributions can ship. It also captures the practical transition from SDR-only JPEG workflows to gain-map HDR images that still degrade cleanly in old software.

### Timeline

- 2023: Android 14 introduced platform support for Ultra HDR images.
- 2023: libultrahdr 1.0.0 was released on October 24, 2023.
- 2024: libultrahdr 1.1.0 added editing support and ISO 21496-1 support on August 22, 2024.
- 2024: libultrahdr 1.2.0 added a Java library and sample app on September 20, 2024.
- 2025: libultrahdr v1.4.0 was released on January 10, 2025.

### Related projects

- Android 14 and later Android media APIs provide platform display support for Ultra HDR.
- ISO 21496-1 is an adjacent gain-map HDR standard named in the libultrahdr release notes.
- JPEG, XMP, and CIPA Multi-Picture Format are normative or container-level building blocks cited by the Ultra HDR specification.

### Sources

- <https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2024/08/instagrams-early-adoption-of-ultra-hdr-transforms-user-experience.html>
- <https://developer.android.com/media/grow/ultra-hdr/display>
- <https://developer.android.com/media/platform/hdr-image-format>
- <https://github.com/google/libultrahdr>
- <https://github.com/google/libultrahdr/releases>


## Security Notes

library-like package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- library-like package without higher-risk signals

## Source Database Details

- **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API
- **Tap:** homebrew/core
- **Full Name:** libultrahdr
- **Version Scheme:** 0
- **Revision:** 0
- **Bottle Stable Root URL:** <https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core>
- **Deprecated:** no
- **Disabled:** no
- **Keg Only:** no
- **URL Keys:** stable

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - libultrahdr: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libultrahdr/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- dnf - libultrahdr - 1.4.0^20251202git8cbc983-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libultrahdr from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/210a2053c8e007daf9ae39c2a21daaed9b2ddd07d63ecffa597050361e73650c-primary.xml.zst | Reference codec for the Ultra HDR format | https://github.com/google/libultrahdr
- dnf - libultrahdr-devel - 1.4.0^20251202git8cbc983-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libultrahdr-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/210a2053c8e007daf9ae39c2a21daaed9b2ddd07d63ecffa597050361e73650c-primary.xml.zst | Development files for libultrahdr | https://github.com/google/libultrahdr
- pacman - libultrahdr - 1.5.1-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: libultrahdr from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | The reference codec for the Ultra HDR format | https://github.com/google/libultrahdr


## Related links

- [Terminal utility packages](https://pkg.so/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata.
- [Text processing packages](https://pkg.so/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata.
- [Networking and protocol packages](https://pkg.so/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata.
- [Media and graphics packages](https://pkg.so/media-graphics-tools/) - Matched media, image, audio, video, or graphics metadata.
- [jpeg-turbo](https://pkg.so/brew/jpeg-turbo/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [cmake](https://pkg.so/brew/cmake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [vips](https://pkg.so/brew/vips/) - Popular package that depends on this formula.
- [imagemagick-full](https://pkg.so/brew/imagemagick-full/) - Popular package that depends on this formula.
- [libheif](https://pkg.so/brew/libheif/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-codec, image-processing, media.
- [giflib](https://pkg.so/brew/giflib/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-processing, media.
- [leptonica](https://pkg.so/brew/leptonica/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-processing, media.
- [netpbm](https://pkg.so/brew/netpbm/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-processing, media.
- [epsilon](https://pkg.so/brew/epsilon/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-processing, media.
- [gifsicle](https://pkg.so/brew/gifsicle/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-processing, media.
- [openimageio](https://pkg.so/brew/openimageio/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-processing, media.
- [gifski](https://pkg.so/brew/gifski/) - Shares pkgdb curated category or tags: cli, image-processing, media.
- [jasper](https://pkg.so/brew/jasper/) - Both packages work with overlapping file formats or content types. Shared terms: cli, codec, image, image-codec, image-processing.
- [jp2a](https://pkg.so/brew/jp2a/) - Both packages work with overlapping file formats or content types. Shared terms: cli, image, image-processing, jpeg, jpeg-turbo.

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/libultrahdr.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/libultrahdr.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- package-page enrichment
- curated package history
- package version freshness
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- package relationship graph
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
