What was changed
The campaigns were live and already optimised: the same audiences, the same copy, the same offer and landing page. The only change was the creative file. Each image was run through the converter on this site in Creative mode, which lifts the bright part of the whole image — for these creatives, a white product on a white background — and the new files replaced the old ones.
To the eye on an ordinary screen, nothing changed at all. The Ultra HDR file is a normal JPEG with a gain map attached, so on a laptop the new creative is pixel for pixel the old one. The difference exists only on phones with an HDR display, which is where most of the feed is actually seen.
Simulated. On the screen you are reading this on, both halves are identical — an ordinary display has no extra brightness to give. This is how the difference reads on an HDR display.
What happened
Conversions rose and the cost per lead fell from roughly $6 to roughly $4 — about a third less for the same result.
The mechanism is attention, not persuasion. On an HDR phone the creative is physically brighter than every post around it, because it is allowed to use brightness the rest of the feed cannot. A thumb that would have scrolled past stops for a fraction of a second longer, and in paid social that fraction is the whole game.
The creative
Below is one of the actual creatives: the original, the gain map the converter built for it, and the Ultra HDR file itself. Read this page on a recent phone and the third image glows here exactly as it did in the feed.
A real example: one ad creative through Creative mode
This is not a simulation: the third image is the real output of the converter, 79% of the frame lifted. Open the page on a recent phone to see it, or download the full-size file.
What to be careful about
This is one advertiser, not a controlled experiment. Cost per lead moves with seasonality, auction pressure and the learning phase, and none of that was held fixed. Treat the number as a strong reason to test, not as a promise.
The effect only exists on HDR screens. Viewers on older phones and most desktop monitors see the ordinary creative, so the gain is concentrated on the share of your audience with recent phones.
It will not last forever. The advantage comes from standing out against a feed of ordinary images; the more advertisers do this, the smaller it gets. And platforms can change how they process uploads, so check that your live ad still carries its gain map rather than assuming it does.
How to test it on your own campaigns
Convert your existing creative in Creative mode — do not redesign it, or you will not know what caused the change. Keep the maximum boost moderate: a creative that glows so hard it looks like a display fault gets skipped like any other bad ad.
For a clean comparison, duplicate the ad inside the same ad set and give the copy the Ultra HDR file, rather than swapping it in the original. Run both over the same days and compare cost per result. Download the live creative afterwards and run it through the checker to confirm the gain map survived.
Frequently asked questions
Does Meta allow HDR ad creatives?
There is nothing to allow: an Ultra HDR file is an ordinary JPEG with extra data attached, uploaded like any other image. It goes through the same review as the original creative.
Does it work for ordinary posts, not just ads?
Yes. The file format does not know whether a post is paid. Creators and brands use the same effect on organic posts to stand out in their followers' feeds.
Will every viewer see the glow?
No — only viewers on phones with HDR displays. Everyone else sees the original creative, unchanged, so nothing is lost for them.
Which creatives benefit most?
Light ones: a product on a white or pale background, bright lifestyle shots, clean graphics. Dark, moody creatives have little bright area to lift.
How do I know the gain map survived the upload?
Download the creative from the live ad or post and put it through the checker on this site. It reports whether a gain map is still inside the file.