Make your LinkedIn post glow in HDR

superwhite.app · guide · takes about 30 seconds · by Nimrod Yarkoni

You can make the image in your LinkedIn post physically brighter than the white feed around it. Not a filter, not higher contrast: the whites in your image render above your screen's normal white point, using the HDR headroom your display reserves for HDR video. In the feed it looks lit from behind, and it stops the scroll.

Here's how to do it in your browser, without touching color profiles or ffmpeg.

Step by step

1. Open superwhite.app. It's an in-browser tool. Your image never leaves your device, everything runs locally.
2. Drop your image in. High-contrast graphics work best: logos, wordmarks, simple illustrations with bright whites. Photos with smooth gradients can show banding at 8-bit, so start with graphics. Always load your original file, not an image that already went through Superwhite.
3. Set the brightness. Move the slider until the preview clearly out-glows the page. Around 1000 nits is a sensible start; the slider goes up to 4000.
4. Download the JPEG. The HDR signal is embedded in the file itself as a Rec.2100 PQ color profile.
5. Upload it to LinkedIn exactly as-is. Attach the file directly to a feed post. Don't crop, rotate, or add text in LinkedIn's composer: any edit there strips the profile and the glow dies.

Why this works on LinkedIn

LinkedIn re-compresses every image you upload, but its pipeline keeps the embedded ICC color profile. That profile is what carries the HDR signal, so the glow survives compression. Most other platforms either strip profiles entirely (Reddit converts everything to sRGB) or use a different HDR format (Instagram wants Ultra HDR gain maps, which LinkedIn strips). That's why LinkedIn feed posts are the place this technique reliably works.

Who actually sees the glow

• People on HDR displays: recent MacBook Pro and Air, iPhones, Pixels, most OLED monitors, with battery saver off.
• Everyone else sees a normal image with slightly dimmer whites. Nothing looks broken, they just don't get the effect.

That's a large and growing share of LinkedIn's audience, especially people browsing on phones and MacBooks. Your post looks fine to everyone and remarkable to a lot of them.

What to glow, and what not to

The effect is strongest when a small bright area sits against normal content: a white logo on a dark background, a wordmark, a single highlighted word in a graphic. If the whole image is superwhite, there's nothing for the eye to compare it to and the effect reads as "bright photo" instead of "impossible glow." Aim the brightness at the one thing you want people to look at.

Common questions

Why doesn't the image glow on my screen?

You're likely on a non-HDR display, or battery saver is on. Try a recent iPhone, Pixel, or MacBook in Chrome or Safari with power saving off.

Does it survive LinkedIn's compression?

Yes. LinkedIn keeps ICC profiles through its image pipeline. Just don't edit the image inside LinkedIn's composer after attaching it.

Does it work on Instagram or WhatsApp?

No. Instagram uses a different HDR format (Ultra HDR), and messaging apps strip the profile in their compression. This technique is built for the LinkedIn feed.

Is it allowed?

It uses the same HDR rendering path your screen uses for HDR photos and films, and it's harmless to displays. LinkedIn could clamp it someday, the same way platforms clamped superbright HDR video. Today it works.

What does it cost?

From €2.99 (pay what you want), exports are unlimited up to 400 px. Creator at €5 one time unlocks 1400 px forever, and Pro at €9 a month goes up to 3840 px with batch and brand presets. Your image is processed entirely in your browser.

Want the deeper technical story? Read how the Rec.2100 PQ trick works, or the explainer on why that LinkedIn image is glowing. Credit to Tom Nick, who first documented the technique.