Runway Ruby HDR Workflow: Convert SDR AI Video to HDR10, HLG, ProRes, and EXR
Runway Ruby converts approved SDR AI video to true HDR. Use this workflow to choose Gen-4.5 native HDR versus a Ruby upconvert, pick HDR10, HLG, ProRes, or EXR, and keep product identity locked.
Runway Ruby HDR Workflow: Convert SDR AI Video to HDR10, HLG, ProRes, and EXR
A Runway Ruby workflow is not “make the clip brighter.” Runway’s 20 August 2026 API changelog added two different HDR jobs: Gen-4.5 can render new text-to-video and image-to-video clips natively in HDR, and Ruby (ruby) converts an existing SDR clip to true HDR on POST /v1/video_to_hdr. The official models guide is explicit: Ruby keeps the source pixels and audio. It extends luma and color into HDR headroom. It does not re-generate the scene. If you still need a new bottle, a new face, or a new camera path, you are in the wrong endpoint.
ClipCanva is not affiliated with Runway, Canva, OpenAI, Google, Kling, MiniMax, or ByteDance. ClipCanva does not expose Ruby or HDR delivery formats today. Generate the keeper SDR clip on a live model, then send that file to Runway when the brief actually needs HDR10, HLG, ProRes, or an EXR sequence.
Official facts for Ruby, Gen-4.5 HDR, and nearby tools
| Source | Public claim | Workflow implication |
|---|---|---|
| Runway API changelog (20 Aug 2026) | Ruby is available via the API. Convert any SDR video — uploads or generations from any model — into true HDR. | Treat Ruby as a finishing step, not a generator. |
| Same changelog | Inputs must be SDR. HDR-tagged videos are rejected. API cap: at most 40 seconds, under 4096 pixels per side. | Do not feed an already-HDR file. Trim before you upconvert. |
| Runway models guide | Set model to ruby on POST /v1/video_to_hdr. Output keeps source pixels and audio. |
If the bottle melts in the source, HDR will not fix it. |
| Runway API reference | Ruby outputFormat: hdr10 (default), hlg, hdr_prores, hdr_exr_sequence. |
Pick the container the editor, compositor, or platform actually accepts. |
| Runway API pricing | Ruby: 20 credits/sec, 40 credits/sec when the source is larger than 4 megapixels (roughly 4K). | Price the delivery, not the prompt. A 20s 4K upconvert is not a 20s 1080p upconvert. |
| Same changelog | Gen-4.5 text-to-video and image-to-video can deliver hdr10, hlg, sdr_rec709_10bit, hdr_pq_12bit_master, hdr_prores, hdr_png_sequence, hdr_exr_sequence. Aleph 2.0 gets 10-bit SDR; HDR edits go through /v1/video_to_hdr. |
Native HDR is only for new Gen-4.5 generations. Existing keepers go through Ruby. |
| Runway on X (21 Aug 2026) | Consumer announcement: Ruby converts SDR video up to 16-bit HDR in ProRes and EXR. Compatible with uploaded video or generated output up to 30s. Start at app.runwayml.com. | App copy and API copy differ on duration. Confirm the live surface you are paying. |
| Canva AI Video Generator | Create a Video Clip, powered by Google Veo-3: one 16:9 clip per prompt, up to eight seconds, with synchronized audio. | An 8-second Canva layout clip is not an HDR master. |
These are vendor-documented capabilities, not a promise that your SKU will survive the grade or that YouTube, Instagram, or a client NLE will ingest every container. Access is being enabled progressively per account. Confirm the live Runway app or API project before you quote 30 seconds, 40 seconds, or a 12-bit master.
Pick the job before you spend the HDR pass
Ruby fails when you treat every brief as “make it HDR.” The source job and the delivery job are separate.
| Job | Tool | What you must supply | What is allowed to change | Fail condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New HDR shot from text or a still | Gen-4.5 with an HDR outputFormat |
One scene card, one camera path, locked identity | World, motion, and the HDR render | Extra SKUs, new wardrobe, unreadable type |
| Existing SDR keeper → HDR file | Ruby / video_to_hdr |
One SDR clip that already passed review | Tone, gamut, and container only | Recasting the talent or rewriting the prompt |
| 10-bit SDR for a colorist | Gen-4.5 sdr_rec709_10bit or Ruby only if you truly need HDR |
The approved generation | Bit depth, not the story | Asking Ruby to invent highlight detail that was never in the 8-bit file |
| Editorial mezzanine | hdr_prores |
Same SDR or Gen-4.5 source | Codec and color volume | Handing a social MP4 to finishing and calling it a master |
| Comp / VFX | hdr_exr_sequence |
Same source, plus a plan for the sidecar zip | Linear BT.2020 light for the compositor | Uploading the zip to a social scheduler |
| 8-second layout clip | Canva Create a Video Clip (Veo-3) | One 16:9 prompt | An 8-second shot with synced audio | Asking Canva to deliver ProRes HDR |
If the brief is “this bottle must not change,” lock the still first on image to video or a live model page. Approve the SDR take. Only then run Ruby. If the brief is “we have not generated the shot yet, and the client asked for HDR10,” start on Gen-4.5 with hdr10. Do not generate an 8-bit social MP4 and hope the upconvert invents a cinema negative.
Delivery card before you pay 20 credits a second
Write the card before you hit convert. Ruby bills per second of output at the source resolution.
Job: convert one approved SDR keeper to an HDR delivery. Do not regenerate.
Source: [filename], SDR only, [duration]s, [width]x[height].
Hard limits to confirm: API = SDR, ≤40s, <4096px per side.
App announcement (21 Aug 2026): up to 30s. Use the shorter live cap if they disagree.
Review the SDR first: same SKU, same face, same room, readable label.
Delivery:
Platform / NLE: [YouTube HDR / Resolve / After Effects / client iPhone].
outputFormat: [hdr10 | hlg | hdr_prores | hdr_exr_sequence].
If ProRes: proresProfile [422 | 422 HQ | 4444]. Default 422 HQ.
If EXR: expect a zip with frames + colorimetry.json + provenance.json + audio.wav.
Do not send:
An already-HDR file.
A 45-second timeline.
A 4K master unless the brief pays the 40 credit/sec band.
A clip that still has a melted logo.
Success: the grade looks like the approved take, with more highlight room, not a new scene.
Starter for a 10-second product keeper (original; not copied from Runway demos):
Source: 10s 16:9 SDR H.264, 1920x1080, approved tabletop take.
Identity: 30ml frosted bottle, gold pump, black label “NORTH HARBOR 01”.
Picture: north-window key, pale oak, one pump press, one bead on one hand.
Audio: pump click + room tone. Keep it. Do not replace the bed.
Delivery: hdr10 for a YouTube HDR review; hdr_prores 422 HQ if finishing is in Resolve.
Avoid: second bottle, slogan overlay, fake UI, extra language on glass.
If the SDR still fails the SKU crop test, do not convert. Re-generate the source.
Generate that source on ClipCanva with a live model, then move the file. Do not paste outputFormat: hdr10 into a ClipCanva prompt box. The field does not exist there.
A prompt formula that stays on the generation side
Ruby has no creative prompt. The prompt belongs to the SDR or native-HDR generation. Keep one skeleton.
Model: [Veo 3.1 | Kling 3 | MiniMax H3 | Seedance | Flux 3 | Gen-4.5].
Duration: [5 | 8 | 10 | 15] seconds. Aspect: [16:9 | 9:16].
Mode: [text-to-video | image-to-video | first+last].
Audio: [quoted line / SFX only / silence].
Subject: [SKU or person, materials, colors, distinctive marks].
Locked identity: [which still defines face / label / silhouette].
Story beats: 0–[s] [shot]. [s]–[s] [shot]. End state: [what is in frame].
Camera: [one path]. Lighting: [source, direction]. Hold it.
Text on screen: [exact words, or “no generated type”].
Avoid: [extra products, extra limbs, fake UI, new logos].
HDR plan (after approval):
If new Gen-4.5 shot and client needs HDR now: generate with hdr10 or hdr_prores.
If keeper already exists on any model: Ruby, SDR-only, matching duration.
Creator / operator checklist
Run this before you pay for HDR.
- Approve the SDR take first. Ruby preserves source pixels. A melted label becomes a melted HDR label.
- Name the delivery, not the vibe. “Cinematic HDR” is not a format.
hdr10,hlg,hdr_prores, orhdr_exr_sequenceis. - Check the duration on the surface you are using. API docs: 40 seconds. Official 21 August app post: 30 seconds. Use the live cap.
- Confirm the file is SDR. Official API copy rejects HDR-tagged inputs.
- Stay under 4096 pixels per side on the API. Crop before you convert.
- Budget credits on resolution. Official Ruby rate is 20 credits per second, 40 if the source is larger than about 4K.
- Do not confuse native HDR with an upconvert. Gen-4.5 can render HDR. Ruby grades an existing clip. Aleph 2.0 HDR still goes through Ruby.
- Match the next app in the chain. YouTube review →
hdr10orhlg. Resolve finish →hdr_prores. Comp →hdr_exr_sequence. - Expect sidecars on EXR. Official zip includes frames,
colorimetry.json,provenance.json, andaudio.wavwhen the source has audio. - Keep social and finishing separate. An 8-second Canva/Veo clip can be the hook. It is not the HDR master.
How this maps to ClipCanva today
| You need | Live ClipCanva route | HDR-specific step |
|---|---|---|
| Script and beat sheet | AI script generator | Time the shot so the SDR file is already short enough to convert |
| Shot language | Prompt ideas | Camera + lighting only; no “make it HDR” filler |
| Approved still → motion | Image to video | Lock identity here. Ruby cannot invent a cleaner label |
| Connected video models | AI video generator | Produce the SDR keeper |
| Google Veo 3.1 | Veo 3.1 | Good source for a short audiovisual take |
| Kling 3 | Kling 3 | Good source when the brief is control + continuity |
| MiniMax H3 first/last frames | MiniMax H3 | Approve the 5s/10s path, then convert if needed |
| Seedance availability | Seedance 2.5 | Plan the longer take; render on a live route |
| Side-by-side choice | Compare and ClipCanva vs Runway | Same brief, different generator; HDR is a later step |
The packet should survive a model swap. If you later generate the same brief on Flux 3 or another live model, Ruby still only sees the approved file.
Nearby models, without fake leaderboards
| Need | Better default | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New shot that must ship as HDR | Runway Gen-4.5 with a native HDR outputFormat |
Official 20 August path for text-to-video and image-to-video |
| Existing SDR clip from any model | Runway Ruby | Official conversion; pixels and audio are preserved |
| Editorial ProRes HDR | hdr_prores |
Documented BT.2020 + PQ mezzanine, default 422 HQ |
| Comp-ready frames | hdr_exr_sequence |
Half-float OpenEXR as linear BT.2020 light, 1.0 = 100 nits |
| 8-second layout clip with dialogue | Canva Create a Video Clip (Veo-3) | Public cap is eight seconds, 16:9 |
| Live generation on ClipCanva | AI video generator | Produce the SDR source; do not claim an on-site HDR export |
| Model routing for the source take | Kling 3.0 Omni vs Veo 3.1 vs Runway Gen-4.5 | Choose the generator first, the container second |
Do not invent a ClipCanva HDR toggle, a Dolby Vision profile, or a free unlimited Ruby tier. Those claims are not on Runway’s 20–21 August docs.
Limits to keep in the brief
- App and API are not the same sentence. The 21 August Runway post says 30 seconds. The API changelog says 40 seconds and under 4096 pixels per side. Quote the surface you are using.
- Ruby is not a second generator. Official copy: brightness is extended with a bounded, color-preserving grade. Nothing is re-synthesized.
- HDR-tagged inputs are rejected. If a previous tool already wrote HDR metadata, you need a true SDR mezzanine first.
- Formats are rolling out per account. Official changelog: professional and HDR outputs are being enabled progressively.
- Non-MP4 Gen-4.5 deliveries have surcharges. Official models guide: ProRes and PNG sequence add 5 credits per second; 10-bit and deeper profiles add 20, or 40 above roughly 4K. That is separate from Ruby’s own 20/40 table.
- Social platforms still tone-map. An HDR10 file can look dull or clipped on an SDR laptop. Review on a tagged display before you call the grade done.
- Legal review still sits with you. Official pages describe codecs. They do not license a face, a song, or a competitor logo.
FAQ
What is Runway Ruby?
Ruby is Runway’s SDR-to-HDR model. Official API docs describe it as a grading model on POST /v1/video_to_hdr that keeps the source pixels and audio and delivers HDR10, HLG, ProRes, or an EXR sequence. The consumer announcement on 21 August 2026 points creators to the Runway app. ClipCanva is a separate product.
Should I use Ruby or generate HDR on Gen-4.5?
Use Gen-4.5 native HDR when the shot does not exist yet and you already know the delivery is HDR. Use Ruby when you already have an approved SDR clip from Gen-4.5, another Runway model, or a different generator. Official Aleph 2.0 HDR also goes through Ruby.
How long can one Ruby conversion be?
Runway’s API changelog says the input must be at most 40 seconds. Runway’s 21 August app post says uploaded or generated output up to 30 seconds. Confirm the live app or API project. Do not assume a 60-second timeline will pass.
Can ClipCanva export HDR10 or ProRes?
Not as of this writing. Use ClipCanva to write the script, lock the still, and generate the SDR keeper. Send that file to Runway when the client asked for HDR. Do not write “HDR export” into a ClipCanva prompt.
Is this the same as Canva’s AI video clip?
No. Canva’s public feature page is one 16:9 clip, up to eight seconds, powered by Google Veo-3, with synchronized audio. That is a layout-ready hook. Ruby is a finishing conversion for an already-approved SDR file.
Sources
- API Changelog & Updates, Runway Dev, 20 August 2026
- Available AI Models, Runway Dev
- API Pricing & Costs, Runway Dev
- API Reference: Video to HDR, Runway Dev
- Introducing Runway Ruby, Runway, 21 August 2026
- Canva AI Video Generator, Canva