Dune Awakening HDR and more (CORSAIR XENEON 27QHD240)

Engine.ini

; %localappdata%\DuneSandbox\Saved\Config\WindowsClient

[SystemSettings]

; ─── HDR Output & Display Gamut ───────────────────────────────────────────
r.AllowHDR=1                                      ; Enables HDR rendering support in the engine
r.HDR.EnableHDROutput=1                           ; Sends HDR output to compatible display (triggers HDR10 mode)
; Option list for the two settings below can be found here:
; https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/high-dynamic-range-display-output-in-unreal-engine#:~:text=r.HDR.Display,%3A%20ACEScg%2C%20D60
r.HDR.Display.OutputDevice=5                      ; Uses ST.2084 (PQ) tone curve — for proper HDR10 tone mapping
r.HDR.Display.ColorGamut=1                        ; Targets DCI-P3 (D65) color space — ideal match for HDR OLED panels like the XENEON

; ─── HDR Brightness & Luminance Configuration ─────────────────────────────
r.HDR.Display.MaxLuminance=1200                   ; Matches display's peak brightness in nits (set according to Windows HDR calibration)
r.HDR.Display.MidLuminance=5.25                   ; Controls tone curve midpoint — balances overall exposure for day/night visibility
r.HDR.Display.MinLuminanceLog10=-6                ; Defines darkest displayable black — OLED panels reach this level for true black

; ─── UI Behavior in HDR ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
r.HDR.UI.CompositeMode=1                          ; Composites LDR UI over HDR scene — avoids blown-out UI in dark scenes
r.HDR.UI.Level=1.0                                ; Controls UI brightness scale — (lower = dimmer) 1.5 is rec. per docs, but for me it adds banding to UI element gradients

; ─── Eye Adaptation, Local Exposure & Scene Lighting ───────────────────────
; NOTE: The following settings are most effective when Lumen (Unreal’s real-time global illumination system) is enabled.
; Without Lumen, local exposure, contrast shaping, and auto-exposure may have reduced accuracy or no effect.
r.HDR.EyeAdaptation.ExposureCompensation=0.4      ; Global exposure shift — 0.4 gives a neutral balance, 0.6 brightens overall
r.HDR.LocalExposure.Method=1                      ; Enables dynamic local exposure based on scene luminance histogram
r.HDR.LocalExposure.HighlightContrastScale=1.35   ; Increases contrast of bright areas — adds pop to sunlit scenes without full bloom
r.HDR.LocalExposure.DetailStrength=1.0            ; Enhances contrast-based detail separation — preserves surface texture under HDR
r.HDR.LocalExposure.LuminanceMin=0.005            ; Sets darkest tone for local exposure — allows night scenes to stay deep and rich
r.HDR.LocalExposure.LuminanceMax=3.0              ; Controls brightest tone — gives more headroom for sun, bloom, and emissives
r.EyeAdaptationQuality=2                          ; Enables histogram-based smooth eye adaptation (vs. basic exposure snapping)

; ─── Tone Mapping & Post Effects ──────────────────────────────────────────
r.Tonemapper.Quality=5                            ; Enables full-quality tone mapping — reduces banding and improves gradient precision
r.tonemapper.sharpen=0.3                          ; Applies mild image sharpening after tone mapping — good with DLAA to restore crispness
r.Tonemapper.GrainIntensity=0                     ; Disables film grain — reduces post-processing noise for cleaner image
r.Tonemapper.GrainQuantization=1                  ; Keeps tonemapper precision in HDR — prevents loss of detail or softening
r.Tonemapper.Film=1                               ; Uses cinematic film curve instead of linear ramp — produces natural contrast roll-off
r.TonemapperGamma=2.2                             ; Sets midtone gamma — improves visibility in shadowed areas without flattening
r.Tonemapper.Saturation=1.0                       ; Keeps full color saturation — use <1.0 to reduce warmth or stylize

; ─── Motion & View Detail Scaling ─────────────────────────────────────────
r.MotionBlurQuality=4                             ; Enables high-quality motion blur — smoother look, especially when DLSS/DLAA is active
r.ViewDistanceScale=2                             ; Doubles view distance rendering range — more distant objects stay fully rendered (CPU + GPU intensive)
foliage.LODDistanceScale=2                        ; Increases distance before foliage LODs drop — higher detail for trees, grass, etc. (CPU + GPU intensive)
r.SkeletalMeshLODBias=-2                          ; Forces higher detail on skeletal meshes (characters, NPCs) — more triangles, better fidelity (CPU + GPU load)

; ─── Buffer Precision Enhancements ────────────────────────────────────────
r.SceneColorFormat=4                              ; Uses 16-bit floating point scene color buffer — preserves gradient and HDR precision in main render pass
r.PostProcessingColorFormat=1                     ; Uses 16-bit floating point post-processing buffer — reduces color banding in tone mapping and bloom