Choose information, not just brightness
An SDR conversion can appear pleasant in an ordinary mid-tone scene while mishandling the programme's most demanding highlights. Select a passage where bright detail matters to understanding or creative intent. Preserve the source and the exact conversion settings.
A hypothetical example is an indoor demonstration with a bright display in the background. The question is whether the demonstrator and the display's relevant content remain understandable. The goal is not necessarily to reveal every possible texture at the expense of the intended contrast.
Add a different difficult shot if the programme contains it, such as a small bright graphic against a dark scene. A decision based on only one type of highlight can produce an inconsistent programme.
Record the tradeoff
Compare labelled candidates through the intended SDR route. Keep unrelated sharpening, saturation and exposure changes out of the first comparison. Note what happens to the important detail, the surrounding tones and the transition into the next shot.
A candidate that preserves one window but makes every face look flat may be unsuitable. Another may preserve the intended overall relationship while allowing an unimportant highlight to remain bright. Record the reason for approval in terms of the programme rather than a universal preset ranking.
Review the final encoded derivative as well as the preparation preview. Check gradients and overlays that may change later in the path. The method here is an original sample-selection plan, not a measured comparison or a claim that any one tone-mapping algorithm is always best.
Questions answered
Should every highlight be made fully detailed?
The programme's meaning and creative intent determine what matters.
Can an ordinary mid-tone shot approve the whole conversion?
Include the difficult highlight and shadow cases actually present in the programme.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.