Halo Campaign Evolved HDR Settings Setup Guide

The Core Problem

Default HDR in Halo Campaign Evolved lifts shadows significantly compared to SDR, reducing contrast and making the image look washed out and less dynamic. On PC, the image also appears soft due to forced post-processing effects (chromatic aberration, film grain, motion blur, depth of field, vignette) that cannot be toggled off in the menus.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Fix Blurriness on PC with Engine.ini

   The image looks soft because several post-processing effects are on by default and locked in the menu. You need to create or edit an Engine.ini file to disable them.

   Navigate to your game config folder: typically %LOCALAPPDATA%\HaloCampaignEvolved\Saved\Config\Windows\ or the equivalent Unreal Engine path. Create the file if it does not exist.

   Create a new text file named Engine.ini and paste exactly these lines:

   Engine.ini

   [SystemSettings]
   r.SceneColorFringeQuality=0
   r.SceneColorFringe.Max=0
   r.FilmGrain=0
   r.Tonemapper.GrainQuantization=0
   r.Tonemapper.Quality=0
   r.MotionBlurQuality=0
   r.MotionBlur.Max=0
   r.DefaultFeature.MotionBlur=0
   r.DepthOfFieldQuality=0
   r.Tonemapper.Vignette=0

   Save the file and set it to Read-only if the game overwrites it on launch. These console variables kill chromatic aberration, film grain, motion blur, depth of field, and vignette. Motion blur can also be turned off in-game, but the rest cannot.

   Common Error

   Editing the wrong .ini file or putting the commands outside the [SystemSettings] section. The game will silently ignore them. Verify the file path and section header.

   Optional sharpening: Enable AMD CAS sharpening (or NVIDIA Image Scaling / Lossless Scaling sharpen) in your GPU control panel or via ReShade for extra clarity after disabling the above effects.

2. Enable HDR on Your System First

   Before touching in-game sliders, make sure HDR is active on your system or TV:

   • Windows: Settings > System > Display > HDR. Turn it on and confirm your display is HDR-certified.
   • Xbox: Settings > General > TV & display options > Calibrate HDR for gaming. Follow the console calibration first.
   • TV settings: Enable Game Mode. Prefer HGiG over Dynamic Tone Mapping if your TV supports both. HGiG preserves the in-game calibration better.

3. Calibrate HDR Sliders by Display Peak Brightness

   The game has three relevant sliders in Settings > Video > Screen Calibration:

   • HDR slider controls peak highlight brightness (max 2000 nits). Set this to your display rated peak.
   • Brightness slider affects upper shadows, midtones, and upper midtones.
   • Contrast slider increases midtones while decreasing upper shadows, restoring the pop lost in default HDR.

   Use these recommended starting values based on your display measured or rated peak brightness in Game Mode:

   Display Peak	HDR Slider	Brightness	Contrast
   2000 nits	2000	10	25
   1500 nits	1500	5	20
   1000 nits	1000	0	15
   800 nits	800	-3	10
   500 nits	500	-3	10

   For 500-nit displays, you can drop Brightness even lower if you accept a slightly dimmer overall image in exchange for more headroom between midtones and highlights.

4. Verify and Fine-Tune

   After applying the slider values, check two types of scenes:

   • High-contrast scene: bright outdoor area with deep shadows. Shadows should look dark, not gray.
   • Midtone-heavy scene: indoor or dusk environment. Details should be visible without the image looking flat.

   Adjust Brightness up or down a few clicks if the image feels too dark or too lifted. Keep Contrast in the suggested range. Small adjustments are better than large jumps.

Key Decision Points

• Know Your Real Peak Brightness

  Check your TV or monitor rated peak brightness in Game Mode. Setting the HDR slider higher than your panel can actually do just clips highlights and loses detail. If unsure, start lower and increase gradually.

• HGiG vs Dynamic Tone Mapping

  Prefer HGiG or static tone mapping over Dynamic Tone Mapping if your TV has both. Players note HGiG preserves the in-game calibration better. Dynamic Tone Mapping can fight your manual slider adjustments.

• Sharpening Over In-Game Sharpness

  If the image still feels soft after the Engine.ini fix, prioritize GPU-level sharpening (AMD CAS, NVIDIA Image Scaling) over raising in-game sharpness. The latter often introduces artifacts and halos around edges.

• Console vs PC Approach

  On Xbox and likely PS5, you can only adjust the three HDR sliders. The Engine.ini blur fix is PC-only. Console players should focus on Contrast recovery (raise to 15 at 1000 nits as a quick start) and accept the default post-processing.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Leaving default HDR settings without adjusting Contrast. Shadows stay lifted and the image looks flat.
• Setting the HDR slider far above your panel actual capability. This clips highlights and blows out bright areas.
• Raising Brightness too high. This washes out the contrast recovery you just gained from the Contrast slider.
• Forgetting to disable motion blur in-game as well, even with the Engine.ini fix. Some versions override the ini setting.
• On PC: not creating the Engine.ini at all, or placing it in the wrong folder. The game silently ignores misplaced config files.
• Using Dynamic Tone Mapping instead of HGiG. It fights your manual calibration and produces inconsistent results between scenes.