Can an EDID override or virtual screen add Apple reference presets to another monitor?

No. An EDID override or BetterDisplay virtual screen does not turn a third-party monitor into an Apple display with reference presets. BetterDisplay selects presets that the system exposes for a supported display. Changing its name or reported HDR capabilities does not provide that preset support.

An EDID describes display capabilities, including some HDR luminance information. Editing those values changes what the monitor reports. It leaves the monitor’s hardware and calibration unchanged, and it cannot add Apple presets. A player may use the values for HDR tone mapping, but changing them may not fix its output.

A virtual screen supplies a separate desktop. Mirroring its image to a physical monitor does not give the target Apple reference-mode behavior, and an HDR-capable virtual screen is not an emulated Pro Display XDR.

If HDR video looks too dark or clipped, first distinguish the player’s rendering, the selected display mode and profile, and any software image adjustments. See HDR highlight clipping and reported versus measured brightness. Changing an EDID luminance value cannot calibrate the result to an Apple reference preset.

On a display that supports Apple presets, use Presets. See software adjustments with reference presets if you need to preserve the preset’s unmodified output.