How to create HDR images

[erickdt]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to generate HDR images to use for HDRI lighting. Is it a software package?

[AJLynn]

Doing your own takes some work. You need several shots of the same scene with different exposures (bracket the shutter speed up and down a few times), which you can put together in software like HDR Shop or Photoshop (CS2-only feature). But the ones that are used for scene environments are usually spherical images, the pros have a camera for that (it's expensive) and you can also do it with a very well-made mirrored sphere - the sphere is reflecting the environment where you're taking the shot, and you photograph the sphere.

[C.Vestal]

some links are old.

 

http://hdri.3dweave.com/library/

http://gl.ict.usc.edu/HDRShop/main-pages/faq.html

http://www.splutterfish.com/sf/contrib/tutorials/gabry_hdri_tut/_contents/index.html

http://www.the123d.com/tutorial/general8/hdri_skydome.html

http://www.hdrimaps.com/

http://projects.ict.usc.edu/graphics/skyprobes/ms_thesis_stumpfel.pdf

http://www.sachform.de/

http://www.fxguide.com/fxtips-304.html

[erickdt]

Doing your own takes some work. You need several shots of the same scene with different exposures (bracket the shutter speed up and down a few times), which you can put together in software like HDR Shop or Photoshop (CS2-only feature). But the ones that are used for scene environments are usually spherical images, the pros have a camera for that (it's expensive) and you can also do it with a very well-made mirrored sphere - the sphere is reflecting the environment where you're taking the shot, and you photograph the sphere.

 

Thanks to all for your replies! They're much appreciated.

 

AJ, I wonder if you can tell me where in CS2 (what menu) I can find the HDR compositor (is that even a word?).

 

Also... is it possible to set up an enviroment in VIZ use the VRay fish-eye camera to render it, then bring it into photoshop (CS2) and create an HDR?

[AJLynn]

The option is in the File menu, I think it's in Automate, if it's not there you can find it in the Help. I'd check but I don't have it on this computer.

 

I've never tried doing that in a renderer, though it did occur to me as a way to put the Maxwell procedural sky in Vray before Vray had it. I think you could do it if you could get the camera to be spherical (maybe this is what the new Dome Camera is for, I haven't tried that yet, don't know if it has the same exposure options as physical camera) and then adjust the shutter speed through the normal camera ones - 30, 60, 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000. The one that looks normal would be your "0" exposure, and the others would be +1, +2, etc., -1, -2, etc. Make sure to save as HDR in 32BPP mode.

[mahorela]

I have played around in Vue, exporting their environments etc. You can export them as HDRI. I have seen Evermotion etc use this concept to create HDRI's that they have given away.