Backgrounds for interior and exterior scenes

[mx3cki4e]

Hey Guys,

 

When i have looked at some CG artist's portfolio, i have been taken notice on how amazing the outdoor background (map or texture??......that's visible from window or structural openings) are done, made, or composited (i don't know) from an interior viewed scene and even the exterior scene looked just as amazing.

 

1. I have tried using a mapped plane using a landscape or cityscape texture, then positioned just right outside the windows parallel to the building or room space with the "cast shadows" option unchecked. But i have come across another method saying that you need to place the plane 'perpendicular' (at 90 degrees) to the line of sight of the camera.

 

2. I have tried putting a landscape or cityscape texture within the "environment background" slot while using an HDRI sky just for the lighting.

 

3. I have tried using an HDRI image of a landscape or city scape on the "environment background slot" mapped spherically, as well as using the HDRI for ambient lighting using a 'dome light' or 'within the environment skylight slot'; but in the end it didn't look quite right plus will i be able to tweak it to my liking within Photoshop (if its possible to do a render pass on only the "environment background").

 

4. I have tried assigning it as an actual background on the grid but i think this is not right.

 

5. There is also one where your model/space/room/building is right center of a cylinder or hemisphere then you map a landscape or cityscape texture onto it with the 'cast shadows' option unchecked.

 

 

This is pretty much my desired questions, if its no trouble i would like to know how you guys place or assign you backgrounds with the possibility of tweaking it in Photoshop (if its possible to do a render pass on only the "environment background") or not. Cheers!