List of sites with free HDRi

2

Comments

  • wowiewowie Posts: 2,029
    edited August 2015

    Adding to the list:

    http://www.maximeroz.com/hdri-free-pack#

    Comes as .exr files, so you need to convert them to TIFFs (for UE2) and JPG (for the UE2 sphere).

    I noticed some warping with the default UE2 sphere. To get rid of that, add SubD to the sphere, then change the SubD level to 2.

    For viewers/converters, there's also XnviewMP. Free and available on OSX and Linux.

    Post edited by wowie on
  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001

    And another one...

    http://sith-kitten.deviantart.com/art/Iray-Skies-Volume-1-522179745

    There are 3 hdrs, some backplates and a set of sample renders.  All designed with Studio and Iray in mind.

  • Arnold CArnold C Posts: 740

    HDRMAPS offer a tutorial how to tweak a HDRi adding direct light in Photoshop to improve mid and low quality HDRi's.

  • EsemwyEsemwy Posts: 578
    edited January 2016

    please ignore

    Post edited by Esemwy on
  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001

    A couple more...

    http://bocostudio.com/boco-pano/ ; (use in commercial renders allowed)

    http://joostvanhoutte.com/hdris/ (pack of 26 images, most are able to be used commercially)

  • Here's another one,

    There's a couple of decent ones on there with backplates.

    http://www.hdrishop.com/collections/free-hdris

    There's also a tutorial for setup in Modo

    http://www.hdrishop.com/pages/tutorials

  • Hello Guys, if you are still hungry for high resolution and good quality hdri maps, that are free for commercial use and produce sharp shadows, check sister site of hdrmaps.com:

    http://hdri-skies.com/  - I share there 150 Free psc of high dynamic range sky maps in 4K, additionaly I have created service with free textures, sky backgrounds and LDR environment panoramas: http://texturify.com/. The mail idea of these two services is to support young artists. Enjoy!

     

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    Hello Guys, if you are still hungry for high resolution and good quality hdri maps, that are free for commercial use and produce sharp shadows, check sister site of hdrmaps.com:

    http://hdri-skies.com/  - I share there 150 Free psc of high dynamic range sky maps in 4K, additionaly I have created service with free textures, sky backgrounds and LDR environment panoramas: http://texturify.com/. The mail idea of these two services is to support young artists. Enjoy!

     

    thank you

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001

    They are on the front page too... laugh

  • ohh sorry! I haven't noticed at first glance. Big thanks!

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001

    ohh sorry! I haven't noticed at first glance. Big thanks!

    No problem...notices aren't sent for edits, so if anyone was subscribing to this thread, it takes a post to let them know.

     

  • j cadej cade Posts: 2,310
    edited February 2016

    Some more hdris for us all.  and really nice ones from 12-24EVs. glorious sharp shadows

    The high resolution ones cost monies (though still quite inexpensive)

    But all of them have low res versions that are free! 

     

    Post edited by j cade on
  • RAMWolffRAMWolff Posts: 10,216

    WOW... great find.  I might buy the bundle.  I really am impressed with the entire lot! 

  • MadbatMadbat Posts: 382
    edited March 2016

    Hello Guys, if you are still hungry for high resolution and good quality hdri maps, that are free for commercial use and produce sharp shadows, check sister site of hdrmaps.com:

    http://hdri-skies.com/  - I share there 150 Free psc of high dynamic range sky maps in 4K, additionaly I have created service with free textures, sky backgrounds and LDR environment panoramas: http://texturify.com/. The mail idea of these two services is to support young artists. Enjoy!

     

    I just did a test render with one of these in iray, they look great!

    BTW, are there any sites that have space hdr's? I saw one...somewhere...that had a couple of the milky way. 

    Edit again! I did try a render with the one  from the top listed hdr source, but those are a bit low rez for use as backdrops.

    Post edited by Madbat on
  • CherubitCherubit Posts: 994
    Madbat said:

    Hello Guys, if you are still hungry for high resolution and good quality hdri maps, that are free for commercial use and produce sharp shadows, check sister site of hdrmaps.com:

    http://hdri-skies.com/  - I share there 150 Free psc of high dynamic range sky maps in 4K, additionaly I have created service with free textures, sky backgrounds and LDR environment panoramas: http://texturify.com/. The mail idea of these two services is to support young artists. Enjoy!

     

    I just did a test render with one of these in iray, they look great!

    BTW, are there any sites that have space hdr's? I saw one...somewhere...that had a couple of the milky way. 

    Edit again! I did try a render with the one  from the top listed hdr source, but those are a bit low rez for use as backdrops.

    There is one of the milky way here http://www.hdrlabs.com/sibl/archive.html

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 18,169
    j cade said:

    Some more hdris for us all.  and really nice ones from 12-24EVs. glorious sharp shadows

    The high resolution ones cost monies (though still quite inexpensive)

    But all of them have low res versions that are free! 

     

    Some of those are pretty nice and they're not trying to charge Andy Warhol prices.

  • MadbatMadbat Posts: 382
    taemimun said:
    Madbat said:

    Hello Guys, if you are still hungry for high resolution and good quality hdri maps, that are free for commercial use and produce sharp shadows, check sister site of hdrmaps.com:

    http://hdri-skies.com/  - I share there 150 Free psc of high dynamic range sky maps in 4K, additionaly I have created service with free textures, sky backgrounds and LDR environment panoramas: http://texturify.com/. The mail idea of these two services is to support young artists. Enjoy!

     

    I just did a test render with one of these in iray, they look great!

    BTW, are there any sites that have space hdr's? I saw one...somewhere...that had a couple of the milky way. 

    Edit again! I did try a render with the one  from the top listed hdr source, but those are a bit low rez for use as backdrops.

    There is one of the milky way here http://www.hdrlabs.com/sibl/archive.html

    That's the one I tried, it's a bit low resolution, but it will have to do.

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001

    The problem with most 'space' HDRIs is that you won't get much usable light from them...

    Now for backdrop only with maybe some fill light...then you might be able to find something here...

    https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0932a/

    http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/index.html (most of these will NOT be HDR format...some may be tifs but most are jpgs...usable as bacdrops only)

  • SemicharmSemicharm Posts: 376

    There's a few excellent HDRI groups and artist on Flicker. There are a few things to note:

    1. Some are fairly low-res. That's OK for lighting, but may be unsuitable for backgrounds. IMHO, the minimum resolution for sphere maps is ~1.5x your render width to get usable results. I've included search links with minimum width set to 1500. The search page itself doesn't have an option to set this, but you can manually edit "width=x" at the end of the address to your required resolution.
    2. Images have a random assortment of licences. Details are lsited on each image page. You can also select your required licence type on the search page.
    3. Some pages have a panorama preview. It's low res, but gives a sense of perspective before downloading the full image.

    https://www.flickr.com/groups/equirectangular/
    https://www.flickr.com/search/?group_id=44671723@N00&view_all=1&dimension_search_mode=min&width=1500

    https://www.flickr.com/groups/hdrpanoramas/
    https://www.flickr.com/search/?group_id=65811237@N00&view_all=1&text=&dimension_search_mode=min&width=1500

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/vitroids/sets/72157605864546893

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/heiwa4126/albums/72157601609820530

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/gadl/sets/72157604695660345

  • 3Diva3Diva Posts: 11,628
    edited June 2016
    Semicharm said:

    There's a few excellent HDRI groups and artist on Flicker. There are a few things to note:

    1. Some are fairly low-res. That's OK for lighting, but may be unsuitable for backgrounds. IMHO, the minimum resolution for sphere maps is ~1.5x your render width to get usable results. I've included search links with minimum width set to 1500. The search page itself doesn't have an option to set this, but you can manually edit "width=x" at the end of the address to your required resolution.
    2. Images have a random assortment of licences. Details are lsited on each image page. You can also select your required licence type on the search page.
    3. Some pages have a panorama preview. It's low res, but gives a sense of perspective before downloading the full image.

    https://www.flickr.com/groups/equirectangular/
    https://www.flickr.com/search/?group_id=44671723@N00&view_all=1&dimension_search_mode=min&width=1500

    https://www.flickr.com/groups/hdrpanoramas/
    https://www.flickr.com/search/?group_id=65811237@N00&view_all=1&text=&dimension_search_mode=min&width=1500

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/vitroids/sets/72157605864546893

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/heiwa4126/albums/72157601609820530

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/gadl/sets/72157604695660345

    These are wonderful! Thank you so much! :D 

    (HDRIs from first link with minor tweaks in Photoshop.)

     

    I love these, thanks so much for the links! :)

     

    Post edited by 3Diva on
  • JimbowJimbow Posts: 557
    edited June 2016
    mjc1016 said:

    The problem with most 'space' HDRIs is that you won't get much usable light from them...

     

    Try this (how I do starfields from scratch from even 8-bit starfields, but easier with HDR): Take it into Photoshop (with the image mode as 32bits), keep copying it as a layer that uses Linear Dodge (Add) for the layer's blending until you get an intensity that lights your scene. You might have to copy it up to thirty times or more depending on what you're after, or you could merge layers down as you go and duplicate them instead (they'll have the already added EV range embedded). Having an exposure layer on top that has the exposure ramped down to around -10 EV is useful for checking the brightness, but it can be very hit and miss as to whether it works without further manipulation. You can also use Linear Burn layers to put the blacks further into the dark values.

    Also works with normal HDRs if you're looking for more punch, and you can isolate the sun using masking to make the sun even brighter. It doesn't actually take that long to do once you get used to it.

    Addendum: For stars, it's also a good idea to slightly blur them to get rid of pixelation and give them a bit of a glow. Just a tiny amount as you go.

    Post edited by Jimbow on
  • Mustakettu85Mustakettu85 Posts: 2,933
    Semicharm said:

     

    1. Images have a random assortment of licences. Details are lsited on each image page. You can also select your required licence type on the search page.

    I can't seem to figure out how to only search for true HDR images and not JPEG files.sad

  • PendraiaPendraia Posts: 3,598

    Thanks for the links Semicharm...

  • dHandledHandle Posts: 617
    edited July 2016
    Kerya said:

    These weren't exactly free.  They added an Extended Download...something or other...for $1.68

    Plus they required a ton of information to register...including a phone number??  I've never been asked for a phone number.

    Thanks for the links and the heads-up, Kerya, but I decided to pass this time.

     

     

    Edit to update:  I went back and looked again. Figured out how to delete the Extended Download protection from my shopping cart.  Credit card info was not needed for freebies.  It's all good now.  Check them out!

    Post edited by dHandle on
  • McGyverMcGyver Posts: 7,058
    edited July 2016

    Hi, I was just reading through this thread and came to the part about folks looking for space HDRIs... A while ago someone was looking for some spacy backgrounds with starfields... Put together a couple of 2400 x 2400 seamless tiles of different starfields and posted them in the Art Zone section...  

    Please note, these are not HDRIs, they are just seamless jpegs... I'm only mentioning this because within this thread there have been suggestions on how to make an HDRI, possibly using jpegs... I don't know if these are useful, but since they are seamless, if you don't mind the possibly of repetition you could make a bigger background out of them...

    This is a smaller example of what they look like...

    The 2400 x 2400 versions can be found on the second page of this thread... I think it's in the middle of the page 2...

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/59113/an-ot-thread-for-images/p1

    Those were smaller versions of 4800 x 4800 versions I have on my computer... I offered to put those up on ShareCG, but as far as I know nobody was interested, so these probably are either crappy or not very useful, but whatever... Use them if you need them and if the 4800 ppi version sounds good I can put them up on SCG, after next week... I probably won't get a chance to check back on this thread for a few days...

    Sorry also for not directly linking the images, but I'm doing this on an iPad and it's making me a bit iPadicidal (really, trying to select a word or letter using a standard human finger is beyond annoying... It's like that game with the BB in a maze... Give me a damn arrow key, you monsters!)... 

    Hope this is of use to someone, if not just ignore it... 

     

    Post edited by McGyver on
  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 18,169

    I wonder if I could make an HRDI with my 10 year old 5MB camera? There are a few waterfalls in the area and one is a very big waterfall.

  • 3dLux3dLux Posts: 1,231
    McGyver said:

    Hi, I was just reading through this thread and came to the part about folks looking for space HDRIs... A while ago someone was looking for some spacy backgrounds with starfields... Put together a couple of 2400 x 2400 seamless tiles of different starfields and posted them in the Art Zone section...  

    Please note, these are not HDRIs, they are just seamless jpegs... I'm only mentioning this because within this thread there have been suggestions on how to make an HDRI, possibly using jpegs... I don't know if these are useful, but since they are seamless, if you don't mind the possibly of repetition you could make a bigger background out of them...

    This is a smaller example of what they look like...

    The 2400 x 2400 versions can be found on the second page of this thread... I think it's in the middle of the page 2...

    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/59113/an-ot-thread-for-images/p1

    Those were smaller versions of 4800 x 4800 versions I have on my computer... I offered to put those up on ShareCG, but as far as I know nobody was interested, so these probably are either crappy or not very useful, but whatever... Use them if you need them and if the 4800 ppi version sounds good I can put them up on SCG, after next week... I probably won't get a chance to check back on this thread for a few days...

    Sorry also for not directly linking the images, but I'm doing this on an iPad and it's making me a bit iPadicidal (really, trying to select a word or letter using a standard human finger is beyond annoying... It's like that game with the BB in a maze... Give me a damn arrow key, you monsters!)... 

    Hope this is of use to someone, if not just ignore it... 

     

    Thannks for sharing this and for the link to the other thread!  I hadn't seen either before blush  

    And yes please, I'd love the larger version blush angel

  • prixatprixat Posts: 1,589

    Have you got White Magus on the list?

    http://www.whitemagus3dmodels.com/

    ...mostly architectural models but has some free HDRs in EXR format.

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