The HDRI Handbook 2.0

Chapter 3: Capturing HDR Images

Now we’re all on the same page about the theoretical background of high dynamic range imaging as well as the available tools. But the question remains, How can I make these HDR images?

Basically, there are three ways.

First, you can create them synthetically with a 3D program. These days, all 3D render engines work internally with 32-bit floatingpoint values. So the data is there—up until the point a final image is saved to disk. The general habit of saving an 8-bit image simply throws away most of the precious rendered ...