HDR

HDR Image

HDR (High Dynamic Range) image files store high dynamic range imagery, capturing a far greater range of luminance than standard image formats.

What is HDR Image?

The .hdr format, often based on the Radiance RGBE standard, is designed to store images with 32 bits per channel, representing light levels closer to what the human eye can perceive. Created for computer graphics and high-end rendering, it allows artists and photographers to preserve extreme highlights and deep shadows in a single scene without clipping.

Advantages

Stores true high dynamic range lighting data
Supports 32-bit floating-point color depth per channel
Widely used as environment maps in 3D rendering
Prevents loss of detail in extreme bright and dark areas

Limitations

Large file sizes compared to standard 8-bit formats
Requires specialized software or tone mapping to view correctly on standard displays
Not supported by standard web browsers without conversion

How to open HDR Image files

Adobe Photoshop Blender HDR Light Studio GIMP Radiance

Common use cases

Image-based lighting (IBL) in 3D scene rendering
Professional photography exposure blending
Visual effects (VFX) compositing
Architectural visualization

Convert HDR files

Browse all converters

Explore other formats

WOFF2 Web Font KML Geographic Data File WOFF Font File XLSX Spreadsheet CGM Image GLTF 3D Model GZ Archive VHDX Virtual Hard Disk VirtualBox Disk Image WAV Audio File AAC Audio File PowerPoint Presentation (PPTX)

Frequently asked questions

An HDR file is a high dynamic range image format that stores a wide range of luminance values, typically using 32 bits per color channel.

You can open HDR files using professional image editors and 3D applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Blender, GIMP, and Radiance.

Standard web browsers do not natively support the Radiance .hdr format without conversion to formats like JPEG or WebP.

Currently, there are no available converters for the .hdr format on ConvertX.