Sunset, dusk and dawn HDRI skies for exterior renders

What is in the collection

The sunset collection groups every HDRI at HDRI Hub whose title says dawn, sunrise, dusk or evening: 31 different outdoor skies. Seven of the evening and dusk skies also exist as separate 20K editions, so the shop grid shows 38 listings in total.

• 18 dawn and sunrise skies, mostly rural roads and fields, from 8192 x 4096 up to 14336 x 7168. Single price $8.
• 4 winter dusk skies with snow and a clear sky (HDR 090 to 093), all 14336 x 7168 at $8.
• 1 road dusk sky with a clear sky, HDR 099, 14336 x 7168 at $8.
• 7 evening and dusk skies with clouds or a blue evening gradient (HDR 148, 156, 157, 158, 159, 163, 167), each at $8 in the 8K edition and $20 as a 20K edition.

Sky prices run from $8 to $20. Five of the 31 skies carry the unclipped tag: HDR 148, 157, 158, 163 and 167. Unclipped means the sun and the brightest sky areas keep their full values, which gives you hard, directional light and long shadows from one file. See unclipped HDRIs and unclipped HDRIs, sun and shadows for the details.

Strongest picks

"From" is the lowest price on the product page. The 20K editions are separate listings at $20, for example HDR 167 in 20K.

How to choose

Dusk or dawn. Both give low sun and a warm horizon. The collection labels the time of day, but the sky itself shows the mood: look at the preview for cloud cover and how much blue is left. Dawn skies such as HDR 051 Road Dawn and HDR 063 Dawn suit rural and landscape scenes. Winter dusk skies such as HDR 092 give cold, clear light over snow.

Low sun, long shadows. A low sun lights facades from the side and throws long shadows across the ground. It models volume well on buildings and cars, and it warms the lit side while the shaded side stays cooler. Choose an unclipped sky when you want those shadows to stay crisp.

Evening with clouds. Cloudy evening skies like HDR 148 and HDR 163 give a softer, more moody result. The clouds break up the light, so the shadows are less harsh.

Blue hour with lights. The blue evening skies, for example HDR 156, HDR 157, HDR 158 and HDR 159, work well when the scene has its own light: lit windows, garden lights, car headlights. Turn on interior and exterior lamps and let the sky act as a cool fill.

Urban night. For city reflections after dark, see the night city HDRIs and the illuminated street HDRI domes.

Tips for using a low-sun HDRI

1. Rotate the HDRI first. Turn it until the sun sits behind or beside the subject. Backlight gives a bright rim on edges, side light shows surface detail. Check three or four angles before you fine tune anything else.
2. Set exposure after the rotation. Judge the exposure on the subject, not on the sky. Dusk skies are dark overall, so raise the render exposure until the building or car reads clearly, then check that the sun area is not blown out.
3. Keep the horizon in mind. A low sun means a bright band near the horizon. Frame your camera so that band, or a matching backplate, lines up with the skyline.
4. Add practical lights. Evening scenes feel natural when windows and lamps glow. Use warm artificial light against the cool sky.
5. Use the sky as background only when it fits. For tight shots, a backplate usually looks better than the sky itself.

Sets with backplates

Some dusk and evening skies come with matching plates, so the sky and the background photo have the same light. HDR 148 plates, HDR 163 plates and the two HDR 167 plate sets are $49 each. The dawn sets for HDR 106 and HDR 054 are $99. Layout licence versions of some plates are sold separately at $9. See how to match an HDRI and a backplate for the workflow.

Frequently asked questions

What is a sunset HDRI?

A sunset HDRI is a 360 degree high dynamic range image of a sky with the sun low on the horizon. It lights a 3D scene with warm, directional light and long shadows, and it also serves as the background.

Do you sell golden hour and blue hour HDRIs?

The collection covers dawn, sunrise, dusk and evening skies. The warm low-sun skies are the dawn, sunrise and dusk ones. The blue evening skies, HDR 156 to 159, suit the cooler blue hour look.

Which sunset HDRIs are unclipped?

Five skies carry the unclipped tag: HDR 148 Cloudy Evening Sky, HDR 157 and 158 Blue Evening Sky, HDR 163 Dusk Cloudy Sky and HDR 167 Sunny Dusk Clouds. Their 20K editions are unclipped too.

What resolution and price should I expect?

The dawn, sunrise and dusk skies are priced at $8 and range from 8192 x 4096 to 14336 x 7168. The evening skies come as 8K files at $8 and as 20K editions at $20.

Can I use these skies commercially?

Yes. All files are licensed for commercial use, for one user on one workstation.

Does the sun position matter for my render?

Yes. The sun is part of the image, so you set its direction by rotating the HDRI. Rotate until the light falls on your subject the way you want, then adjust exposure.

Are matching backplates available?

For several evening and dawn skies, yes: HDR 148, 163, 167, 106 and 054 have plate sets. Check each product page for the exact content.