Coming Soon: Image Lighting DS

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Image Lighting DS — Coming Soon for DAZ Studio

Image Lighting DS is the first of the modules from Nature Tools DS to be released, designed to create and manage image-based lighting environments directly inside DAZ Studio.

Image Lighting DS can reconstruct HDR lighting from ordinary photographs, camera RAW files, and panoramic images, while also providing tools for working with existing HDR/EXR environments.

Features

HDR Lighting Reconstruction

• Generate Radiance .hdr environments from JPEG, PNG, supported TIFF, and camera RAW images.

• Adjustable highlight expansion, dominant light reconstruction, brightness, and fill controls.

• Automatic image analysis and source-derived lighting colors.

• Multiple output resolutions, including full source resolution without upscaling.

• Support for high-resolution panoramas and large 8-bit/16-bit integer TIFF images.

Camera RAW Support

• Support for multiple camera RAW formats, including CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF, and DNG.

• Camera, Auto, and Daylight white balance options.

• Available camera metadata displayed directly in the interface.

Panoramas and Environment Lighting

• 360° panorama support for image-based lighting and visible dome environments.

• Direct loading of existing HDR and EXR environments.

• Adjustable Iray environment intensity, map strength, dome rotation, and tone mapping.

• Camera and backplate controls for integrating rendered objects into photographs.

Lighting Assist

• Generate Key, Fill, and Bounce lights to complement environment lighting.

• Source-derived lighting color palettes with manual adjustments.

• Target selected scene objects with automatic geometry-aware placement.

• Adjustable lighting strength and optional dome-rotation linkage.

• Update, reframe, or remove generated lighting rigs.

Presets and Workflow

• Save complete lighting setups using the .ilds preset format.

• Visual preset library with image thumbnails.

• Restore supported environment, camera, and Lighting Assist settings.

• Generate HDR, Apply Environment, or Generate + Apply in one operation.

• Integrated source and HDR previews.

• Progress reporting, processing timers, and cancellation.

• Local user manual with guided workflows.

Example Use Cases

Photo-Based Scene Lighting

Use an ordinary photograph to generate an HDR lighting environment with colors and highlights based on the original image.

Product and Prop Rendering

Create image-based lighting for props, furniture, vehicles, and other 3D assets without manually building a complete lighting setup.

360° Outdoor Environments

Use panoramic photographs for visible backgrounds and environmental lighting, with adjustable dome rotation and lighting intensity.

Matching 3D Objects to Photographs

Combine photographic backplates, camera adjustments, environment lighting, and optional Lighting Assist to integrate rendered objects into photographic scenes.

Enhancing Existing HDR Environments

Load an existing HDR or EXR, adjust its Iray settings, and add Key, Fill, and Bounce lighting where needed.

Reusable Lighting Setups

Save favorite lighting configurations as visual presets and restore them when working on other scenes.

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Image Lighting DS v1.0.0.0 is currently undergoing final testing and documentation.

I'll share screenshots, example renders, and additional details as the release approaches