A comparison of fixed-aperture and high-dynamic-range rendering in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. Standard fixed-aperture rendering is on the left; high-dynamic-range is active on the right. HDRR improves the realism of:

• The white hotspots caused by the sunlight in the water
• The light reflecting off the wet sand
• The light reflecting off the wet rocks on the far right
• The bloom effect caused by the sun looking over the skyline
• The blurring of the horizon near the sun

In-game screenshots of Lost Coast (user generated)

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast

Two screenshots of the same view, spliced together for direct comparison between the rendering modes

Yes; images are low resolution and inferior to original medium, making them unappealing for pirate or illegal use; PNG format and resolution used to preserve details essential for commentary.

The image is used to provide direct comparison between standard rendering and high-dynamic-range rendering modes in the product. The screenshot is vital in explaining the elements of the high-dynamic-range rendering; the article would suffer without a visual reference to abstract terms non-gamers would not understand.

No free images are available. Other non-free images can be provided easily, but the copyright holders have not released similar images into the public domain.

© Valve; Use of this image in the article complies with Wikipedia non-free content policy and fair use under United States copyright law as described above.

A comparison of fixed-aperture and high-dynamic-range rendering in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. Standard fixed-aperture rendering is on the left; high-dynamic-range is active on the right. HDRR improves the realism of:

• The white hotspots caused by the sunlight in the water
• The light reflecting off the wet sand
• The light reflecting off the wet rocks on the far right
• The bloom effect caused by the sun looking over the skyline
• The blurring of the horizon near the sun

In-game screenshots of Lost Coast (user generated)

High-dynamic-range rendering

Two screenshots of the same view, spliced together for direct comparison between the rendering modes

Yes; images are low resolution and inferior to original medium, making them unappealing for pirate or illegal use; PNG format and resolution used to preserve details essential for commentary.

The image is used to provide direct comparison between standard rendering and high-dynamic-range rendering modes in the product. The screenshot is vital in explaining the elements of the high-dynamic-range rendering; the article would suffer without a visual reference to abstract terms non-gamers would not understand.

No free images are available. Other non-free images can be provided easily, but the copyright holders have not released similar images into the public domain.

© Valve; Use of this image in the article complies with Wikipedia non-free content policy and fair use under United States copyright law as described above.