HDRI sample?

[chuzzlewit]

Is there a sample HDRI I could download to test the way it works before I spend money on a CD of HDRI images? Thxs

[riki]

Try here http://hdri.3dweave.com/library/

[chuzzlewit]

Got it. It looks like a fantastic site. I have to say though I'm new to HDRI and I've just tried one and gotten some odd results. I have a really akward courtyard to light with very little light reaching the far corners. A single bounce Monte Carlo hardly touches the far ends so I was hoping to boost the dark areas up with an HDRI (trust I've interpreted the tutorials correctly and that this is one of the benifits of HDRI - lighting dim spaces). When I put in one of the downloaded images (thanks v much to the people that maintain the site BTW) I got brighter sunlit areas but even darker shadow areas. Is this because the lower half of the images is black or am I doing something fundamentaly wrong...? I would try to edit the black half off to see the results but I can't open it in PS.