For example, you can be In a beautiful village surrounded by greenery and blue sky, which has 360° panorama view.
![](https://res.cloudinary.com/hsfhjza4k/image/upload/q_auto,w_1599,c_scale/4f03ddfc-321b-402f-a025-8cde5b653761.jpg?_a=BACADKDL)
In an HDRI Backdrop mode, you are actually in a huge dome to which a high dynamic range image is applied.
![](https://res.cloudinary.com/hsfhjza4k/image/upload/q_auto,w_1600,c_scale/50b93436-e6b6-49a7-8cae-d77c0d0fe192.jpg?_a=BACADKDL)
HDRI Lighting is technically called 'image-based lighting'. With the HDRI Backdrop mode, the Image-based lighting surrounds the scene and provides HDR illumination, HDR reflections, and a HDR background.
![](https://res.cloudinary.com/hsfhjza4k/image/upload/q_auto,w_1599,c_scale/b002937b-fee5-4d61-8152-c3035ed7319d.jpg?_a=BACADKDL)
Most HDRIs are captured photographically at a real location. Think of the HDRI not as a photographic image, but as an accurate measurement of the brightness and color of the light coming from all directions around the camera. Each pixel on the flat HDR image stores a color and brightness value for a specific direction and this will be mapped onto the environment lights surface.
![](https://res.cloudinary.com/hsfhjza4k/image/upload/q_auto,w_2477,c_scale/3ed3cf03-f184-4462-a67e-1ac86ab0b74e.jpg?_a=BACADKDL)