Cityscape Photos, Sorted by Light and Viewpoint

Choose the light first

Relighting a skyline is slow work. It is faster to start from a plate that already has the light you need.

• Overcast and neutral. Auckland Cityscape (177 photos) and Melbourne Cityscape (117 photos) were shot mostly on overcast days. Soft, even shading is the easiest base to relight in compositing.
• Sunset. Edinburgh Sunset Cityscape has 99 photos of buildings and rooftops at 7360 × 4912. Seoul Cityscape Sunset and Night (191 photos) adds reflections in the Han River.
• Twilight and night. Manila Cityscape Night Time (117 photos) covers sunrise, sunset, twilight and night from several rooftops. Vancouver Night Cityscape (199 photos) was shot during twilight and night hours. Taipei Cityscape Day and Night (165 photos) is about 30% night, so you can match day and night versions of the same view.

Then choose the viewpoint

The height of the camera decides how the city reads.

• From a tower. The Sydney Cityscape pack (359 photos) includes views from Sydney Tower straight down onto rooftops. Auckland Aerial Cityscape (110 photos) was shot from the city's sky tower.
• From the air. Vancouver Aerial Photography (175 photos) is a flight over islands, suburbs and the city centre, sorted into folders by location. Kualu Lumpur Aerial Nightscape (145 photos) is a drone view of the lit city at night.
• From the water. Tokyo Riverscape (322 photos) was shot from a river ferry and shows an endless line of high-rises at street level.
• From a train. Taipei Metro Area Trainscape (304 photos) was taken from a train window, with high-rises on one side and lower neighbourhoods on the other. It is useful for moving-camera shots and parallax layers.

Telephoto plates for layered skylines

A long lens compresses distance, so towers that are kilometres apart appear stacked together. That is the look of most cinematic skyline shots. The Sydney Night Cityscape (267 photos) was shot across the harbour on a 70-300mm lens. Brisbane Cityscape Daytime (448 photos) was also shot with a 70-300mm lens, along the river bank. For more on combining plates, read our guide on how to photobash.

From pack to finished matte painting

Matte painter and concept artist David Edwards used the Vancouver Aerial Photography pack in his matte painting "City of Silence". He shot several of the Vancouver packs himself, so they were made by a matte painter with matte painting in mind. For more plates built for this work, see matte painting stock photos.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use these plates in a film or a commercial?

Yes, in unlimited projects. Commercial content can be used for nearly any purpose, but not for logos or trademarks, so paint out brand signs on buildings if they would be prominent. Some packs, such as Istanbul Riverscape, are Editorial and can be used as reference but not reproduced directly in advertising.

Which cities are covered?

Cities include Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Taipei, Bangkok, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, Vancouver, San Francisco, London, Paris, Edinburgh, Istanbul and Buenos Aires.

Do you have a big pack for one city?

Yes. London Cityscape has 574 photos of landmarks, streets, markets, buses and taxis for $9.99. San Francisco Streets and Cityscape has 751 photos.

Can my studio share these packs?

Yes. A Small Studio license covers an art team of up to 10 people, and a Large Studio license covers bigger teams. An Individual license is for one person only.