High Resolution Reference Photos, at Full Size

What high resolution gives you in practice

Resolution is not about bragging rights. It decides what you can do with a photo:

• Crop without losing detail. A building in the corner of a wide shot can become its own element.
• Cut clean edges. Rooflines, branches and cables keep sharp outlines when you mask them.
• Sample real texture. Brick, rust and rock keep their small detail when you build a material.
• Print large. At 300 pixels per inch, a 7360-pixel photo covers about 62 cm (24.5 in). An 8256-pixel photo covers about 70 cm (27.5 in).

Each product page lists the pixel size in the Quality field, so you know what you get before you buy.

The largest files in the catalog

A few contributors shoot on high-resolution full-frame cameras. Their packs are a good place to start when size matters most.

• Japanese Streets Osaka: 598 photos of streets, props and textures, shot by JONRON on a 45.7-megapixel Nikon D850 at 8256 × 5504.
• Vibrant Skies and Clouds: 400 sky photos by AVahur, shot in Finland on a Sony A7R II. Most are full 42-megapixel frames at 7952 × 5304. The 22 panoramas reach 20000 × 5000, and each also comes in a smaller version. Trees and power lines are already removed, and the photos are sorted into Blue, Golden and Stormy folders.
• TLopez shoots on a Nikon D810 at 7360 × 4912. Try Girona Rooftops (110 photos looking over the rooftops of Girona, Spain), Iceberg Lagoon (199 photos on a calm, foggy morning in Iceland) or Prehistoric Canyons (278 photos of red canyons on Kauai, shot from a helicopter and from viewpoints).

For matte painters and compositors

Matte painting needs plates that hold up at film or print resolution, in matching light. A pack gives you many frames from the same shoot, so you are not mixing a sharp foreground with a soft background from another source. Edinburgh Sunset Cityscape has 99 rooftop and building shots in one sunset light, at 7360 × 4912. Castle Ruins and Bridge gives you 74 photos of a small ruined castle in Scotland at 7174 × 4788.

The matte painter David Edwards used Fotoref photos in his painting "City of Silence". For more on how working artists judge a reference, read reference photos vs stock photos.

An honest note on sizes

Not every pack is 8000 pixels wide. Most of the catalog sits between 4000 and 6240 pixels on the long edge, which is more than enough for most concept and 3D work. Packs with drone, phone or underwater cameras may be smaller, and video clips are listed at their video size. Check the Quality field when resolution is critical for your project.

Frequently asked questions

What resolution are most Fotoref packs?

Most packs are between 4000 and 6240 pixels on the long edge. The largest, like Japanese Streets Osaka, reach 8256 × 5504. Each product page lists the exact size.

Can I print artwork made with these photos?

Yes. Artwork you create is yours to print and sell. If you want to print a photo itself, unchanged, on a product for sale, check the pack's content type. Editorial photos cannot be used on products for resale or in advertising.

Are panoramas included at full size?

In packs that include them, yes. Vibrant Skies and Clouds includes its 22 panoramas at full resolution, up to 20000 × 5000, plus smaller versions that are easier to work with.

Will large files slow down my computer?

A 45-megapixel photo is a big file, but most computers that run Photoshop or a 3D package handle it well. Many artists keep the full file as a master and work on a smaller copy.