Convert Radiance HDR to BMP

An HDR file (Radiance RGBE, .hdr or .pic) stores high dynamic range images using 32-bit floating-point-like color values, so it can record light far brighter and darker than a normal photo. It was created by Greg Ward in 1985 for the Radiance lighting simulation software and uses a simple run-length encoded format with a shared exponent per pixel.

HDR files are widely used in 3D rendering and visual effects as environment maps (HDRIs) that light a scene realistically.

Photoshop, GIMP, Affinity Photo, Blender, Krita and HDR viewers such as HDRView open .hdr files. Standard photo viewers usually can't, and screens can't show the full range, so convert HDR to JPG or PNG to get a regular image you can view and share.

The BMP (Bitmap) format, formally known as the Device Independent Bitmap (DIB) file format, is a raster graphics standard developed by Microsoft for the Windows operating system. The file structure consists of a file header (BITMAPFILEHEADER), an information header (typically BITMAPINFOHEADER), a color table, and the pixel array. Data is stored as a grid of pixels with color depths ranging from 1-bit to 32-bit, typically uncompressed, though the format supports lossless Run-Length Encoding (RLE4 or RLE8) and Huffman 1D compression for specific bit depths.

Due to its simplicity and documentation as a core Windows standard, BMP files possess near-universal compatibility. They can be opened natively by virtually all image viewers and web browsers across Windows, macOS, and Linux without additional software. Standard utilities include Microsoft Paint, Apple Preview, and Windows Photos. For advanced manipulation, pixel-based editors like Adobe Photoshop and CorelDRAW are recommended, though the format is rarely used for complex editing due to its large file size.