I got chased out of Costco TWICE getting those food photos, lol.

imagine working freight at some grocery store and someone comes in and takes a picture of the potatos you stocked and puts them in one of the greatest video games ever made and that one box is seen by millions of people.

It's also worth noting that most, if not all, of Karen Laur's photo references were taken in and around the Seattle, Washington area, near where Valve's offices were, and several locations and landmarks can be identified today. For example, the canal photos seen at 4:24 through 4:35 were taken at Ballard Locks, a popular tourist attraction in the city. On a side note, the Half-Life Wikia/Fandom you show at 0:07 was abandoned almost a decade ago and hasn't been maintained in that time. The entirety of the wiki's staff, myself included, created and moved over to the Combine OverWiki, a fully community-owned and run wiki free of advertisements and the rest of the obnoxious pop-ups and embedded videos you see there.

the fact bugs are used for textures in this game, this legit gave me a scare. and dude, this was actually informative content. thanks for showing us these!

It's so surreal seeing all these HL assets existing in the real world

Daaaamn crazy seeing those red container textures original source, theyre used all over GoldSrc engine games

It is incredible the level of realism that valve has wanted to include, despite the limitations of that era have been very good at innovating graphics and not only in textures even in AI.

Man, I thought the desert skyboxes were only pixelated art. But no, it's actually a real place. Just like the Windows XP background

I wish they would use that famous "Cobble stone" texture at least once

It's so surreal seeing this. I never honestly thought the textures in Half-Life were real, they seemed too perfect to be real. I thought all of them were photoshopped. To think some of the doors and big machinery were train doors of all things! Thank you Karen for your amazing pictures and work.

4:17 3_2216.BMP is used as a ceiling texture in Surface Tension. And 3_2219.BMP is used in Unforeseen Consequences.

Some of these textures, specifically the doors, are so iconic that I don’t see them as “real-world photos used for half-life”, I see them more as “half-life textures in real life”. That probably made no sense but maybe you get what I mean

Honestly the most interesting of all hl trivia. Seeing the real world images of what’s burned into my memory playing hl as a kid was strangely beautiful. Also reminded me of an earlier time of 90s computer encyclopedias for some reason. It’s new & nostalgic at the same time. Wonderful stuff

3:53 that container is classic

At around 5-6 years old, this game was my first memorable encounter of rusted metal and often with flakes of paint coming off it. I have had a fascination for it ever since. Nice to see the origins.

That Texture Archeology is very cool, I've been watching videos about it and I was wondering when a HL one would pop, very nice one! Your content is very cool, deserves more subs.

the xen levels' skyboxes always looked very similar to microscopic imaging of cells and other micro-organisms to me. and now I see that those images were also used, so my hunch was kinda correct, good to know I guess.

The wall texture at 3:30 is actually from P000598 (shown at 4:08)

Imagine being one of the persons whose objects were randomly used as textures for the best game ever... « _Hey, look son, this was one of my crates, back when I worked at this old depot, 30 years ago_ »

Now, after watching this video I finally understood what gave half life 1 graphics that special feeling. It was the perfect mix of digital art and low Res photography. After studying some textures original files I've even seen real textures with shadows drawn over them. Blur made it hard to distinguish what was real and what was not.

wow! not to be that guy, but I think I recognize a couple of these IRL locations. I've lived in Washington all my life and I'm 100% sure a few of those desert shots are of Dry Falls over in eastern washington (as well as many roadside shots in that same area), and this may be a bit of a stretch, but I'm almost certain those interior grocery store shots are the Costco in Grace, WA. I'd also say that the machinery parts look reminiscent of Gasworks Park in Seattle, but I really don't think they match the coloration of Gasworks or the shape of any machinery I've seen there, so probably not. really fun to think about!

This channel is blessed. Someone who’s actually making contents about this 20+ years old game that never stops to amaze me is such a great thing. Appreciate your efforts, wishing you could keep doing this!

This was like walking an art museum. I loved it! Associating so many images with fond memories I have of the HL game I've played countless times before was definitely a trip down memory lane.

You become so used to seeing some of these textures that they look out of place when you see them surrounded by other objects irl.

I wonder if someone will one day do a remake/upscale of the game textures using these original source images.

This is an amazing case study for aspiring game developers. I really like how she creatively used pieces of her source photography to create one texture.

I did recognized a bunch of them the moment i saw it, it's just that legendary. Half-Life 1 is a masterpiece, even when it comes to the in-game textures.

I have no words to describe how fascinating this find is! 23 years later and we're still talking about HL1. Kudos to this guy and MarphitimusBlackimus for uploading videos with trivia about HL games, and Karen for making the textures and releasing the reference photos.

3:52 That one made it in CS later on , and many other great goldscr mods . I think it might be the most well known Hl texture there is, other that the wooden boxes one ofc .

I love this, this is so fascinating to see, especially when you recognise the textures, and do the whole "Leo pointing at screen" meme, haha. The microscope pictures at the end look like they were used for Xen, but I think more specifically the Xen you see in Opposing Force (the sky especially).

2:59 OPEN A SILO DOOR IT'S A ONLY WAY OUT OH MY GOD WE'RE DOOMED

Idk why but I _love_ watching texture source videos.

i'm going to eat all those beetles

at 4:55 8500 - it can be found in residue processing in a part when you surface for air and fill up on health. it looks especially good in the AI upscale

1:33 P000643.bmp... i remember placing those boxes in the barn on the CS country style map in WorldCraft map editor back in 2002.

Seeing half-life textures in real life places feels really surreal.

I adore stuff like this, old data like this doesn't survive very often

6:13 hatch is i believe is the door from that bunker in "We've got hostiles" chapter (I'm not sure) 6:17 It looks more like A boxes from office complex 1:31 you know this fence reminds me of l4d2 level... 2:15 The 8th one looks like a kitchen floor from office complex 3:08 The textures from 3rd to 8th It seems like a cargo from the beginning of the game When you sit in the tram Pbglobs and trachea Look like xen skybox texture

I like this texture sources, honestly, i would be more happy if i could see other texture sources, like for the whiteboard ones, like that whiteboard from "apprehension" next to getting the crossbow and others.

oh wait, when did you start using a mic, i love this! (im too smooth brained to read)

I love how in most of your videos you're not talking, but in this one you just out of nowhere you talk

There's a lot of photos that made it as textures/props for the HL2 Leak instead - from the ones seen in this video it's the hatches and ship doors,a few walls,the wire spools,the pallet with the tires,the big metal gates for the canal levels and so on....

seems like fun taken pictures for a game

coming back to these after the recent documentary is wild.

I remember seeing something on that Valve Archive website about someone who shared an image of some of the texture sources a few years ago and said something along the lines of "I have them, and no one else has them" before abandoning the account they used Not sure how true it is, though, seeing how I can't find the message or image on the forum it was sent in

Kudos to Karen for texturing the entirety of one of the best shooters ever. Apart from Xen, very little people liked it 😂

I recognized a lot of other textures from source images. Examples: Bullettin boards, the rusty textures and the freezer door at 4:17.

It's pretty cool that Xen used all sorts of textures from insects and microscopic pictures

damn, i can't believe there's cheez-itz in Half Life Fucking love this game

2:10 Now that's creative; I never would've guessed the exhaust shield would come from that photo. 6:01 Studio.jpg is a photo of Kelly Bailey's equipment where some of synth presets provided parts of the soundtrack, such as the credits theme.

this is so fascinating, thx for showing us

The attention to detail in this game is still staggering to this very day.

As 3d artist, making textures for games/renders are just the best part of the whole process!!

That is so cool man. I've always wondered how the texture were made and and where they originated from

Nice piece of history. It was oddly satisfying and soothing to watch

thanks for making this video, I stumbled upon these images about a month ago but I sometimes I couldn't figure out which texture was which, with you showing the bugs for the xen textures now I do :)

what a legend she is, its really trippy seeing some of this stuff. My brain is telling me I know this picture very well but i cant work out where (i have never been to america). hudnreds of hours on half life and thousands in the hammer editor!

Half Life developers: "How much more data can we fit into a 400mb game?" Gabe: "Yes."

wow, amazing content. Thank you!

I always say: Where did this textures came from? And I learned where they came from. Thanks to you

Omg this is the most incredible thing ive seen in a while. Halflife is one of my all time favorite games even though i havent played it in over 15 years. I had it back in 98.

Excellent video! I've been staring at these textures for years during my various playthroughs, it's awesome to see where many of them originated from

Ah, no longer in the ears. Much better! Thank you, Lymphoid. :)

I hope one day they'll find the full quality sound files from Half-Life...

Just went outside and took random photos at everything to the point most of the images look generated by an AI, games back then had really creative developers.

it belongs in a museum

It's pretty wild to think there was a time when you could make a fully-complete 3D asset for a video game by taking a photo of something and slapping it onto a model.

first ever KAREN W

6:14 - wirecrate1.jpg - "Huh, I guess the alien disaster isn't slowing down production, any. Today's episode is brought to you by the number '8'! Just what are we shipping, anyway? These looks like engine parts..." This is gold, videogame archaeology. It's amazing to see how the textures have been modified to fit into the game - And how a few of them were even left untouched.

I can't believe all this... thank you Karen Laur!

In Half -Life 2, it was recently discovered Valve used a real burned corpse face for the texture of one of their torched bodies model. It apparently came from an autopsy book

Texture archeology is great

First! thx for the video! Hope you doing good^.

"We need more textures, grab some cameras!"

Radiation Hazard should look into these texture sources.

I'll admit, very fun to point to one of the pictures in a folder like "hey I've seen that"' and have you zoom it out for comparison

im so happy this was recommended to me, thank you for the great video

*fascinating, just look at that!*

This is pretty interesting to see- I just recently got a gaming PC for 3D modeling but also downloaded and am almost done with her first half life. It’s really fun and I’m looking forward to playing its DLC and sequel!

4:23 They appear between Gargantuar Chase (Surface Tension) and just before Forget About Freeman near the green water (The tactical map puzzle)

Fascinating...interesting how the original photo of the truck's exhaust pipe texture at 2:08 is actually _not_ of an exhaust pipe but of something that even I can't identify! As at least one other person has said the texture at 3:31 is not the one used in that part of that map; "P000598" at 4:07 appears to be the one that was used. In response to your question, I recognize "wirecrate1" at 6:11, most prominently in "On A Rail" where numerous crates with that texture on them are being moved across two tracks.

When these dropped a while back, I took the cheezit texture and turned it into an HD remake.It looks pretty neat now

4:38 the texture 3_2239.BMP is used in Residue Processing, as well as infamously used on de-nuke's metal walls in CS 1.6. Unlike most textures, this one also has a case of being fully randomized with it's pattern, much like a few other textures.

I now identify myself as a Half-Life one development file gascan.jpg. That image is truly enlightening.

Finally, Source source.

Looks like fun afternoon at trainyard, next to the shipyard xD

How to make a level from another world step one, take a weird looking insect step two, done

Why does this make me feel so sad?

Now I can't unsee it.

this vdeo was really cool thumb upp

3:00 the famous silo door

deadass thought this was marphy black for a moment cause i thought he did a voice reveal

I love stuff like this sooo much

Half-Life textures don't exist, they can't hurt you. Half-Life textures:

so it means that half life has kind of foto-realistic graffics

trippy sound track

I wonder if other texture artists ever coincidentally used the same pictures to make textures for other games, and if they ended up looking different or similar.

I love this so much

Nice video. I did think I recognized a couple more for boxes, walls and stuff

Since it is not linked in the KZfaq description, here the original #TheGamer article: www.thegamer.com/original-half-life-artist-reveals-texture-sources-photo-references-for-first-game-1998/