Lighting / A field guide

Lighting.
Shape the
scene.

One room. One moment.
See what the light changes.

Explore the source, read the shadows, and take the lighting into your own images.

Explore the light Learn to read a shadow

Loading soft window…

The key on the workbenchSame composition. Different lighting.

Change the light

01 / Choose the light

Give the light
a source.

A useful lighting prompt names where the light comes from and what it does to the scene.

Brutalisti sits at a worn repair-room workbench beside a cloth and brass key. Soft window interpretation.

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01 / 08THE KEY ON THE WORKBENCH50 mm / Fixed camera

Look forFollow the gradual transition across the cheek, then look at the key’s shadow.

Eight starting points. Each is a visual choice, not a fixed emotion or a ranking.

02 / Read the shadows

The shadow
tells you.

Change one thing. Look at what follows.

Get the soft window prompt

Use the complete scene with your own optional subject reference.

Create one photorealistic 16:9 cinematic film still, edge to edge.

SUBJECT

Choose the main subject's appearance and clothing, or optionally attach an identity reference. When a reference is supplied, preserve that person's identity and original outfit without copying its background or layout. The scene and camera placement below take priority over showing facial detail.

SCENE AND CAMERA

A quiet Finnish municipal repair room at the end of the working day. The main subject sits behind a worn wooden workbench, slightly right of frame center, looking down a little toward one brass key lying flat on a folded gray cloth. The right forearm rests on the bench beside the cloth without covering the key; the left hand rests on the thigh. The head turns only slightly toward camera-left, leaving both eyes potentially visible when the selected light reaches them. The expression is attentive and relaxed. A plain olive metal task lamp stands at the screen-left end of the bench, with its shade opening near seated face height, about 0.5 m above the tabletop and roughly 0.9 m from the face, aimed diagonally across the hands toward the face. Keep this physical orientation even when the lamp is off. Weathered stone-colored plaster, restrained steel-blue cabinets and an open doorway into a dim rear-right corridor establish depth. Cabinet doors stay closed. The doorway and lamp stay in the same positions.

Use a fixed rectilinear 50 mm full-frame-equivalent lens, approximately 1.3 m above the floor and 3.4 m from the seated subject. Keep the camera level, with no roll, and show the head, torso, resting arm, tabletop and portions of the thighs. The tabletop runs across the lower frame; the cloth and key sit near the horizontal center. Focus on the face with approximately f/5.6 depth of field: hands and key remain legible, the rear room is gently softer, and material texture is photographic. Keep the face unobstructed.

Illuminate the subject with a broad window source from camera-left, about 45 degrees from the camera axis and 30 degrees above face level. Use a large apparent source, approximately 2 m square at 2 m distance, with neutral daylight around 5200 K. Allow a little pale room bounce from camera-right. Keep the source-facing cheek exposed naturally and the opposite cheek darker but readable. Create gradual shadow edges on the face and nearby objects. Keep the task lamp off, the rear room subdued and the air clear.

COLOR GRADE

Apply a rich, naturalistic cinematic grade: deep steel-to-slate blues, luminous golden accents, grounded olive greens and warm stone neutrals where those colors occur. Preserve the scene's light sources and time of day, natural skin tones and recognizable garment colors. Keep firm contrast, deep readable blacks, detailed midtones, controlled bright highlights and crisp photographic texture. Use only subtle grain. Avoid washed blacks, artificial teal-orange separation, excessive HDR, plastic skin, heavy grain, broad bloom and diffusion haze.

IMAGE CONSTRAINTS

No writing, letters, numbers, signage, branding, logos, labels, watermarks or captions anywhere in the image. Keep relevant surfaces plain and unlettered. One separate photograph only; no border, montage, split screen or contact sheet.

03 / Guide the eye

Two people.
Where do you look first?

Keep the moment.
Shift the emphasis.

Brutalisti and Hilma sit at a depot break-room table with two cups and a metal lunchbox. Light on Brutalisti interpretation.

Loading light on brutalisti…

The second cupBrutalisti & Hilma

Same table.
A different emphasis.

The brighter face may draw attention first. Expression, color and composition also matter.

Here, the balance of two sources changes. Both people stay in the same place and remain in focus.

Intended setupTwo subjects

Camera-left and camera-right are seen from the camera. Diagram not to scale.

Get this scene prompt

Create one photorealistic 16:9 cinematic film still, edge to edge.

SUBJECT

Choose the main subject's appearance and clothing, or optionally attach an identity reference. When a reference is supplied, preserve that person's identity and original outfit without copying its background or layout. The scene and camera placement below take priority over showing facial detail.

Choose a second subject, or optionally supply a separate reference for that person; preserve each supplied identity and outfit independently.

SCENE AND CAMERA

An unhurried moment in a small Finnish depot break room. Exactly two people sit on the far side of a worn rectangular wooden table: the main subject on screen-left at about one-third of the image width and the second subject on screen-right at about two-thirds. They are at the same camera distance, separated enough that their arms do not overlap. Each rests both hands naturally on the table near a separate plain ceramic cup. A closed, unlettered steel lunchbox sits between the cups. Both look quietly toward the lunchbox with neutral, attentive expressions; neither performs for the camera. Behind them are warm stone plaster, a plain olive cabinet and a dark steel-blue door. Keep the background quiet and the source windows outside the photographed area.

Photograph straight toward the table through a broad rectangular serving opening. The physical edges of the opening occupy only the outer edges of the photograph and do not cover either face. The rectilinear 40 mm full-frame-equivalent lens sits about 1.35 m above the floor and 3.8 m from the midpoint between the subjects. Keep the horizon level and the camera unrolled. Show both seated subjects from approximately mid-thigh upward, with the whole table arrangement legible. Use approximately f/5.6 depth of field and focus on the shared face plane so both faces have equal optical sharpness. Preserve believable pores, cloth, wood and ceramic reflections.

Light two subjects with separate broad neutral daylight sources from opposite camera sides, each about 45 degrees off axis and 25 degrees above their assigned face. Feather and flag their spill so each source mainly reaches one person. Favor the main subject on screen-left, leaving the second subject’s face around one and a half stops darker as a creative target. Both faces stay equally sharp, naturally textured and recognizable. Keep the pose, expressions and background quiet; let localized light rather than blur guide attention.

COLOR GRADE

Apply a rich, naturalistic cinematic grade: deep steel-to-slate blues, luminous golden accents, grounded olive greens and warm stone neutrals where those colors occur. Preserve the scene's light sources and time of day, natural skin tones and recognizable garment colors. Keep firm contrast, deep readable blacks, detailed midtones, controlled bright highlights and crisp photographic texture. Use only subtle grain. Avoid washed blacks, artificial teal-orange separation, excessive HDR, plastic skin, heavy grain, broad bloom and diffusion haze.

IMAGE CONSTRAINTS

No writing, letters, numbers, signage, branding, logos, labels, watermarks or captions anywhere in the image. Keep relevant surfaces plain and unlettered. One separate photograph only; no border, montage, split screen or contact sheet.

04 / Fix the light

Make the next prompt
more precise.

Choose a problem.
Change one useful instruction.

01My image looks flat.

A source near the camera and abundant fill can reduce facial modeling. Try moving the main source to one side.

Brutalisti sits at a worn repair-room workbench beside a cloth and brass key. Soft frontal light interpretation. — ANear the camera

Get the soft frontal light prompt

Use the complete scene with your own optional subject reference.

Create one photorealistic 16:9 cinematic film still, edge to edge.

SUBJECT

Choose the main subject's appearance and clothing, or optionally attach an identity reference. When a reference is supplied, preserve that person's identity and original outfit without copying its background or layout. The scene and camera placement below take priority over showing facial detail.

SCENE AND CAMERA

A quiet Finnish municipal repair room at the end of the working day. The main subject sits behind a worn wooden workbench, slightly right of frame center, looking down a little toward one brass key lying flat on a folded gray cloth. The right forearm rests on the bench beside the cloth without covering the key; the left hand rests on the thigh. The head turns only slightly toward camera-left, leaving both eyes potentially visible when the selected light reaches them. The expression is attentive and relaxed. A plain olive metal task lamp stands at the screen-left end of the bench, with its shade opening near seated face height, about 0.5 m above the tabletop and roughly 0.9 m from the face, aimed diagonally across the hands toward the face. Keep this physical orientation even when the lamp is off. Weathered stone-colored plaster, restrained steel-blue cabinets and an open doorway into a dim rear-right corridor establish depth. Cabinet doors stay closed. The doorway and lamp stay in the same positions.

Use a fixed rectilinear 50 mm full-frame-equivalent lens, approximately 1.3 m above the floor and 3.4 m from the seated subject. Keep the camera level, with no roll, and show the head, torso, resting arm, tabletop and portions of the thighs. The tabletop runs across the lower frame; the cloth and key sit near the horizontal center. Focus on the face with approximately f/5.6 depth of field: hands and key remain legible, the rear room is gently softer, and material texture is photographic. Keep the face unobstructed.

Place a broad neutral daylight source near the lens axis and 30 degrees above the subject. Its lower edge stays above the camera’s sightline. Use a large apparent emitting area, around 2 m square at 2 m distance, with light around 5200 K. Illuminate both sides of the face fairly evenly while retaining a natural downward nose shadow and contact shadows under objects. Keep skin texture, avoid flat beauty retouching, and leave the task lamp off and the background subdued.

COLOR GRADE

Apply a rich, naturalistic cinematic grade: deep steel-to-slate blues, luminous golden accents, grounded olive greens and warm stone neutrals where those colors occur. Preserve the scene's light sources and time of day, natural skin tones and recognizable garment colors. Keep firm contrast, deep readable blacks, detailed midtones, controlled bright highlights and crisp photographic texture. Use only subtle grain. Avoid washed blacks, artificial teal-orange separation, excessive HDR, plastic skin, heavy grain, broad bloom and diffusion haze.

IMAGE CONSTRAINTS

No writing, letters, numbers, signage, branding, logos, labels, watermarks or captions anywhere in the image. Keep relevant surfaces plain and unlettered. One separate photograph only; no border, montage, split screen or contact sheet.

Try this instruction

Move the broad main light to 45 degrees camera-left. Keep the source-facing cheek naturally exposed, reduce excessive frontal fill, and allow the opposite cheek to fall gently darker. Retain natural skin texture and the existing color treatment.

Replace conflicting lighting instructions in your existing prompt.

02The face disappears.

If the dark face is unintended, return a little broad light from near the camera. A deliberate silhouette is also a valid choice.

Brutalisti sits at a worn repair-room workbench beside a cloth and brass key. Backlight interpretation. — AMinimal fill

Get the backlight prompt

Use the complete scene with your own optional subject reference.

Create one photorealistic 16:9 cinematic film still, edge to edge.

SUBJECT

Choose the main subject's appearance and clothing, or optionally attach an identity reference. When a reference is supplied, preserve that person's identity and original outfit without copying its background or layout. The scene and camera placement below take priority over showing facial detail.

SCENE AND CAMERA

A quiet Finnish municipal repair room at the end of the working day. The main subject sits behind a worn wooden workbench, slightly right of frame center, looking down a little toward one brass key lying flat on a folded gray cloth. The right forearm rests on the bench beside the cloth without covering the key; the left hand rests on the thigh. The head turns only slightly toward camera-left, leaving both eyes potentially visible when the selected light reaches them. The expression is attentive and relaxed. A plain olive metal task lamp stands at the screen-left end of the bench, with its shade opening near seated face height, about 0.5 m above the tabletop and roughly 0.9 m from the face, aimed diagonally across the hands toward the face. Keep this physical orientation even when the lamp is off. Weathered stone-colored plaster, restrained steel-blue cabinets and an open doorway into a dim rear-right corridor establish depth. Cabinet doors stay closed. The doorway and lamp stay in the same positions.

Use a fixed rectilinear 50 mm full-frame-equivalent lens, approximately 1.3 m above the floor and 3.4 m from the seated subject. Keep the camera level, with no roll, and show the head, torso, resting arm, tabletop and portions of the thighs. The tabletop runs across the lower frame; the cloth and key sit near the horizontal center. Focus on the face with approximately f/5.6 depth of field: hands and key remain legible, the rear room is gently softer, and material texture is photographic. Keep the face unobstructed.

Place a controlled daylight source behind and to camera-right, about 135 degrees around from the camera-facing direction and 25 degrees above face level. Light passes through the rear doorway onto the right hair, shoulder and forearm. Keep the source hidden and prevent direct flare. Use neutral light around 5200 K. Preserve a localized rim while the face remains substantially darker with minimal ambient return. Leave the task lamp off. Do not add a full-body halo, fog or a frontal key.

COLOR GRADE

Apply a rich, naturalistic cinematic grade: deep steel-to-slate blues, luminous golden accents, grounded olive greens and warm stone neutrals where those colors occur. Preserve the scene's light sources and time of day, natural skin tones and recognizable garment colors. Keep firm contrast, deep readable blacks, detailed midtones, controlled bright highlights and crisp photographic texture. Use only subtle grain. Avoid washed blacks, artificial teal-orange separation, excessive HDR, plastic skin, heavy grain, broad bloom and diffusion haze.

IMAGE CONSTRAINTS

No writing, letters, numbers, signage, branding, logos, labels, watermarks or captions anywhere in the image. Keep relevant surfaces plain and unlettered. One separate photograph only; no border, montage, split screen or contact sheet.

Try this instruction

Preserve the backlight, its brightness and the darker surroundings. Add weak broad neutral fill near the camera axis until the face is readable. Keep the rim brighter and avoid a competing hard facial shadow.

Replace conflicting lighting instructions in your existing prompt.

03Everything glows.

Give the illumination a clear source, a direction and a limit. Bloom should not erase the materials or stand in for lighting.

Try this instruction

Use a clearly motivated source with consistent shadows and limited spill. Let illumination fall away outside its reach. Preserve unlit areas, controlled highlights and clean air. Remove broad bloom and unexplained light shafts.

Replace conflicting lighting instructions in your existing prompt.

04The subject blends into the background.

Change the tonal relationship behind the subject, or use an edge light when a source in the scene can explain it.

Try this instruction

Separate the subject from the background through a controlled difference in brightness. If the scene supports it, add a restrained rear-side light to one hair or shoulder edge. Keep it localized and avoid a bright outline around the entire body.

Replace conflicting lighting instructions in your existing prompt.

05Warm and cool light look painted on.

Assign each color to a source and the surfaces that source reaches. Keep familiar skin and garment colors recognizable.

Try this instruction

Place a warm practical source on one side and weaker cooler window light on the other. Let both colors follow surface orientation and occlusion, mixing naturally on skin. Keep warm light amber and cooler light restrained, without a global teal-orange split.

Replace conflicting lighting instructions in your existing prompt.

05 / Make it yours

Describe the light.
Keep your story.

Start with the source. Finish with what you want to see.

01Source
02Direction
03Apparent size
04Fill
05Color relationship
06Visible result

Replace conflicting lighting instructions in your existing prompt.

Ready to adapt

Edits change the prompt. The photograph remains an example.

A few useful words

Name what
you can see.

No equipment list required.
Start with the effect in the frame.

Key light

The main source shaping the subject. In the window example, it reaches Brutalisti from camera-left and establishes the direction of the facial shadows.

Fill

Light reaching the shadow side. More fill makes that side easier to see; less fill increases the difference between the lit and unlit sides.

Negative fill

A dark surface absorbs light that would otherwise bounce back. The black flag in the diagram deepens the shadow-side cheek without changing the window.

Hard light

A source that appears small from the subject produces more defined shadow edges. Follow the forearm shadow on the workbench in the hard-light example.

Soft light

A source that appears large from the subject produces broader shadow transitions. Distance and the illuminated source area both affect that apparent size.

Practical light

A working light visible in the scene. Here, the desk lamp motivates a warm pool across the hand, key and nearby face.

Backlight

Light arriving from behind the subject. It can pick out hair and shoulder edges while the face remains darker, depending on the amount of fill.

Color temperature

A way to describe how warm or cool a source appears. The mixed-source example combines a warm lamp with cooler window light. Camera white balance also changes their appearance.

Build the whole scene

Choose the angle.
Place the light.
Shape the color.

Explore the scenes Find the camera position Explore color grading

AI-generated scenes and lighting interpretations. Small details may vary between versions. Diagrams show the intended setup.

Give the lighta source.

The shadowtells you.

Two people.Where do you look first?

Make the next promptmore precise.

Describe the light.Keep your story.

Name whatyou can see.

Choose the angle.Place the light.Shape the color.

Give the light
a source.

The shadow
tells you.

Two people.
Where do you look first?

Make the next prompt
more precise.

Describe the light.
Keep your story.

Name what
you can see.

Choose the angle.
Place the light.
Shape the color.