top of page

Lighting Concepts and Techniques

Must know lighting concepts and techniques,
basic to advanced, learn them all to elevate your projects.

Basic - 3 Point Lighting

Advanced - Creative Lighting

Camera Settings and Lighting Techniques

​

​​

1. White Balance: Keeping Colors True

Adjusting the camera’s white balance ensures that colors appear natural under different lighting conditions.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

2. Color Temperature: Warm vs. Cool

Measured in Kelvin, color temperature determines whether a scene has a warm (orange/yellow) or cool (blue) look.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

3. The Golden Hour: Natural Cinematic Lighting

The Golden Hour is the short period after sunrise or before sunset when natural light is soft, warm, and diffused, creating cinematic visuals.

​

​​

​

​

​

​​

​

​​​​

​

​

​

4. High Key Lighting: Bright & Cheerful

High Key Lighting is bright and even, often used in comedies or commercials to create an uplifting mood.

​

​

​

​​

​

​

​

​

5. Low Key Lighting: Dark & Moody

Low Key Lighting relies on shadows and contrast for a dramatic, moody effect, common in horror and noir films.

​

​

​

​​

​

​​

​​

​

​​​

6. Cucoloris (Cookie) Lighting: Shadows with Style

A Cucoloris (or Cookie) is a cutout or object placed in front of a light to create shadow patterns, such as the classic keyhole effect.

​​

​

​

​

​​

​

​

​

​

​​

​

​

​

​

7. Silhouette: Image in Darkness

A silhouette in film is a dark outline of a person, object, or scene against a lighter background. Silhouettes are a powerful visual storytelling technique that creates mood, establishs mystery, and draws attention to key elements. 



 

​

​

8. Gels

placing colored plastic sheets in front of lights to change the color of light. Gels are used to create mood, atmosphere, and drama. 

 

 

 

 

 

​
 

9. Chiaroscuro effect

An artistic technique that uses light and shadow to create a sense of volume and mass. The word comes from the Italian words chiaro (bright) and oscuro (dark). 

 

 

​​
 

​

​

​

​

10. Rembrandt Lighting

A portrait lighting technique that uses a dramatic interplay of light and shadow to create a lit triangle under the subject's eye. It's named after the 17th century Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. Creates a chiaroscuro effect with sharp contrasts of light and shadow. Produces natural-looking images. Used in film, especially in the film noir genre

image.png
image_edited.jpg
Firefly Generate an image demonstrating The Golden Hour- with a biracial couple in the shot 27120.jpg
image.png
image.png
image_edited.jpg
pexels-jill-wellington-1638660-40192.jpg
image.png
image.png
image.png
image.png
bottom of page