Tutorials · Module 02 · Free
Lighting techniques lab.Move four lights around a face and watch the classic patterns appear, named as you go.
Every lighting diagram you have ever seen is a top-down drawing of three circles. This is the same thing, except you can drag the circles, turn the head, change the size and colour of each light, and see the result on a face in 3D, with the pattern and the key-to-fill ratio read off the picture.
Scroll here to start the preview
Drag to walk around the subject · arrow keys tooDrag to walk around the subject
Tap a pattern to set all four lights. Then open Lights to move them yourself and watch the name in the corner change.
Soft shadow on the far cheek, a bright edge on the hair, the face a stop brighter than the background.
01What light has
Five properties. Every setup is a choice about each one.
Direction
Where the light comes from decides where the shadows fall, and the shadows are what give a face shape. Front light flattens; side light sculpts; back light outlines.
Size (quality)
A big source relative to the subject gives soft shadow edges and smooth skin; a small source gives crisp edges and texture. Size is relative: a softbox far away is a small light.
Intensity and ratio
How bright each light is against the others. The key-to-fill ratio sets the mood more than any single choice: 2:1 is open and corporate, 8:1 is drama.
Colour
Measured in Kelvin. Tungsten bulbs are warm (3200K), daylight neutral (5600K), shade cool (7000K+). Match them, or mix them on purpose.
Distance
Half the distance, four times the light (the inverse square law). Closer is also softer and falls off faster across the face, which can be a tool or a problem.
02The patterns
Twelve setups with names. The lab has all of them as presets.
Each one is a position for the key light and a decision about fill. The names describe what the shadows do on the face.
| Pattern | Use it for | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Three-point | Interviews, corporate, the safe default | Soft shadow on the far cheek, a bright edge on the hair, the face a stop brighter than the background. |
| Rembrandt | Drama, character, men's portraits, film | A small triangle of light on the cheek under the far eye, no wider than the eye and no longer than the nose. |
| Butterfly (Paramount) | Beauty, glamour, strong cheekbones | A small butterfly-shaped shadow directly under the nose and soft shadows under the cheekbones. |
| Loop | Most people, most of the time | A small loop of shadow from the nose that points down and away, not touching the cheek shadow. |
| Split | Moody, mysterious, musicians, thrillers | Half the face lit, half in shadow, the line running down the nose. |
| Broad | Narrow faces, friendly, open | The head is turned; the cheek nearest the camera is the lit one, so the face looks wider. |
| Short | Slimming, flattering for most, the portrait default | The head is turned; the cheek AWAY from the camera is lit, so shadow falls on the near side and the face looks slimmer. |
| Rim / silhouette | Reveals, intros, athletes, product edges | Only the edges of the head and shoulders catch light. Add fill to bring the face back. |
| High key | Commercial, e-commerce, healthcare, upbeat | Almost no shadow anywhere, a bright background, the face evenly lit. |
| Low key | Luxury, drama, night scenes, serious tone | A sliver of light on the face, the rest falls into black. The background barely reads. |
| Clamshell | Beauty, skincare, makeup, clean catalogue | Light from above and below the lens meets at the eyes. No shadows under the eyes or chin, two catchlights. |
| Window light | Natural, documentary, real estate, lifestyle | One big soft source from the side, a gentle fall-off across the face, a white card bouncing a little back. |
03Three-point lighting
The setup behind almost every interview you have watched.
1. Key
The main light, 30 to 45 degrees off the lens and above the eyes, big and soft for most subjects. It makes the pattern: loop or Rembrandt for most faces, butterfly for a glamour look. Set it first, alone, and get the face right before adding anything.
2. Fill
Opposite the key, lower, bigger and dimmer. It does not make shadows of its own; it decides how dark the key's shadows are. One stop under the key for corporate, two for a classic portrait. A white card or wall often does the job.
3. Back
Behind and above, opposite the key, aimed at the hair and the far shoulder. A thin bright edge that lifts the subject off the background. Just enough to read; too much and it halos. A fourth light on the background lets you choose how bright that is on its own.
04Ratios
Key to fill: one number that sets the mood.
Measured at the face. Each stop between the key and the fill doubles the ratio. The lab reads it live from the power and distance of each light.
| Ratio | Fill under key | The look |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | 0 stops | Flat. Beauty, e-commerce, medical, anything that must hide nothing. |
| 2:1 | 1 stop | Soft and open. Corporate video, healthcare, most interviews. |
| 4:1 | 2 stops | The classic portrait. Shape without drama. |
| 8:1 | 3 stops | Dramatic. Film, music, character portraits. |
| 16:1 and up | 4+ stops | Low key. Most of the face in shadow, one lit side. |
05Colour temperature
Warm, neutral, cool: what the Kelvin numbers mean.
Lower is warmer. Set the camera's white balance to the key light and everything else shows its true colour against it: a warm face with a cool edge is the look of most streaming drama, and a cool face with a warm background reads as evening.
| Kelvin | Source |
|---|---|
| 2700K | Tungsten bulb |
| 3200K | Studio tungsten |
| 4000K | Warm white |
| 5000K | Daylight (soft) |
| 5600K | Daylight |
| 6500K | Overcast |
| 8000K | Shade / cool |
06No lights at all
A window is a softbox you did not have to carry.
Put the subject beside a window, not in front of it, with the window 45 to 90 degrees off the lens: that is a huge soft key. A white wall or a sheet of foam board on the other side is the fill, and moving it closer or further sets the ratio. Turn off the room's overhead lights, which are a different colour and come from above. Direct sun through the window is a hard light; a sheer curtain turns it soft. The lab's Window light preset is this setup.
07Video is different
What changes when the subject moves and talks.
Bigger and further
A subject who leans, gestures and turns their head walks through a small light's sweet spot. Video keys are larger and set further back than stills keys, so the exposure holds while they move. Continuous LED panels like the ones we use replace strobes.
Both cameras
A two-camera interview has a wide and a tight angle from different sides. The pattern that is short lighting on one camera is broad on the other. Set the key for the main angle and check the second before rolling.
Flicker and colour
Cheap LEDs flicker on camera and render skin green. Look for a high colour rendering index (CRI 95+) and a flicker-free rating, and keep every light in the room at one colour temperature.
The eyes
A talking head lives or dies on the eyes. A key high enough to shape the face but low enough to put a catchlight in the eyes, and a small eye light at the lens if the brows are heavy.
08Mistakes
What we fix on other people's sets.
| The mistake | The fix |
|---|---|
| Light from below | Reads as a campfire or a horror film. Keep the key above the eye line unless that is the point. |
| Key at the camera | A flash on the camera: no shadow, no shape, red eyes. Move the key 30 to 45 degrees off the lens. |
| Subject against the wall | Shadows on the wall and no separation. Pull the subject two metres forward and light the background on its own. |
| Glasses glare | Raise the key and move it further round; tilt the frames down a touch. A big soft source close up is the worst for glare. |
| Mixed colour | A tungsten lamp on one side and a window on the other: skin goes orange or blue depending on which you balance for. Pick one, gel the other, or turn it off. |
| Too much back light | A white halo and flare. It should just read as an edge. |
| Hot forehead, dark eyes | The key is too high. Lower it until the eyes get a catchlight. |
Questions people ask
What is three-point lighting?
A key light that shapes the face, a fill light that softens the shadows the key makes, and a back light that puts an edge on the hair and shoulders so the subject separates from the background. It is the default for interviews because it works on everyone and in every room.
What is Rembrandt lighting?
A key light about 45 degrees to the side and 45 degrees up. The nose shadow joins the cheek shadow and leaves a small triangle of light on the far cheek under the eye. Named for the painter, who lit his sitters from a high window.
What is the difference between short and broad lighting?
It only applies once the head is turned. Short lighting lights the cheek turned away from the camera, so the shadow falls on the near side and the face looks slimmer. Broad lighting lights the near cheek and makes the face look wider. Short is the portrait default.
What lighting ratio should I use for an interview?
About 2:1 to 4:1, that is the fill one to two stops under the key. 2:1 for corporate, healthcare and anything that should feel open; 4:1 for a film or a serious subject. Beyond 8:1 half the face is lost.
How do I make light soft?
Make the source bigger relative to the subject: a softbox, a bounce off a white wall or ceiling, a diffusion frame, or a window with a sheer. Then bring it closer, which makes it bigger still. Softness is size, not power.
What colour temperature should I use?
Match the room. Daylight is 5600K, household bulbs 2700 to 3200K. Mixing them gives orange or blue skin. For a cinematic look, keep the key warm and the back light cool on purpose, and set the camera to the key.
Can I light an interview with one light?
Yes: one big soft key about 45 degrees off, and a white card or wall on the other side to bounce some fill. Separation comes from putting the subject well in front of the background. Two lights is a big step up; three is the standard.
Where should the catchlight be?
In the upper half of the eye, around 10 or 2 o'clock, which means the key is above and a little to the side. No catchlight and the eyes look dead; a catchlight at 6 o'clock means the light is below the face.
Lit, framed and focused, by us.
If this is the part you would rather hand to a crew, that is what we do: interviews, brand films, events and streams, lit like this.