Lighting

The vocabulary of lighting

Key, fill and rim, the classic portrait patterns, and the words for the quality, mood and colour of light, for film, photo and video. Press a term and watch the lights move round the same face.

All terms

The three-point setup

Three-point lightingalso: three-point setup, key, fill and back light: A key light for shape, a softer fill to lift the shadows it leaves, and a back light behind the subject to separate them from the background. The starting point for interviews, portraits and most dialogue.
Key lightalso: main light: The main light, and usually the brightest. It decides which side of the face is lit, where the shadows fall and the mood of the shot; every other light is set relative to it.
Fill lightalso: fill: A softer, dimmer light on the other side of the camera that fills in the key light's shadows without making shadows of its own. Less fill is more drama; more fill is friendlier.
Backlightalso: back light, hair light: A light behind and above the subject, pointed back at the camera. It puts a bright edge on the hair and shoulders so a dark-haired subject doesn't melt into a dark background.
Rim lightalso: edge light, rim lighting: A light behind the subject and off to one side that traces a bright outline along the cheek, hair and shoulder. Stronger and lower than a backlight; on a black background it can carry the whole shot.
Kickeralso: kick light, kick: A light from behind on the shadow side, opposite the key, that skims along the edge of the dark cheek and jaw. It adds shape and keeps the shadow side from going flat.
Background lightalso: set light, background lighting: A light aimed at the wall behind the subject, not at the subject. A pool of light behind the head adds depth and separation; it is often the fourth light of a three-point setup.
Lighting ratioalso: key-to-fill ratio, contrast ratio: How much brighter the key side of the face is than the fill side. 1:1 is flat and even, 2:1 is a gentle commercial look, 4:1 and beyond is dramatic. Each step of the ratio is one stop more contrast.

Portrait patterns

Rembrandt lightingalso: Rembrandt triangle: The key high and about 45° to the side, so the nose's shadow joins the cheek's and leaves a small triangle of light under the eye on the dark side. Moody and painterly; named after the painter's self-portraits.
Loop lightingalso: loop pattern: The key a little to one side and above eye level, so the nose casts a small loop of shadow down towards the corner of the mouth, not touching the cheek's shadow. The everyday flattering portrait light.
Butterfly lightingalso: Paramount lighting, glamour lighting: The key straight in front and high above the camera, so the nose casts a small butterfly-shaped shadow straight down. Shapes cheekbones and smooths skin: classic Hollywood glamour and beauty.
Split lighting: The key at 90° to the side, lighting exactly half the face and leaving the other half in shadow. Strong and stark: villains, inner conflict, a split personality.
Broad lighting: The face turned away from the key, which lights the side of the face nearer the camera, the broad side. It widens a face and feels open; use it on narrow faces.
Short lighting: The face turned towards the key, which lights the side of the face turned away from the camera, the short side, and leaves the near side in shadow. Slims a face and adds mood.
Clamshell lighting: Butterfly lighting with a reflector or second light under the face, the two opening like a clamshell. Fills the shadows under the eyes and chin: beauty, make-up and headshots.

Quality of light

Hard lightalso: hard light vs soft light, specular light: Light from a small or distant source, like the midday sun or a bare bulb: crisp shadow edges and a sharp line between light and dark. Dramatic and harsh; shows every texture.
Soft lightalso: diffused light: Light from a big source close to the subject, like a softbox or a cloudy sky: shadows with blurry edges that fade gently from light to dark. Flattering and calm; the default for faces.
Diffusionalso: diffuser, silk, scrim: A sheet of translucent fabric or frost in front of a light. It spreads a small hard source into a bigger soft one, so shadows soften, at the cost of some brightness.
Bounce lightalso: bounce card, reflector: Light reflected off a white card, a reflector or a wall instead of pointed straight at the subject. Big and soft, so it makes a gentle fill without another lamp.
Negative fillalso: flag, subtractive lighting: A black flag or card on the shadow side that soaks up stray light instead of reflecting it. The shadow side gets darker, adding shape and contrast, without touching the key.
Falloffalso: inverse square law, light falloff: How quickly light dims with distance: double the distance and only a quarter of the light arrives. A light close to the subject leaves the wall behind dark; moved far back, it lights both evenly.
Catchlightalso: eye light, catch light: The small reflection of a light in the subject's eyes. It makes eyes look alive; its shape gives away the light, a square for a softbox, a ring for a ring light.
Cookiealso: gobo, cucoloris, cuke: A cut-out placed in front of a hard light so it throws a pattern of light and shadow, like window frames, blinds or leaves, onto the subject and the wall behind.

Mood

High key lightingalso: high key: Bright, even light with soft, pale shadows, often on a white background. Light-hearted and clean: comedy, commercials, beauty and product shots.
Low key lightingalso: low key: Mostly darkness: one strong light, deep shadows, little or no fill and a black background. Mystery, tension, crime and horror.
Chiaroscuroalso: tenebrism: Italian for light-dark: strong contrast between lit and unlit areas, a figure carved out of darkness by one warm light. From Caravaggio's and Rembrandt's paintings to The Godfather.
Silhouettealso: silhouette lighting: The subject lit from behind or set against a bright background with no light on their front, so they read as a dark shape. Mystery, anonymity, or an iconic final shot.
Film noir lightingalso: noir lighting: Hard, low-key light with sharp shadows, often slashed into stripes by venetian blinds. The look of 1940s crime films, and of anything that wants to borrow their menace.

Direction

Front lightingalso: flat lighting: Light from beside the camera, straight at the face. Few shadows, so skin looks smooth but the face looks flat. Passport photos, on-camera flash, news.
Side lightingalso: 90-degree lighting: Light from one side, at about 90° to the camera. It rakes across the face, showing shape and texture, and leaves the far side dark. Dramatic, sculptural.
Top lightingalso: overhead lighting, toplight: Light from straight above. The eyes sink into dark sockets and the nose throws a long shadow: menace, exhaustion, an interrogation room. Midday sun does the same.
Under lightingalso: underlighting, uplighting, horror lighting: Light from below the face, the opposite of daylight. Shadows climb upwards and the face turns unnatural and spooky: the torch-under-the-chin horror look.
Cross lightingalso: cross key: Two lights from opposite sides, each in front of one and behind the other, so both sides of the face are lit and edged. Common when lighting two people facing each other.

Sources and colour

Motivated lightingalso: motivated light: Light that seems to come from a real source in the scene, a lamp, a window, a fire, even though a film light is doing the work. Here the key sits on the lamp's side and matches its warm colour.
Practical lightingalso: practicals, practical light: A lamp, candle, screen or neon sign that is in the shot and actually switched on. A practical sets the mood and gives the other lights an excuse; here it is the only light.
Window lightalso: natural light: Daylight through a window: a big soft source from one side, falling off quickly across the face. The most loved natural light for portraits.
Colour temperaturealso: Kelvin, white balance: The colour of white light, measured in kelvin. Candles and tungsten bulbs (around 3200 K) are orange, daylight (5600 K) is neutral, shade and sky are blue. Here the camera stays balanced for daylight.
Mixed lightingalso: mixed colour temperature: Sources of different colour temperatures in one shot, like a warm lamp on one side and blue daylight from a window on the other. A problem to fix, or a look to use.
Golden houralso: magic hour: The hour after sunrise and before sunset: a low, warm sun from the side, long soft-edged shadows and glowing skin. The most flattering natural light.
Moonlightalso: night lighting, blue moonlight: Night, as film shows it: a dim, cool blue light, often from behind, with deep shadows. Real moonlight is far too dark to film, so a blue-gelled light plays the moon.
Colour gelsalso: gels, gelled lighting, coloured lighting: Sheets of coloured film clipped over lights to tint them, from subtle warming to saturated magenta and cyan. Music videos, clubs, neon-soaked night scenes.
Teal and orangealso: orange and teal: Warm orange light on the skin against teal light in the background and edges. Skin tones and blue-green sit opposite on the colour wheel, so faces pop: the blockbuster look.