🎭Style & CompositionLesson 3 of 6
Lighting & Mood
10 min
basicsLighting is mood. Golden hour feels warm and nostalgic. Harsh overhead light feels interrogative. Rim lighting creates drama. AI understands lighting terminology deeply, and mastering it gives you emotional control over your images.
Key Concepts
- 1Golden hour: warm, soft, romantic
- 2Blue hour: cool, mysterious, ethereal
- 3Rembrandt lighting: dramatic portrait lighting with triangle shadow
- 4Rim lighting: subject outlined with light, dramatic
- 5Flat lighting: even, soft, minimal shadows
Examples
Prompt
portrait of elderly man, Rembrandt lighting, warm tones, dramatic shadows
Result
Classic, emotionally resonant portrait with depth
Prompt
cyberpunk street scene, neon lighting, rain reflections, volumetric fog
Result
Atmospheric scene with dramatic light interplay
Pro Tips
Combine natural and artificial lighting: "golden hour with neon signs"
"Volumetric lighting" creates visible light rays
"High key" = bright, minimal shadows; "Low key" = dark, dramatic shadows
Specify light direction: "backlit," "side-lit," "top-down lighting"
Summary
Lighting controls emotion. Learn lighting terminology and you control how viewers feel about your images.
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