Advanced_Photoshop_141_-_2015_UK_

© Vitalij Sidorovic; Model - Cecelia Morgan

20 PRO SECRETS FOR DYNAMIC LIGHTING TECHNIQUES

HERE ARE FIVE BASIC LIGHTING STYLES

THAT ARE POPULAR IN PHOTOGRAPHY,

WHICH EVERY PHOTOGRAPHER,

RETOUCHER OR DIGITAL ARTIST

SHOULD RECOGNISE

HIGH KEY

LIT FROM ABOVE

LIT FROM BELOW

LOW KEY

SIDE LIGHTING

1. DISCOVER KEY
   LIGHTING SETUPS
   02. MASTER REMBRANDT LIGHTING
   03. CREATE RIM LIGHTING

Rembrandt lighting is a popular setup for portrait

photography. It’s named after the painter

Rembrandt and is characterised by a key light on

one side of the face, and a triangle of light on the

shadowed side. To capture this in the studio, you

use a key light placed high and at a 45-degree

angle to the subject. You are not limited to the

studio either. “Achieving Rembrandt lighting in

natural conditions is hard, but it is possible,” says

designer and photographer Vitalij Sidorovic

Rim lighting is a type of photographic lighting effect

where your subject is lit from behind. This gives the

effect of a light stroke around the outline, which

highlights the subject and helps them stand out

from their background – great for composites. You

can achieve this effect in-camera, but you can also

create a rim light effect in Photoshop. One method is

to start by selecting your main subject, putting it on

its own layer and entering Quick Mask mode. Use

the Brush tool to paint around the edge of your

subject and exit Quick Mask to view your selection.

Add an Exposure adjustment layer, clipping it to your

subject layer and targeting the selection, and toggle

the effect for the strength of rim light.

For this image, Andy McIntosh, director at PSD

Innovative (www.psdinnovative.com), explains that

the rim light effect was achieved through the use of

blending modes: “Shadow layers were set to

Multiply and Soft Light, while the Highlight layers

were set to Screen.”

(www.behance.net/vitalijsidorovic), referring to

the image shown here. “Using a light source found

in the street, I had to position the model at the right

angle and asked to tilt her head until I could see [a]

small triangle on her face.”

In digital painting, study the traditional work of

Rembrandt or use source photography to figure out

where the light should fall. With low-opacity brushes

set to Soft Light, build up layers of light on one side of

the face and for the triangle.

Before

©

Ryan Mc

Guire

©

PSD I

nn

ovative 2015

© Jamie Mahon

© Clinton L

ofthouse

Phot

ography;

Model – Shelly D

’inferno

© Creative Dir

ector:

Ade

era

Borg

Phot

ographer: Vitalij Sidorovic

Hair Stylist: Vimal ChavdaCo

Hair Stylist: T

effany Stoby

Makeup

Artist: Michelle Court

Model:

Dem

i Scott

Des

igner:

Ta Sm

irnova

© PSD I

nn

ovative 2015