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Additive Color Mixing
Combining red, green, and blue light to create white light or other hues (used in screens).
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Ambient Light
General, non-directional light present in a scene, setting the baseline illumination level.
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Analogous Colors
Adjacent colors on the wheel, creating harmony and subtle transitions (e.g., blue-green-teal).
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Anisotropic Reflection
Directional reflection varying with surface texture (e.g., brushed metal), affecting highlight shapes.
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Atmospheric Perspective
The effect of air and particles scattering light over distance, reducing contrast and shifting colors toward blue or gray.
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Backlight (Rim Light)
Light placed behind the subject to separate it from the background, creating a halo or outline effect.
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Blackbody Radiators
Theoretical objects that emit light based on temperature, serving as the basis for understanding incandescent sources like the sun or tungsten bulbs.
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Blue Hour
The twilight period with diffuse, cool blue light, ideal for serene or mysterious tones.
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Bounce Light
Light reflected off surfaces (e.g., walls, reflectors) to indirectly illuminate a subject, often softening it.
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BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function)
A mathematical model describing how light reflects off a surface based on angle and material.
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Caustics
Patterns of concentrated light formed by reflection or refraction, such as the shimmering effect under water.
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Chiaroscuro
Strong contrasts between light and dark to create volume and a sense of drama (e.g., Rembrandt lighting).
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Cinematic Color Theory
Using color palettes to evoke emotions or symbolize themes (e.g., red for danger).
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Color Contrast
Using opposing colors on the color wheel (e.g., blue vs. orange) to create visual separation or tension.
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Color Constancy
The human eye’s ability to perceive consistent color under varying lighting conditions.
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Color Grading
Post-production adjustment of light and color to enhance mood or continuity (e.g., teal-orange cinematic look).
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Color Modeling & Colored Light
Using colored light to enhance mood, define depth, or suggest time of day, often by blending hues on a subject.
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Complementary Colors
Colors opposite each other on the wheel, enhancing vibrancy when paired (e.g., red-green).
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Contrast Ratio
The difference in brightness between the lightest and darkest parts of a scene, shaping its mood.
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Diffuse Reflection
Light scattering evenly in all directions off a rough surface, softening shadows and reducing highlights.
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Directionality of Light
The angle and path from which light strikes a subject, affecting shadow placement, mood, and three-dimensionality.
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Dispersion
The splitting of white light into its spectral colors (e.g., rainbows) due to varying refractive indices by wavelength.
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Dynamic Range
The range of light intensities a camera or eye can capture, from deepest shadow to brightest highlight.
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Exposure
The amount of light allowed to hit a sensor or film, balancing highlights, midtones, and shadows.
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Fill Light
Secondary light used to soften shadows cast by the key light, controlling contrast and detail visibility.
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Fluorescence
Light emitted by a substance after absorbing energy, often cooler or unnatural in hue.
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Form Change = Value Change
The principle that shifts in an object’s form (shape or contour) are revealed through changes in light intensity or value.
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Fresnel Effect
The phenomenon where reflectivity increases at grazing angles on a surface, affecting how light interacts with edges.
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Global Illumination
The cumulative effect of direct and indirect light in a scene, including reflections and ambient contributions.
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Gobo Patterns
Shadows or shapes cast by placing patterned objects (e.g., blinds) in front of a light source.
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God Rays (Crepuscular Rays)
Visible beams of light filtering through particles or openings, adding depth and divinity.
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Golden Hour
The period shortly after sunrise or before sunset, offering warm, soft, directional light with long shadows.
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Hard Light
Direct, undiffused light creating sharp, defined shadows and high contrast.
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High-Key Lighting
Bright, even lighting with minimal shadows, often used for cheerful or neutral tones.
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Incandescence
Light emitted from heat (e.g., tungsten bulbs), typically warm in tone.
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Inverse Square Law
The principle that light intensity decreases with the square of the distance from the source.
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Irradiance
The amount of light falling on a surface per unit area, influencing its brightness.
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Key Light
The primary light source in a scene, establishing mood, direction, and the subject’s main illumination.
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Lambertian Reflection
Ideal diffuse reflection where light scatters equally in all directions, independent of viewing angle.
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Lens Flare
Light scattering within a lens, creating streaks or halos, often used for stylistic effect.
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Light Attenuation
The reduction of light intensity due to distance, absorption, or scattering in a medium.
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Light Falloff
The rate at which light intensity diminishes with distance from the source, governed by the inverse square law in natural settings.
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Light Modulation
Varying light intensity or color over time for dynamic storytelling (e.g., flickering firelight).
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Light Pollution
Unwanted ambient light (e.g., from cities) affecting visibility and color in night scenes.
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Light Source Temperature
The color temperature of light (measured in Kelvin), influencing whether it appears warm (e.g., 3200K) or cool (e.g., 6500K).
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Light Texture
The visual pattern or quality of light (e.g., dappled through leaves) adding richness to a scene.
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Low-Key Lighting
Dramatic, high-contrast lighting with deep shadows, often for suspense or moody atmospheres.
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Luminance
The perceived brightness of light emitted or reflected from a surface, adjusted for human vision.
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Metamerism
When colors appear identical under one light source but differ under another due to spectral properties.
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Mie Scattering
Scattering by larger particles (e.g., clouds), producing white or grayish light diffusion.
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Monochromatic Lighting
Using variations of a single hue to unify a scene or evoke a specific emotion.
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Motivated Lighting
Lighting designed to mimic a logical source within the scene (e.g., sunlight through a window), enhancing realism.
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Negative Fill
Using dark surfaces or flags to absorb light and deepen shadows for greater contrast.
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Overcast Lighting
Soft, even illumination from cloud-covered skies, minimizing shadows and contrast.
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Phosphorescence
Delayed emission of light after excitation, creating a glowing effect.
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Planes
The interaction of light with different surfaces or geometric planes of an object, defining its shape and dimensionality.
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Polarization
The orientation of light waves, used to reduce glare or enhance contrast in specific conditions.
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Practical Lighting
Use of visible, in-scene light sources (e.g., lamps) to motivate and enhance naturalistic illumination.
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Radiance
The amount of light emitted or reflected from a surface in a given direction.
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Rayleigh Scattering
The scattering of shorter wavelengths (blue) by small particles, explaining sky color.
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Rim Lighting Variations
Adjusting backlight intensity or color to emphasize contours or create surreal effects.
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Shadow Penumbra
The soft, transitional edge of a shadow, determined by the size and distance of the light source.
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Shadow Umbra
The fully dark, sharp core of a shadow where light is completely blocked.
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Silhouette
Lighting a subject from behind to obscure details, emphasizing shape against a bright background.
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Soft Light
Diffused light with gentle transitions between light and shadow, reducing harshness.
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Specular
Bright spots of reflected light on shiny surfaces, emphasizing texture and material (distinct but related to specular reflection).
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Specular Highlights
Bright spots of reflected light on shiny surfaces, emphasizing texture and material.
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Specular Reflection
The mirror-like reflection of light off a smooth surface, producing highlights that reveal texture and material properties.
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Subsurface Scattering
Light penetrating a surface, scattering internally, and exiting elsewhere, common in organic materials like skin or wax.
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Subtractive Color Mixing
Combining cyan, magenta, and yellow to absorb light and create darker tones (used in printing/painting).
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The Progress of a Day
The natural shift in light quality and color temperature from dawn (cool) to midday (neutral) to dusk (warm), affecting scene tone.
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Three-Point Lighting
A foundational setup using key, fill, and backlight to achieve balanced, controlled illumination.
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Tonal Range
The spectrum of brightness values in an image, from pure black to pure white.
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Transparency
The property of materials allowing light to pass through, altering its intensity and color based on thickness and composition.
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Translucency
Partial transmission of light through a material, diffusing it softly (e.g., frosted glass or skin).
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Understanding Refraction
The bending of light as it passes through different media (e.g., air to water), creating distortions or focal effects.
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Volumetric Lighting
Light interacting with particles (e.g., fog, dust) to create visible beams or a hazy glow.
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Warm vs. Cool Light
The psychological and visual impact of warm (red/orange) versus cool (blue) tones in lighting design.
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Zonal Lighting
Dividing a scene into distinct lighting zones for control and dramatic effect.