# three-point lighting setup Why does it matter? An image is 2-dimensional. People & objects are 3-dimensional. The goal of the 3-light setup is to make objects look more three dimensional. Just because it is a 3D system and you are creating 3D models does mean the final render will look 3D. This is a breakdown for a three-point lighting setup using Maya’s standard lights. You can also learn how to create a [[lighting - studio lighting setup|studio lighting setup]] with Arnold lights. Either setup can be used with either set of lights, you just have to remember that Maya lights need to be rendered with Maya Software engine and Arnold lights need to be rendered with Arnold.  Three lights: the **Key Light**, **Fill Light**, and **Back Light**, are adjusted to achieve the classic Hollywood lighting scheme called **three-point lighting**. For this setup, I am showing you how to use the Maya lights. You can learn how to use Arnold lights in the [[lighting - studio lighting setup|studio lighting setup page]]. Here’s how to build your three-point lighting setup… ## key light The key light will be the primary light source of illumination in the scene. When you view the scene and ask “Where is the light coming from?” the answer is the key light. Other lights support the key light. You may choose to make the key light brighter than a lamp might be or off to the side rather than directly overhead. What is important is that it illuminates the subject in a manner that achieves the desired effect. Create a Spot Light to serve as the Key. From the top view, offset the Key Light 15 to 45 degrees to the side (to the left or right) of the camera. From a side view, raise the Key Light above the camera, so that it hits your subject from about 15 to 45 degrees higher than the camera angle. The key light is brighter than any other light illuminating the front of the subject, is the main shadow-caster in your scene, and casts the darkest shadows. Specular highlights are triggered by the Key Light. ### set your light target A neat trick is to create your Spot Light and then press the letter T on your keyboard to get a Target that you can use to control where the light is pointing. This makes it much easier to adjust your camera. ## fill light The fill light’s purpose is to soften the dark areas of the scene and add some illumination in the shadows. A fill light is usually no more than one-third the intensity of the key light, though that varies depending on the mood you are attempting to create. From the top view, a Fill Light should come from a generally opposite angle than the Key—if the Key is on the left, the Fill should be on the right - but don’t make all of your lighting 100% symmetrical! The Fill can be raised to the subject’s height, but should be lower than the Key. ## back light The purpose of a back light is to separate the subject from the background. Areas of the subject that are not lit by the key or fill light can get lost in the background. You want the subject to be separated from the rest of the scene, but you don’t want to add too much light. It is important not to lose the overall contrast in the scene in your attempt to focus on the subject. The back light is placed opposite the camera to create a thin line of light around the dark areas of the subject. Adjust the Back Light until it gives you a nice “rim” of light, that highlights the top or side edge for your subject. (Some people call a light that highlights the side edge a rim light or a kick light.) Back Lights can be as bright as necessary to achieve the glints you want around the hair or sides of your subject. Unless you can avoid the need for shadows with careful aiming, a bright Back Light often needs to cast shadows. ## background light (optional) A Back Light is not a background light — all a Back Light does is create a rim of light around the top or side of your subject. If you want to light the background then you would need to add a fourth light focusing specifically on the background. ## review  To create the best lighting, you will need to achieve: 1. A wide range of values. There are whites and blacks and all values of grey in between 2. Details visible in the shadow areas 3. Separation of the object from the background --- Learn more… - sser --- tags: #3d #maya #lighting #resources home: [[! 3d modeling- maya]]