The lighting board.

Light is the mood half of any picture. Classic portrait patterns plus the light styles that set a scene — each a reusable prompt phrase for the Vibe Mixer.

🎛 Combine these in the Vibe Mixer →

Lighting pattern — where the shadows fall on a face

The classic portrait patterns, named by the shadow they leave.

Butterfly

Key light front-and-above; a small symmetric shadow under the nose. Old-Hollywood glamour.

butterfly lighting, key light high and frontal, glamorous symmetric shadow under the nose
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Loop

A small nose shadow looping to one side. The flattering everyday portrait standard.

loop lighting, soft nose shadow to one side, flattering portrait light
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Rembrandt

A triangle of light on the shadow cheek. Painterly, moody, five-hundred-year pedigree.

rembrandt lighting, triangle of light on the shadowed cheek, painterly chiaroscuro
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Split

Half the face lit, half in darkness. Duality, secrets, the villain's favourite.

split lighting, exactly half the face in shadow, stark dramatic duality
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Rim / Backlight

Light from behind traces a glowing edge around the subject, cutting them out of the dark.

rim lighting from behind, glowing edge separating the subject from darkness
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Broad

The camera-side of the face is the lit side. Open, wide, approachable.

broad lighting, the near side of the face fully lit, open and inviting
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Short

The far side of the face is lit; shadow faces the camera. Sculpted, slimming, dramatic.

short lighting, far side of the face lit, sculpted shadow toward camera
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Light style — the light a scene lives in

Time of day, weather and practical sources — the fastest way to set a mood.

Golden Hour

The low warm sun just after sunrise or before sunset. Everything glows honey and amber.

golden hour light, warm low sun, honey-amber glow, long soft shadows
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Blue Hour

The cool dim minutes after sunset. Melancholy blue with city lights winking on.

blue hour twilight, cool ambient blue, glowing practical lights
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

High-Key

Bright, airy, almost shadowless. Optimism, cleanliness, commercials and dreams.

high-key lighting, bright and airy, minimal shadows, clean white light
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Low-Key

Mostly darkness, carved by a single source. Noir, danger, secrets.

low-key lighting, deep shadows, single hard source, film-noir darkness
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Neon Glow

Saturated practical neon washing the scene in electric colour — pink, cyan, violet.

neon-lit scene, saturated pink and cyan practical glow, electric reflections
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Candlelight

A tiny warm flame as the only source. Faces flicker; the dark leans in.

candlelit, single warm flickering flame source, intimate darkness
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Harsh Noon Sun

Overhead blazing sun, knife-edge shadows. Deserts, standoffs, unforgiving truth.

harsh midday sunlight, blazing overhead sun, hard black shadows
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Soft Overcast

A cloud-diffused sky, one giant softbox. Gentle, even, quietly honest.

soft overcast daylight, diffused shadowless light, muted gentle tones
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Silhouette

The subject is a black shape against bright light. Identity hidden, gesture amplified.

full silhouette, subject as a black shape against bright backlight
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Volumetric Rays

Visible beams cutting through haze — god rays through windows, trees, smoke.

volumetric light rays cutting through haze, visible god rays
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Moonlight

Cold silver-blue night light. Stillness, longing, things that only happen after midnight.

cold moonlight, silver-blue night illumination, quiet deep shadows
Use in the Vibe Mixer →

Studio Softbox

Large diffused studio source. Controlled, editorial, product-grade polish.

studio softbox lighting, large diffused source, controlled editorial polish
Use in the Vibe Mixer →