Lighting words are the fastest way to make a brief precise. A few shared terms save rounds of feedback, whether the shot comes from a camera or a render.
Quality: hard and soft
Hard light comes from a small or distant source and makes crisp shadows. Soft light comes from a large, close source and wraps around the product.
- Hard light suits bold, graphic frames and sunlit scenes.
- Soft light suits skincare, fabric, and anything with gentle curves.
Direction and time of day
Side light shows texture, back light separates the product from the background, and front light flattens detail. Pair direction with a time of day, such as "late afternoon side light", to set color warmth too.
💡Borrow words from the set
If your photographer already uses a term, adopt it in render prompts. One shared vocabulary keeps shot lists and prompts aligned.