Matching figure lighting to your render
People look pasted on when their light does not match the scene. The lighting controls let you match the sun, the sky and the shadow in a few moves.
Use the Shaded style
Lighting shows most clearly in the Shaded render style, which is the one to use when compositing into photographic or realistic renders. The lighting controls are a Pro feature, and the free version uses a balanced studio light.
Start from a preset
- Studio: neutral, even light. A safe default.
- Overcast: soft, diffuse light with very little shadow, for grey-sky renders.
- Midday: strong, high sun with short shadows.
- Golden hour: low, warm sun with long shadows.
- Backlit: the sun behind the figure, for dramatic edge light.
Match the sun direction
Use the Sun dial in the viewport. The top dial sets the direction of the sun around the figure, seen from above, and the lower dial sets how high it is in the sky. Look at the shadows in your render, then drag the dials until the figure's shadow falls the same way and at a similar length.
Fine-tune
- Sun strength: how bright the direct light is. Lower it on hazy or overcast days.
- Warmth: shifts the sun from cool white to warm orange. Raise it for sunrise and sunset.
- Sky light: how much soft ambient fill reaches the shadow side. Raise it for bright, open scenes and lower it for harsh, contrasty ones.
- Drop shadow: the soft ground shadow under the figure. Turn it off if you add your own shadow in an image editor.
Finish in your editor
Exports are transparent, so you can still adjust them in Photoshop. A Curves or Levels adjustment clipped to the figure helps match overall brightness, and a slight blur on distant figures helps them sit in the depth of field. If you use the Photoshop panel, you can set the light, place the figure, and adjust it in one flow.
Quick checklist
- Pick the Shaded style.
- Choose the preset closest to your scene's sky.
- Match the sun direction and height to your existing shadows.
- Adjust strength, warmth and sky light by eye.
- Export, place, and blend.