← Back to Light Reference Tool

How to Use a Light Reference Tool for Portraits

Faces are sensitive to bad lighting — wrong direction or softness and the form collapses. This guide shows how to set up front light, 3/4 light, back/rim, and colored key + neutral fill in the Light Reference Generator so you can get reliable, repeatable portrait lighting reference for drawing.

1. Quick start

  1. Open the main Light Reference Tool.
  2. Choose the portrait/head model (or sphere if you just need direction).
  3. Set Azimuth to 30°–45°, Elevation to 25°–35°.
  4. Adjust Beam/Softness until the cheek and nose read well.
  5. Screenshot or Download PNG to paint over.
Four portrait lighting setups showing front, 3/4, rim, and colored key
Tip: If the face is too flat, lower Fill. If the nose shadow is too strong, raise Elevation a bit.

2. Front / beauty light

This is your “Instagram portrait” setup — flattering and easy to paint. Put the light close to the camera and a little above: Azimuth 0°–10°, Elevation 45°–60°. Use a wide beam (60°+) and medium softness. You should see a small nose shadow and clean eye sockets.

3. 3/4 portrait light (default)

This is the most useful angle for character artists. Move the light to the side: Azimuth 35°–55° (usually 45°), Elevation 25°–35°. This gives a nice light on the forehead, cheekbone, and lips, and a soft falloff on the far side of the face. If you want a Rembrandt-style triangle, lower the light a bit and narrow the beam.

Light Vector (L), Surface Normal (N), and Angle θNL (from light)V (to camera)θSurface pointN: Surface normalL: Light vectorθ: Angle between N and L
For studies: do 3 passes — hard shadow, soft shadow, then add Fill. This will teach you which part is the key and which is fill.

4. Back / rim light

Rim lighting separates the head from the background. Move the light behind the subject: Azimuth 140°–170°, Elevation 20°–35°, narrow beam (25°–35°). Keep Fill low so the rim pops. This is great for dramatic scenes or game key art.

5. Colored key + neutral fill

A lot of stylized portraits use a warm key (orange/sunset) and a cool, soft fill (blue/window). In your tool, set the main light to a warm hue, keep Elevation around 30°, then increase Fill and make it cooler. This is also where you can test “lighting reference for drawing” ideas before painting a full-colored piece.