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How to Set Up Scene Lighting

Goal: Define the lighting setup for a scene so every shot in that scene has the right light source, color temperature, and mood — without setting it separately for each shot.

Lighting is defined at the scene level. All shots in the scene inherit it. You can override per shot when you need to. The visual style setting also affects how lighting renders across the full project.

Steps​

  1. Open the scene panel. Click the scene in the left navigation or in the timeline.

  2. Go to the Lighting tab. The Lighting tab shows the current lighting setup inherited by this scene.

  3. Choose the light source type:

    • Natural / Exterior — Sunlight-based. Set time of day.
    • Interior — Practical — Room lights, lamps, candles. Warm or cool.
    • Interior — Studio — Clean, controlled artificial light.
    • Mixed — Interior space with natural light through windows.

  4. Set the time of day (for natural light). Options include Golden Hour (sunrise/sunset), Midday, Overcast, and Night. Each changes the light angle, color temperature, and shadow quality.

  5. Set the mood. Choose from lighting mood presets:

    • High Key — Bright, low contrast, open shadows. Commercial, cheerful.
    • Low Key — Dark, high contrast, deep shadows. Thriller, noir.
    • Dramatic — Strong directional light, visible shadows.
    • Naturalistic — Realistic mixed sources without strong mood direction.

  6. Set color temperature. Warm (tungsten, golden hour) or cool (overcast, fluorescent). This affects the overall emotional register of the scene.

  7. Upload a lighting reference image (optional). If you have a specific look — a film still with the exact light quality you want — upload it as a reference and the AI uses it as a visual target.

  8. Review a shot to check the lighting. Generate a draft shot from the scene and evaluate whether the lighting reads the way you intended before committing to a full render.

Next steps​