Light it up! A Practical Lighting Exercise for Blender - Template Included
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I created this FREE lighting exercise as a practical way to learn more about lighting in Blender.
Want to buy me a coffee in return? Then feel free to pay whatever you decide.
If you're new to Blender then this is a great starting point on your lighting journey.
For the more experienced users, maybe take the challenge for fun.
The concept is simple - I've setup four different lighting setups, using the different lights included with Blender (Sun, Spot, Area, Point). Then, I've rendered each setup, which you can see in the product slideshow. The World settings are basic, no HDRIs, or anything like that.
The challenge is for you to recreate the four light setups and try to match my renders! A FREE template Blender file is included.
To keep results consistent (just lights remember) here are the "rules":
- Don't add, edit, replace or change the scene in any way, that way you can compare your renders to mine.
- Create four separate lighting setups, I've made four collections for you to use in the Blender file provided.
- Remember to disable all other lighting collections when you render each one.
- Have fun and explore more options!
Important note: In the renders I've made, included, I've stated the types of lights I used and their colour. This will help you.
I've also included some Blender screenshots showing you what you'll need to edit to change the colour, power and shadow softness/hardness. Not everyone, especially beginners, are familiar with these settings so I think it's only fair to point them out.
Tips: study the renders provided and identify where the highlights and shadows are - these are clues as to where the lights are generally placed.
Don't feel that you have to find the exact light positions as mine, but something similar is fine; it's the results that matter.
Keep an eye on the shadow softness/hardness, this will tell you the sort of values I used.
The fourth render is the toughest, it uses six point lights... don't stress if you don't manage it, as this is an extreme example (in general, best practice is to use as few lights as possible in most real-world projects).
And finally, this is all about learning to use lights, I encourage you to have fun and experiment!
Take the lighting challenge and see if you can match the renders I made, all the while learning how to use and manipulate lights. Included is a free template Blender file, just add lights and render.