Lighting can make or break a photo. In this unit, you’ll learn how to create realistic light effects and use them to ground subjects into their environments. From soft shadows to dramatic light rays, these skills will help your edits look professional and believable.
We’ll cover:
Adding realistic shadows so your subject looks naturally placed.
Creating highlights, reflections, and light rays for depth and atmosphere.
Using lens flare and dodge & burn for creative control over light direction and mood.
Practice First
Each tutorial introduces a key skill. Follow along with the video carefully, pausing and rewinding as needed.
Save your practice file after each tutorial — even rough experiments will help you later.
Build Toward the Task
After practicing, you’ll complete a creative assignment that combines these skills.
Your final work will demonstrate shadows, highlights, reflections, and creative lighting techniques all working together.
Show Your Process
As with past units, you’ll be expected to submit a final composite, a before/after comparison, and a screenshot of your organized layers panel with meaningful names.
Remember: Lighting adds realism and drama to your images. Practice the basics with the tutorials, then push your creativity in the final task to make something eye-catching and original.