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Course: Pixar in a Box > Unit 3
Lesson 1: Introduction to lighting- Art of lighting overview
- Light quality
- Activity 1: Seeing light and color
- Light roles
- Activity 2: Lighting an orange (physical)
- Virtual lights
- Activity 3: Lighting an orange (virtual)
- Character Lighting
- Activity 4: Lighting a character
- Color scripts
- Activity 5: Color scripts
- Master Lighting
- Activity 6: Master lighting
- Shot lighting
- Activity 7: Shot lighting
- Getting to know Kim White
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Activity 2: Lighting an orange (physical)
Goals
- Create your own lighting setup by experimenting with light positions and roles.
- Take pictures of your favorite set up and name the mood you have created.
Materials
- use the same light box from the previous exercise
- 3 or more light sources is ideal
Part 1: Examining light roles
Start in a dark room
Place an orange a few inches from one side of the set up box.
Position one light to act as your key.
- Move your key so that it comes from different places such as from the same place as your camera or from directly above your set.
- Observe how this changes the shadows on and around the orange.
- Pick your favorite position.
Position a second light to act as your fill
- Observe how this changes the value of the shadows
- If the light is too bright try putting a piece of cloth or paper over it.
Position a third light to act as a rim and/or kick.
Optional: Put colored paper or plastic in front of the lights to see if you can change the feeling of the scene.
Take a picture of your set up once you are happy with it. Give it a name!
Part 2: Experiment with different setups
Now try doing the same thing with three new key light positions
to create three new moods.
- For each new key position play with the placement and brightness of the fill and rim to see how they can supplement the key.
- Take a picture from the same camera angle for each experiment that you try so that you can compare the different moods.
Part 3: Full Color
If you feel like it, you can also do this as an optional painting exercise.
- Pick your favorite photo from the previous step and print it.
- Trace the image on a piece of paper to outline the shadow and light shapes
- Paint in the shapes by matching the colors as done in the previous exercise.
Tips on how to identify and mix colors:
- Look through the spot screen at each region in your image.
- identify the color you see; hue, value, saturation.
- Choose the tube of paint that comes closest to the color you see.
- Mix some onto your flat palette knife
- Hold the palette knife up in one hand and the spot screen in the other and compare.
- Mix to get closer to the color you see through the screen
- Mix in small amounts of color so you don’t over do it.
- Clean your palette knife thoroughly between mixings
- Work slowly and accurately
- If you surpass your color don’t work backwards, start again.
Want to join the conversation?
Why an orange?(23 votes)
It doesn't really matter, it can be any shape that is simple, you could use a, say, an apple if you wanted to.(14 votes)
why do we have to use an orange why not watermelon(12 votes)
Actually it doesn't matter, it can be anything with a simple shape that can come in handy, so you can use a watermelon.(21 votes)
is this lighting thing new?(8 votes)
Yes, this is a pretty new subject on Pixar which is why they used Coco, something that they haven't made 4-5 years ago(4 votes)
- does it matters anyhow that we could make the light intensity high and low(9 votes)
no i dont think it matters(2 votes)
It is hard to just see what your telling us the difference is vague or maybe not as apparent to me. How can I become better at lighting, is using a stronger light easier to see the difference in shadows?(6 votes)- try using blender or something, although blender is hard to use(1 vote)
There are different angels to see the ball.(6 votes)- Why an ball with holes, you can do like a stress ball and an apple?(5 votes)
- So it can shine pure with the lighting of a circle to shine throught...(2 votes)
Heh, Im back after a year. Man how time flies.(4 votes)
does this have an effect on the way the orange represents the way the look of the wall makes this seen look weird in any way shape or form to you people watching all of these videos like me(4 votes)- Can we use a carrot instead of an orange ?(5 votes)