Adding Lights to a Composite

You can use lighting to add realistic effects and texture to your composites. The combustion lighting controls are versatile and can be keyframed.

When combustion light strikes a layer, it is reflected and refracted, and it casts shadows in the scene. The effect that light has on a layer depends on the surface characteristics of the layer as much as it depends on the type, color, and intensity of the light.

For more information, see Adding Lighting Effects.

For example, the behavior of light depends on the opacity, luminosity, and specular level of the layer it strikes—just as real-world light striking a shiny metal surface has a different effect from that striking a rough wooden surface. For more information, see Surface Properties.

To enable the default lighting:

1. Double-click the composite for which you want to enable lighting.
2. In the Composite Controls, click the Settings button.
3. Under the Render Effects heading, enable Shading, Shadows, and Reflections.

Lighting is enabled.

To adjust the lighting controls:

Select a light operator in the Workspace list, then click the Light button in the Composite Controls panel.

For information on light controls, see Lighting Interface.