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All Lighting References
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Interactive Skull Lighting Reference
Rim Lighting
Human skull lit with moody rim lighting in 3 quarter profile
High-key Lighting
Digital 3D rendering of a human skull in profile view facing right on a light gray background with high-key lighting
High-key + Rim Lighting
Skull viewed from the top with high-key lighting and subtle rim lighting on the right side.
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Skull Lighting Practice

If this model is your lab for learning light, then these three setups are your experiments—test them, observe the effects, and sharpen your skills with every tweak:
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  • Rim Lighting: Position a light behind or somewhere past the model itself. This separates the skull from the background and emphasizes its silhouette.
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  • High-key Lighting: Turn the key light on and the accent light off. This setup makes it easy to see the skull’s contours and hollows.
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  • High-key + Rim Lighting: Use the key light fully and the accent light sparingly. This lights the entire skull while highlighting the jaw and cheekbones.
These setups are just the beginning of what’s possible. Use them as a foundation, then push the lights further to discover your own unique style. Now get in there and show some backbone!
Human Skull
The number 360 degrees in blue text

Interactive Skull Lighting Reference

Explore how light behaves on the underlying structure of the human head with this free 360° skull lighting reference. Study anatomy, planes, and landmarks under neutral or dramatic lighting, including rim and split lighting.

Instructions
Skull lighting practice
3D-rendered human skull with lighting and shadows.
Dramatic Lighting
Neutral Lighting
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Orbit and move

Orbit the model or move the lights with click and drag. Pan using Shift + drag. Zoom using Command + scroll (Windows key on PC).

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Turn lights on/off

Press 1, or 2 on the keyboard to control one of two available lights. Each press cycles that light between two brightness levels and off.

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An icon with the letters "3D" and two arrows swirling around
INSTRUCTIONS: Click and drag to orbit the model or move lights. Press 1, or 2 on the keyboard to cycle a light’s brightness with each press.
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