10 Stunning Lighting Techniques for AI Art

Using lighting techniques in AI-generated art isn’t just another detail to add to your prompt. It’s the storyteller and the mood-setter of your image. We’ve already touched on this topic in a previous blog post and covered some basic lighting techniques. This time, we’ll take it further, and explore some more interesting lighting concepts These can add a little ‘special effect’ to your AI art.

However, while most of these are inspired by real photography techniques, Tengr.ai might interpret them in its own creative way. So, even if it doesn’t perfectly replicate the traditional method, you’ll still get some truly special results.

Let’s see how Tengr.ai interprets these lighting techniques and what they can do for your images.

The Art of Light

1. Backlighting and Silhouette Lighting

Backlighting and silhouette lighting are popular in photography and in AI art. They are very similar as they both create dramatic, high-contrast images that focus on shapes and outlines rather than details.

In AI art, you can achieve this effect by lighting the subject from behind. This backlighting technique will leave the subject in a mysterious shadow against the brighter background.

To get this effect in your images, try mentioning ‘strong backlight’, ‘silhouette lighting’, or ‘backlit’ in your prompt.

Prompt: “(Silhouette lighting), (strong backlight), dramatic shadows, studio portrait of a girl, high-resolution image emphasizing fine details, hyper-realistic.”

“A lone figure standing on a misty mountaintop at sunrise, with the early morning sun directly behind them, creating a dramatic silhouette, (silhouette lighting), (backlight). ”

“A majestic deer standing on a misty mountaintop at sunrise, with the early morning sun directly behind it, creating a dramatic silhouette, (Silhouette lighting), dramatic shadows, (backlit).”

2. Bokeh Light Effects

You know those blurry circles of light in the background of some photos? That’s called Bokeh lighting. It’s a technique that photographers and AI artists love to use. No wonder, as it creates a warm, dreamy atmosphere and gives images a romantic look. However, when used in urban nighttime settings, it can also create a colorful, festive vibe.

While in traditional photography they use specific lenses and settings to get that beloved out-of-focus blur, in AI-generated images it’s a bit easier to create this effect.

Mentioning terms like ‘soft bokeh background’, ‘warm golden bokeh’, ‘colorful bokeh’, ‘subtle bokeh effect’, or ‘pronounced bokeh background’ in your prompt can get you that dreamy backdrop.

Prompt: “A close-up of a glass of wine on a table in a dimly lit restaurant, with bokeh lights from the cityscape outside softly blurred in the background, adding a warm and inviting atmosphere.“

“A nighttime cityscape with (vibrant, colorful bokeh lights). In the foreground, a silhouette of a person holding an umbrella stands on a rain-slicked street. The background is filled with blurred, circular lights in shades of purple, teal, gold, and pink, creating a dreamy, magical atmosphere. Soft focus on the subject, shallow depth of field, cinematic lighting.“

3. Strobe Lighting Effect

Strobe lighting captures a subject frozen in mid-move. Professional photographers use specialized equipment to create this “stop-motion” effect.

In AI-generated images, we can use this technique to achieve special effects in our images. Tengr.ai might not always perfectly recreate traditional strobe photography, but it will definitely come up with some unique interpretations of it.

To achieve this dynamic, energetic look with surreal atmosphere in our images, use terms like “multiple exposures,” “frozen motion,” “time-lapse effect”, “sharp, bright flashes”, “high contrast”, “ghostly trail of movement”, or “stroboscopic pattern.”

Prompt: “(Strobe light effect), An athlete in mid-air during a jump, captured with strobe lighting to freeze the movement, against a pitch-black background.“

“High-speed photograph of a dancer in motion, captured using stroboscopic lighting. Sharp, crisp details of the dancer are visible at key points in the motion, illuminated by bright, white strobe flashes. The image has a surreal quality, showcasing the fluidity of human movement in a single frame. High contrast, black background, white light.“

4. Gobo and Patterned Light

In photography terms, ‘gobo’ is when you project patterns of light and shadow onto a surface or subject. It’s an artistic effect that works great in AI-generated images too. It might not always look exactly like a ‘gobo’ in the traditional sense, it still creates unique and intriguing images. Plus, it adds some mystery and complexity to your artwork.

Using terms like “geometric shadows”, “floral light patterns”, “window blinds casting shadows”, “patterned light effect”, or “sharp, high-contrast shadow patterns”, in your prompt can help achieve this effect.

Prompt: “(Patterned light effect), (Deep dramatic shadows), a close-up black-and-white photograph of a woman with dramatic striped shadows cast across her face, light pattern to create interesting shapes and patterns on her face.“

5. Colored Gel Lighting

Colored gel lighting means placing colored filters (gels) over light sources to cast different colored hues. It’s a cool trick photographers use, and now we can play with it in AI art too.

The best thing about this technique is that you can change the mood of your picture with the use of colors. Bold, strong colors can make your picture feel lively and energetic, while soft, pastel colors can have a calm, chill effect.

Prompt: “A music artist performing on stage under colored gel lighting, with deep blues and purples blending together to create a vibrant, energetic atmosphere, highlighting the intensity of the performance.“

“Sublime fashion photography portrait through (colored gel lighting), illuminated by multiple colored light sources, each casting a different hue on the subject, creating a vibrant and surreal atmosphere.“

And with pastel hues:

6. Cinematic Lighting

Cinematic lighting creates that cinematic effect in your images that we know from the movie industry.

When you use this lighting in your prompts, Tengr.ai is trying to recreate that cinematic, mood-setting visual seen in movies. We see carefully placed light sources to create that mood, and intentional shadow placement to emphasize the emotional and storytelling impact of AI images.

To achieve this effect in your images, use terms like “cinematic volumetric lighting”, “low-key lighting,” “high contrast”, “chiaroscuro effect”, or “moody film noir lighting”.

Prompt: “A dramatic night scene in a dimly lit cobblestone alley. A man stands under a street lamp. Cool blue moonlight filters through fog in the background. The scene evokes a sense of mystery and tension, reminiscent of classic film noir. High contrast cinematic volumetric lighting.“

“A close-up of a detective sitting at a dimly lit bar, with dramatic, low-key lighting casting strong shadows across his face, emphasizing the tense, noir-inspired mood. (Cinematic lighting).“

7. Light Painting

Light painting involves moving a light source to create trails of light, similar to ‘painting’. These are actually long exposure pictures in photography.

In AI-generated images, this technique can help you create abstract designs with glowing, dynamic light-trails. Go beyond typical long exposure photographs (although those are stunning too). Explore more surreal, otherworldly styles for stunning results. We even used Fairytale style for some of these examples. Using unexpected styles can get you surprisingly eye-catching results.

Try adding terms like “glowing trails of light” or “swirling patterns” to achieve the light painting effect. These images work well with dark backgrounds.

Prompt: “Digital art: Night-time, dramatic black and white photograph of a bustling mesmerizing cityscape, (play of lights on the sky), (abstract light streaks on the sky), surreal, magical, sleek lines, elegant, artistic, streaked clouds.“

“A futuristic cityscape with light trails, light painting technique that forms surreal, swirling patterns, adding a sense of energy and movement.“

8. Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence is that natural glow emitted by certain living organisms (fungi, marine microorganisms, insects). In AI art it appears as an ethereal, magical light that gives a surreal look to images.

Simply mention the “bioluminescent”, “glowing” elements in your prompt to get that magical glow. This works best with dark backgrounds as it makes the bioluminescence stand out.

Prompt: “Surrealism: mystical forest with intricate bioluminescent fungi shaping a glowing path. The ground is covered in bioluminescent plants and flowers, each arranged in spirals, illuminating the forest floor with an ethereal glow.“

“Helical flower drawing, bioluminescent details, insanely hyper-detailed, ornate, sleek lines, flowing fluid lines, artistic, masterpiece art.“

9. Prism Lighting

Picture light going through a crystal – that is what prism lighting is about. It creates a magical, rainbow color effect which can really make images surreal, like a dream.

Try using words like: “light passing through a crystal”, “prismatic light effects”, “spectrum of light”, or even “lens flare” in your prompts to achieve this prismatic photography effect.

Prompt: “(Prism photography), (subtle lens-flare), (Prism lighting), a prismatic light of colors across a sublime fashion photography portrait, creating a surreal, otherworldly atmosphere.“

“(Prism Photography), (prismatic light effect), a prismatic light of colors across the surrounding beautiful, mesmerizing landscape, creating a magical effect.“

10. Contre-Jour (Against Daylight)

This lighting technique means that the camera is being directed towards a strong light source. Its’ like taking a picture facing the sun.

This creates a special halo effect around the subject. Also, it makes images more intense and mystical.

Using words like “backlit” ,”silhouette”, “sun behind subject”, “bright background”, “halo effect” might help achieve this effect.

“A lone, windswept tree standing on a misty, foggy hilltop, silhouetted against the sun,
(brightly lit background creates a rim of light around the edges of the tree), adding a mystical or ethereal quality to the image. Sharp contrast between light and dark, (Contre-Jour photography).“

“(Contre-Jour photography), A cyclist riding through a misty forest at dawn towards the rising sun, creating a dramatic silhouette against the light. (dramatic contrast between light and dark). The fog diffuses the sunlight, adding a mystical atmosphere to the scene.“

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this exploration of amazing lighting techniques! They were meant to inspire you and give you a boost in creativity.

Remember, these are just starting points. The real fun begins when you start playing around with these concepts and let your creativity shine. Don’t worry if Tengr.ai doesn’t create exactly what you imagined – sometimes the most amazing creations come when you let Tengr.ai bring its own creativity to the mix too.

We encourage you to do a lot of experimenting with these lighting techniques. We’d love to see your creations on our Facebook community page!