The Photograph Setup: Lighting & Shadows will set the lighting conditions per rendering in Photo Lab. Global Lights sets the overall lighting for the entire drawing and Lighting & Shadows starts from those settings. There are several predefined light setups available that differ in the number and the type of light sources that can be manipulated. The presets will have the same base options as the Global Lights, plus some extra lighting features.

 
Lighting & Shadow presets

After selecting a light preset, the settings can be adjusted by moving the sliders to the left or to the right to quantify the effect. Specific numerical values can be typed into the right of each slider. The selection of available predefined light setups is affected by which Extensions are currently installed.

It is also possible to simulate the light at different times of the day by changing the direction and pitch of the sun. Click-and-drag the sun symbol in the circle to stretch and rotate. The pitch determines the height of the sun (90 = shining straight down; 40 = mid afternoon; etc).

Realtime lights

Check Enable realtime lights just below the Preview area to see in realtime how the light changes when trying out different settings.

Preview shadows

Checking the Preview shadows box will make the 3D view within the Photo Lab update instantly as you make changes to the settings for Lighting & Shadows. Unlike the Realtime lights setting, Preview shadows does ultra fast renders to show you not only the effect of your light settings, but also detailed shadow effects. Keep in mind, this will preview an extreme preview of the shadows. The final rendering will not be as dark as the preview appears. 

Preview Shadows settings

Emissive Background

When Emissive Background is activated, it will make the background (panorama or just plain color) cast light onto the scene during photorealistic rendering. The color and intensity of the light is determined by the colors of the chosen background. 

Emissive background settings

Lighting & Shadows Presets

The Simple preset is the fastest Lighting & Shadows option which adds basic overall lighting with strong, direct sun shadows to give your scene quick depth and contrast.

Simple preset

The Multiple suns preset creates softer, more diffused lighting by adding extra vertical (pitched) and ceiling (uplight) light sources. These additional lights brighten the scene without casting extra shadows, helping produce a more evenly lit result.

Multiple suns preset

The Two Spotlights preset uses two focused light sources instead of broad ambient light. simulates a scene lit by two strong light sources instead of one sun. Instead of lighting the whole scene evenly, this preset places two spotlights aimed at the subject from different angles. Think of it like a stage: One spotlight = main lighting and second spotlight = support or dramatic an accent.

Two spotlight preset

The Sun for natural light preset is meant to simulate real-world sunlight as accurately as possible. It mimics the physical properties of sunlight. Light behaves predictably, shadows look realistic and colors render more accurately.

Sun for natural light preset

When using the Realistic light, the renderer will try to mimic the lighting conditions that comes from a real atmosphere with a clear sky over land. The intensity and color of the light will range from a weaker orange light to a strong colder blueish light, depending on where in the sky the sun is located. The background in the rendered image will also always be generated from the given atmospheric conditions.

Realistic light preset

The Image based light preset uses an HDR image to light the scene based on image brightness and color. This can affect lighting even if it is not visible in the background. Click on the background image and select the image you like too use. Check the box "Use image as background" to apply. 

Image based light preset

The Office lighting refers to a predefined lighting setup used to mimic a typical office environment. It gives a Neutral white light, typically around 4000K–5000K. Not too warm (yellow) and not too cool (blue). Helps reduce eye strain and keeps colors accurate. Simulates overhead office fixtures like panels or fluorescent/LED grids. Ensures everything in the scene is clearly visible

Office lighting