Low-key lighting

Low-key lighting

Low-key lighting is a style of lighting for photography, film or television. It attempts to create a chiaroscuro effect. In traditional photographic lighting, three-point lighting uses a key light, a fill light, and a back light for even illumination. Low-key lighting requires only one key light, optionally controlled with a fill light or a simple reflector.

Low key light accentuates the contours of an object by throwing areas into shade while a fill light or reflector may illuminate the shadow areas to control contrast. The relative strength of key-to-fill, known as the lighting ratio, can be measured using a light meter. Low key lighting has a higher lighting ratio, e.g. 8:1, than high key lighting, which can approach 1:1.

The term "low key" is used in cinematography to refer to any scene with a high lighting ratio, especially if there is a predominance of shadowy areas. It tends to heighten the sense of alienation felt by the viewer, hence is commonly used in film noir and horror genres.

ee also

* High-key lighting
* Film noir


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  • Low-Key — Fotografie aus dem Innern des Gasometer Oberhausen Low key beschreibt einen technisch gestalterischen Stil in der Fotografie, bei dem im Gegensatz zur High key Fotografie dunkle Farbtöne vorherrschen. Diese Technik sollte nicht mit einer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Low-key — Fotografie aus dem Innern des Gasometer Oberhausen Low key beschreibt einen technisch gestalterischen Stil in der Fotografie, bei dem im Gegensatz zur High key Fotografie dunkle Farbtöne vorherrschen. Diese Technik sollte nicht mit einer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Low key — Fotografie aus dem Innern des Gasometer Oberhausen Low key beschreibt einen technisch gestalterischen Stil in der Fotografie, bei dem im Gegensatz zur High key Fotografie dunkle Farbtöne vorherrschen. Diese Technik sollte nicht mit einer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Low-key-Fotografie — Low key beschreibt einen technisch gestalterischen Stil in der Fotografie, bei dem im Gegensatz zur High key Fotografie dunkle Farbtöne vorherrschen. Diese Technik sollte nicht mit einer Unterbelichtung verwechselt werden. Low key Fotografie aus… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • High-key lighting — is a style of lighting for film, television, or photography that aims to reduce the lighting ratio present in the scene. This was originally done partly for technological reasons, since early film and television did not deal well with high… …   Wikipedia

  • Low-Key-Beleuchtung — Bei der Produktion eines Films spielt Licht eine wichtige Rolle. Nur bei ausreichender Belichtung des Negativstreifens können brauchbare Ergebnisse erzielt werden. Ein bekanntes Problem besteht darin, dass eine Filmaufnahme nur sehr schwer ohne… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Key light — The key light is the first and usually most important light that a photographer, cinematographer, or other scene composer will use in a lighting setup. The purpose of the key light is to highlight the form and dimension of the subject. The key… …   Wikipedia

  • key light —   the main or primary light on a subject, often angled and off center (or from above) that selectively illuminates various prominent features of the image to produce depth, shadows, etc.; high key lighting (with everything evenly and brightly lit …   Glossary of cinematic terms

  • Lighting — Not to be confused with lightning. For other uses, see lighting (disambiguation). Low intensity lighting and haze in a concert hall allows laser effects to be visible …   Wikipedia

  • Three-point lighting — is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer generated imagery. By using three separate positions, the photographer can illuminate the shot s subject (such as a person) however desired, while also… …   Wikipedia

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