Editing Lighting Techniques for Animation

== Course details ==

* Instructor: Peter Markowski
* Venue: LAAFA/EIDO
* Date: April 2022

== Painting process ==

=== Step I: Light logic ===

''How To Render'' by Scott Robertson and Thomas Bertling
A book covering the basics of calculating lighting, i.e. "light logic". Direction and placement of shadows, amount of shadow, fall off.

=== Step II: Theatrical lighting ===

Theatrical lighting may work counter to logical light placement. This is lighting that is necessary to "tell the story."

(TODO: add some visual examples.)

[[file:Screen Shot 2022-04-23 at 10.16.02 AM.jpg|800px]]

[[File:Screen Shot 20220423-102908 AM.jpg|thumb|gouache painting by Mike Humphries]]
[[File:Screen Shot 20220423-103055 AM.jpg|thumb|gouache painting by Mike Humphries]]
=== Step III: Procedural layering ===

* Add one layer at a time. Work on one layer at a time.
* Work back to front.
* Work light to dark.
* Low contrast to high contrast.

==== Mike Humphries ====

A good example of this process using gouache. 

Uses badger brush for soft effects and to alter overall value and / or color

==== Examples ====

Illustration with bears, snow and mountains.

It contains logical light:

* Most contrast and detail on the middle ground where the main characters are placed.
* Low contrast on far mountains
* Another layer of closer mountains with slightly more contrast and saturation.
* Low contrast in the foreground, but with darker colors than the distant mountains.

It contains illogical (but theatrical) light:

* Spot light on main characters (the bears.)
* The light on the bears is contrived. There is no natural source. It exists purely for the story and to add drama.

== "Light responsibly" ==

Track any light sources that are introduced into a scene. 

Apply their light logically to objects in the surrounding environment.

== Classic film lighting ==

* '''Key Light''' -- Main source of light. On its own would create strong contrast.
* '''Fill Light''' -- Not as strong as the key light. Fills in the shadows cast by the key light.
* '''Back Light''' -- Rim light on subject to model the face & separate the subject from the environment. 

Rim light + key light define form. The fill light shows more detail-provides more information.

Roger Deakins cinematographer for Coen Bros. Example of how to use light beautifully and elegantly, and to tell story.

"Learning to Light" on YouTube from "Cinematography Techniques with Roger Deakins"

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9w8I_YD29E&t=184s</youtube>

== Genre/special lighting ==

Standout examples: noir, horror

''The Godfather'' Marlon Brando sitting at his desk—all you can see in his face and his shirt and pattern of light coming coming through the blinds behind him. Everything else is black.

Kubrick's ''The killing'' same with light coming through the blinds and hitting the characters.

Example: still image from ''The Lord of The Rings''. Similarities with the top portion of Hieronymous Bosch's ''Garden of Earthly Delights'', which is very dark with backlit walls and portions of walls. There are small random points of light positioned behind the walls that shine around their silhouettes and through window holes. 

The ''LoT'' still contains streaky light coming through tree tops, suggesting the moon behind the trees. But this is not how moonlight behaves. It is very much an artificial spot light. There is also a secondary light in the far background that has no logical source. It is part of the
scene only to make the riders stand out from the environment.

== Some random tips and tricks ==

=== Photoshop tricks ===

See [[Photoshop Tricks and Techniques]] for Photoshop features relevant to BG painting.

=== Method for working out composition of light ===

# Figure out the main light as a schematic. Very bold, like literally black and white. Slowly introduce values.
# Put in accent lights.

=== Using backlights to draw focus ===

A situation where the values of layers within the composition are locked in such that the focus element has to be placed on top of another element that has a similar value. One solution to make that focus element stand out is to put atmosphere behind the focus element, like glowing fog or an imaginary low key backlight. Then the value of that glow around the focus can be controlled independently of the planes in the composition.

=== Test early with characters placed in the composition ===

Workflow: Paint BG → ship → make color key.

When the color key is created you may discover conflicts between the characters and the BG. Maybe they don't stand out enough. By then the BG has shipped and it's too late to adjust.

Recommends dropping characters onto the BG while painting to catch these conflicts early.

A pool of light can often help make the characters stand out from the background.

=== Cloud and smoke edges ===

Inspiration: Scott Wills (''Clone Wars'' and ''Samurai Jack'')

Videos on YouTube of Scott Wills painting BGs for ''Samurai Jack''. 

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdmpvI2sRXo</youtube>
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVuNZiYSqrA</youtube>

# Make clouds as shapes over background layer.
# Use smudge brush with some texture or variety to push around edges as if moving around wet watercolor or gouache.

[[File:57e93220dd0895c2598b4ad6.jpg|thumb|Ralph McQuarrie Star Wars concept art]]
[[File:Mcquarrie-star-wars-concept-2.jpg|thumb|Ralph McQuarrie Star Wars concept art]]
=== Using texture to define form ===

Not lighting, but '''Ralph McQuarrie's''' Star Wars paintings. Texture without rendering describing form. Maybe some atmospheric perspective on top. Texture on surfaces describing the form of an object or space.

== Miscellany ==

=== Other approaches to representing light ===

'''Notan''' Japanese approach to rendering.

"In Praise of Shadows" by Junichi W Tamizaki

Related to ink washes and how they define light through darks and lights esp. in relation to each other. E.g. the yin yang symbol.

Contrast notan with chiaroscuro which attempts to recreate in two dimensions light falling over a three dimensional form.

[[Category:Class Notes]]