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Soft light tends to "wrap" around subjects, producing shadows with soft, fuzzy edges. Softness of light increases with the size of the light source, as the emitted light rays will travel in many directions as they move toward the subject. Light sources can also produce softer light by using diffusion
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The hardness or softness of light depends mostly on three features of the source: the size of its surface, its distance from the object, and the thickness of its diffusion material. A large, distant light source with thick diffusion material will produce softer lighting than one that is smaller and
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can be focused such that their shadows can be "cut" with crisp shadows. That is, the shadows produced will have 'harder' edges with less transition between illumination and shadow. The focused light will produce harder-edged shadows. Focusing a
Fresnel lens makes the rays of emitted light more
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Soft light use is popular in photography and cinematography. By diffusing hard shadows, softening dark areas, and removing sharp edges, soft light produces more flattering images of the human form. Colours may also appear richer and more realistic.
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parallel. The parallelism of these rays determines the quality of the shadows. For shadows with no transitional edge/gradient, a point light source is required. Hard light casts strong, well defined shadows.
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When hitting a textured surface at an angle, hard light will accentuate the textures and details in an object. This will also increase the 3D-appearance of the object.
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Lighting for
Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots (Using Flash and Natural Light for Portrait, Still Life, Action, and Product Photography)
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Hard light comes from a single, usually bright, source, which is relatively small compared to the subject. Photographs taken in such lighting have high
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Most light sources have a non-negligible size and therefore exhibit the properties of a soft light to some degree. Even direct
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In "hard" light sources, the parallelism of the rays is an important factor in determining shadow behaviour.
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with soft edges, whereas hard light is more focused and produces harsher shadows.
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Photo Basics: The
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or aiming a lighting instrument at diffusing material such as a
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of light, intensity decreases as distance increases. Intensity (
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454:"Hard Light vs. Soft Light: Knowing How to Light Your Scene"
481:"Why Filmmakers and Photographers Prefer to Use Soft Light"
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that tends to "wrap" around objects, projecting diffused
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closer to the subject, with thinner diffusion material.
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http://www.shortcourses.com/tabletop/lighting2-8.html
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