FaceRef.org

Face Lighting Reference — 3D Lighting Reference Tool

A free 3D face lighting reference tool. Rotate the light around an interactive head to study shadow shapes, plane changes, and portrait lighting setups for drawing, painting, and AI.
Aug 13, 2026

A 3D lighting reference you can actually move

Most lighting references are a single photo frozen at one angle. The moment you change the pose, the shadows stop making sense. A 3D lighting reference tool fixes that: keep the same head, move the light, and watch how the shadow family reshapes in real time.

That is the difference between memorizing one dramatic photo and understanding why a lighting setup works.

What a face lighting reference is for

Whether you draw, paint, or prompt an AI model, the same problem shows up — the lighting looks accidental. A controllable 3D head lets you separate structure from luck:

  1. set the key light above eye level and to one side
  2. check that the brow, nose wedge, cheek, and jaw split into clear light and shadow
  3. read the terminator — the soft line where the form turns away from the light
  4. only then worry about rim light, fill, and background separation

When those relationships hold, the portrait reads faster and feels intentional.

Why an interactive light beats a photo

  • No pose lock-in — study three-quarter, profile, and top-down lighting on the same face.
  • Isolate one variable — move only the light, so you learn whether the effect came from structure or from a lucky reference.
  • Plane-accurate shadows — an Asaro-style read exposes where the planes actually change, so the shadow shapes are believable, not guessed.
  • Export a clean reference — take the exact angle and lighting you need straight into your drawing or ControlNet workflow.

Common lighting setups to practice

  • Loop and Rembrandt — key light high and to the side; watch for the small lit triangle on the shadow cheek. See the dedicated Rembrandt Lighting Face Reference.
  • Split lighting — light dead to one side for a hard, graphic half-shadow.
  • Butterfly / top-down — light high and central; pair it with the Top-Down Face Reference.
  • Under-lighting — flip the light low to understand how unnatural it reads, and why.

From lighting study to final render

A 3D lighting reference is not only for drawing. The same clean shadow map makes a strong depth or lighting guide for AI portraits — see the FLUX Portrait Workflow and ControlNet Face Reference.

Try the lighting reference tool

Use FaceRef to rotate the light around a 3D head, lock the angle you need, and export a clean face lighting reference — free, in your browser.