Interior

Soft Panel Window Interior Balance

Lighting setup

A large bi-color LED panel balances a bright daylight window in a continuous interior portrait — classic soft key against exterior exposure.

Lighting breakdown

1
Daylight Window
Large window camera-right (~80°) keys the face and shows as the bright glass in frame — directional daylight on the key cheek.
Exterior window source · 2.5
Window / sun
2
Soft Panel Fill
Large panel camera-left (~300°) fills the shadow cheek opposite the window — off-frame. Kill it and that cheek falls dark while the window key holds.
Bi-color LED panel with diffusion · 0.85
LED panel

Portrait subject — Soft Panel Window Interior Balance lighting setup.

Base setup

Window outside. Panel inside. One exposure.

Top view

Complete setup · 2 lights

Learning path

This setup appears in curated assignments — continue the sequence when you are ready.

Step 10/13Cinema & continuous light
Balance window spill against a soft LED panel — interior exposure without losing motivation.
Light Builder Next: Continuous Hair Light Interview →

Lights: 2
Contrast: 3:1
Catchlight: Large soft panel rectangle
Key position: Window ~80° camera-right keys the face; soft panel ~300° camera-left fills the shadow cheek
Mood: Cinematic / Soft / Documentary
Quality: Soft Light / Window Light
Subject: Male Portrait
Environment: Apartment / Daylight

Mood variations

Portrait subject — Panel Off variation of Soft Panel Window Interior Balance. — Panel Off
Kill the camera-left soft panel — only the window remains as key, so the shadow cheek (camera-left) falls darker while the window side stays lit.

Final look

Base setup

Interiors fail when the window blows out or the face falls dark. A soft panel at matched Kelvin fills the subject while you expose for both planes; the lesson is continuous balancing, not flash overpower.

Camera & framing

Exposure

ISO

ISO 640

Shutter

1/50s

Aperture

f/4 – f/5.6

Lens & framing

Lens

85mm portrait

Camera height

Eye level

Framing

Seated three-quarter head-and-shoulders, full face in frame with comfortable headroom

Try these settings → Key : fill ratio →

Key notes

1Window is the key camera-right — panel sits opposite (camera-left) as fill so the shadow cheek stays open while you expose for the bright glass.
2Set panel to 5600K when the window is daylight; dial warmer if you want mixed Kelvin on the fill side only.
3Meter the face first, then check zebra on the window — ND on window or slight underexposure is OK if face reads correctly.
4Keep shutter at 1/50s for video; adjust ISO before opening aperture if noise appears.