What it does
Redirects a slice of key or sun into a facet; size of card sets highlight size. Unlike tent wrap, only one sparkle at a time.
Surfaces & effects
Mirror card
A mirror card is a small angled reflector for one specular point on jewelry or metal — precision highlight sculpture.
What it looks like
How to use this tool
When to use it
Rings, watches, gemstones, metal logos in macro.
What to look for in the photo
Single bright facet point; rest of metal controlled darker; tether critical at macro distances.
Placement basics
Soft base exposure first; card adds accent. Move card millimeters — watch live view loupe. Black cards define metal bands around sparkle.
Distance & power
Base diffusion low power; mirror card needs strong source angle to pick up. Avoid second mirror competing.
Common mistake
Mirror card acts as second key — whole piece blows out. Fix: lower base, card only.
Pro tip
Tweezers + card on flex arm = repeatable sparkle for focus stacking.
Practice on set
- Tent/key baseline metal exposure.
- No card — dull facets reference.
- Place card; mark arm position when sparkle hits hero facet.
Pairs well with
Related setups
Strongest matches for this tool — 2 of 5 shown. Browse all in the library →
Commercial
Mirror Card Watch Sparkle Macro
A watch macro on a dark surface where a broad softbox sets the base reflection and a small mirror card places one precise, believable sparkle on a bevel or crystal — without flooding the whole metal face.
1 lights
map123
Product
Jewelry Macro Bounce Tent
Low-key black bounce tent for dramatic specular edges on metal and stone — with optional grey or white wrap variants for catalog flexibility.
1 lights
map12