Editing Low-key lighting (section)

{{Short description|Stage lighting style}}
{{About|a high-contrast lighting setup commonly used in film noir|the style of photograph or painting which features predominantly dark tones|Low key}}
[[File:Sony A77 II.jpg|thumb|Low-key lighting is often used in product advertising. This camera is lit by a [[soft box]] positioned above, with a white reflector to the front-left|alt=|220x220px]]
'''Low-key lighting''' is a style of [[Stage lighting|lighting]] for [[photography]], [[film]] or [[television]]. It is a necessary element in creating a [[chiaroscuro]] effect.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-jgqBgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Low-key+lighting%22&pg=PA245|title=Introduction to Media Production: The Path to Digital Media Production|last1=Kindem|first1=Gorham|last2=PhD|first2=Robert B. Musburger|date=2012-08-21|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781136053221|pages=245|language=en}}</ref> Traditional photographic [[lighting]] ([[three-point lighting]]) uses a [[key light]], a [[fill light]] and a [[back light]] for illumination. Low-key lighting often uses only a key light, optionally controlled with a fill light or a simple [[reflector (photography)|reflector]].

Low key light accentuates the contours of the subject by throwing areas into shade while a fill light or reflector may illuminate the shadow areas to control [[contrast (vision)|contrast]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/filmcriticalintr0000pram|url-access=registration|title=Film: A Critical Introduction|last1=Pramaggiore|first1=Maria|last2=Wallis|first2=Tom|date=2005|publisher=Laurence King Publishing|isbn=9781856694421|pages=[https://archive.org/details/filmcriticalintr0000pram/page/81 81]|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The relative strength of key-to-fill, known as the [[lighting ratio]], can be measured using a [[light meter]]. Low key lighting has a higher lighting ratio, e.g., 8:1, than [[high-key lighting]], which can approach 1:1.