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#Post#: 11--------------------------------------------------
Rim lights in scenery
DIR By: Pam
Date: May 20, 2021, 6:45 am
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Rim lights are formed by the positioning of a light source
behind or beside an object. When the light hits the object in
question we only see partial effect because most of the side
facing us is still in shadow, and the fully lit side is further
away from us. This is similar to the appearance of a crescent
moon - when the sun is hitting one side of the moon (relative to
us), we only see a small sliver of what we know is a full ball.
When the light hits it from the same direction we're viewing
from, we can see the entire face of the moon.
HTML https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QM2G_HV-c0A/WK67bX1BNgI/AAAAAAAAA04/RFmLLt2cDykQx8EI2c94lrSdQxZlBsoOACLcB/s400/qfg1vga_036-640x400.png
A common use for this is to show two different light sources,
such as in this scene from Quest for Glory. The tree on the left
has two clear edges being lit differently - the left edge is
light by a warm yellow light that we can safely assume is from
the sun, by the conditions in the rest of the scene and the
colour of the light. The right hand side is lit by a blue glow,
which we can assume is ambient light from the blue sky. Because
the sky is bright blue, it's common to rim light trees in this
manner when going for a realistic but mysterious look. The blue
isn't totally foreign to our eyes, but the strength of it is
unnatural and feels interesting and a little magical/foreboding.
HTML https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ym2GgCnWy90/WK67aTWyl0I/AAAAAAAAA1E/uwIyLKziYt43cA4cr52xaOO5cEouj_WTwCEw/s400/gk1_119-640x480.png
It's quite useful to show a transition in lighting conditions,
as shown here in this scene from Gabriel Knight. On the left
hand side of the image we have safe daylight, and the vegetation
is lit accordingly. As we progress into the mysterious, wooded
parts of the image, the trees are more strongly lit by a
mysterious light source from the right side, and the light from
the sun feels more light ambient light. This builds a great
sense of foreboding, taking the focus away from the friendly
light source that the sun represents and highlighting the less
certain colours of a dark, wooded area.
HTML https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmYmhf0sL_M/WK67a3DNtfI/AAAAAAAAA1E/PjVdhxpVvj8UUQ3G7dTEsRXj-dMbC73hgCEw/s400/kq5_060-640x400.png
Rim lights are also useful in the case of a single strong light
source. In this scene from King's Quest 5 the primary light
source is the open doorway that's letting in the glow of the
desert sun. The foreground objects glow with a vivid yellow on
their edges, which really helps to highlight the strength of
this light source, and relegate the rest of the lights that
illuminate them to bounce lights from this source. Using rim
lights in forms with quite close values and hues like this
really helps to define the forms and masses well - notice how
well the column and assorted other objects read, despite being
similar in colour to the floor and walls behind them. This
division of a light just visible on the rim really does a great
job of separating them out and making them clear and readable.
HTML https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hhjO9g2wuzE/WK67a2GMKMI/AAAAAAAAA1E/0xHj6jsJLwMK15RlQhwlkUGWm5XquRPGQCEw/s400/j0wpD.png
Another example is this scene from Full Throttle, in which the
strongest light source hits the edge of the fence details really
making them stand out despite the dark sky. This is also a great
way to add strong highlights to an otherwise dark scene -
lighting extremities helps to add diversity and definition
without sacrificing the dark, shadowy feel needed for the scene.
This also shows an example of a light source being more to the
side than directly behind - notice how about half of the struts
on top of the fence are lit, as compared to the much thinner rim
lights we've seen before.
HTML https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nLfGfTKTZ9o/WK67Z0RsUlI/AAAAAAAAA1E/wIWxS7ZtyQ86wdJvtjQGeGnn3oEWAVjoQCEw/s400/1Vmuv8X.png
This scene from Simon the Sorcerer 2 shows a great use of rim
lights to distinguish the foreground pipes from the dark scene
behind them. Because the bounce lights here are also used for
rim lighting, rather than diffused ambient lighting, it's also a
way to add colour to what would otherwise be pure black objects.
Notice here how the joins in the pipes also have rimlights that
run along their circumference, as well as the edge, helping to
show a change of plane very clearly, despite the fact that light
probably wouldn't hit this area. It's an interesting example of
ignoring realistic lighting in favour of visual clarity.
HTML https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DDtHV_xKzu8/WK67acdpPoI/AAAAAAAAA1E/j35i7Vvpqx4dB368Bt8VjA8OyX4mys_WQCEw/s400/gk1_058-640x480.png
Another Gabriel Knight scene, this time with objects in the
foreground, rather than the background, being lit on the edge.
Here the left side shows various objects that have been lit this
way, and as they move further and further out of the focal area
of the scene (and 'away' from the light source shown by the
glass door) the effect is less and less strong. This adds nice
definition to the objects without having to colour them in a
way that would be distracting, and is a nice way to add some
subtle purple colours into this part of the scene, without being
as distracting as the purple candle in the bottom right.
HTML https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0KeUvgbeT9g/WK67bcoTrGI/AAAAAAAAA1E/IOysdPuqtewun62s6qAwK2JWc36kqeamACEw/s400/qHt3a.png
This scene from The Dig shows two equal and opposite light
sources (in a nicely complementary palette) with rim lighting
helping to show the directions each light comes from clearly.
This makes for a very moody, atmospheric scene that's clearly
divided into two parts. The strength of yellow features among
the purple areas also really helps those particular forms to be
very easy to understand, visually.
HTML https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PMm3lCUM4yM/WK67Zx8CP1I/AAAAAAAAA1E/3RTaIu36jxIlrFyQiIqdnbc55OPRV5cNgCEw/s400/bMztE.png
This Fate of Atlantis shot shows us looking directly down at a
pool of lava, which gives a very warm, glowing feeling. By using
pink and orange rather than pure yellow (which is what we'd
usually expect from a yellow light source), we view the light
from the lava to be more of a warm glow than a bright glare.
Notice also that the rim lights get darker as they recede from
the light source, another way to help show the distance. The
diffusion of light here also acts in a similar way to
atmospheric perspective, with the objects getting closer in
value to the light source the closer they are to it.
HTML https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nX06VvMhBHs/WK67Zx3T8NI/AAAAAAAAA1E/n007nlXynYw-Po-PNnF1BOq0rrW9WcRZgCEw/s400/1Z3hvAk.png
A very strong example of the power of rim lighting is this scene
from Monkey Island 2. The mass of complex, overlapping forms
here would be a visual mess, save for the fact that their edges
are very clearly defined by the blue and orange lights from the
sky and lanterns. This not only makes for a beautifully moody
night scene with a great atmosphere, but means that we can see
where we can and can't go. This shows rim lighting as a great
way to show planes, edges, curves and establish depths by very
clearly indicating overlapping elements.
HTML https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OcWpVzGwTF0/WK67bRXmPaI/AAAAAAAAA1E/tQp_bQPPYCQsO7nAJr2201POKNGGZ7kswCEw/s400/m2oFhMI.jpg
One last word, and something I sometimes see that I'm not too
fond of, is where I see rim lighting where it's very hard to
imagine a light source. Notice in this scene from Shannara the
left bedpost, which sits right against the wall of the room. The
blue rim light here is hard to accept - we can clearly see what
lies on this side of the post, and it's a brown wall with no
blue shade whatsoever. This makes the blue rim light feel quite
fake and wrong. Notice how it feels less 'off' in the elements
like the dragons at the foot of the bed - they're not great, but
because there's no wall there, it's much easier to imagine a
light source coming from this direction.
I love using rim lights - whether for adding definition,
balancing colours, showing the strength of a light source or
simply making a scene feel more atmospheric. They're a handy
tool to instantly bring any object into a scene, and also for
adding a bit of colour to a dark area in your background. As
long as you're relatively careful to ensure the possibility of a
light source in the direction you're suggesting one, they're
very easy and a great tool.
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