Your mild CTO / warm candidate
Gently warm the skin; record the actual filter identity.
Softbox · -35° from the camera direction · 1.5 m from its target · height 2 m.
Illustrative starting placement; adjust to the subject, beam and space.
Warm key / cool background
Create contrast with a controlled WB experiment.
The lighting plan
None / neutral
A neutral source may render cooler at a lower camera WB.
Gridded reflector · 145° from the camera direction · 1.3 m from its target · height 2 m.
Illustrative starting placement; adjust to the subject, beam and space.
Make the test frames
- Make a neutral reference frame and note the source type.
- Fit the warm key gel, then choose a fixed camera WB that suits the skin intent.
- Judge the background under that same WB before adding a blue gel.
Keep camera WB fixed for comparisons. Begin with your neutral key reference, then adjust deliberately.
Meter with the actual gel fitted. Keep filtration loss separate from your chosen creative level. Unknown source output and camera settings remain unknown; no universal flash fraction is implied.
When the first frame differs
- Camera Kelvin and source color temperature are different settings.
- Do not assign a Kelvin value to a saturated blue effect color. Green–magenta casts need separate attention.
Adapt the kit
- One light: warm the key and let unlit surroundings be governed by ambient; separation is no longer independent.
- Three lights: add an edge only after WB and background color are settled.
Evidence & publication record
Editorial status: published. Evidence status: illustrative.
Prepared by Learn Studio Lighting editorial · Published 2026-10-22 · Updated 2026-10-22.
No photographer is claimed to have tested this setup. No finished photograph, actual meter readings or original flash settings have been supplied. Replacing a diagram with an illustration does not establish testing evidence.
Sources, evidence & screen previews
These tools propose experiments. Screen colors are appearance targets, not recovered spectra, gel identities or guaranteed camera results. Numeric measurement inputs are supplied by you; publication and studio testing are separate checks.
- Rosco · Guide to Colour Filters ↗
Selective transmission, source spectra and materials. This is technical background, not proof that our starting setups were photographed.
- Rosco · Choreograph Your White Balance ↗
A photographer’s documented example of camera white balance interacting with filtered light; not a universal Kelvin prescription.
- Rosco · White Walls Don’t Have to Be White ↗
Examples of isolating colored contributions and testing the combined result.
- Learn Studio Lighting · Rim light placement, power & gels ↗
Placement, lens flags, metering methods and a downloadable f/8 reference card.
Keep the plan moving.
Light & Tone Mapper ↗Compare rendered appearance targets, not recovered meter readings.Reference Photo Planner ↗Study visible light, color and retouch clues in your reference.Portrait Recipe Builder ↗Choose the shadow pattern independently of your color placement.Lighting Variations Planner ↗Build a sequence of looks around the lights you have.Flash Power Calculator ↗Use a measured reference from your exact gel and modifier.Modifier Calibration ↗Measure filtration loss separately from creative brightness.Light Spill Mapper ↗Measure contributions at the face, body and background.My Gear & Shoot ↗Review your saved kit and camera targets.Saved Setups ↗Keep, print and back up your local lighting plans.On-set Field Card ↗Carry the plan and record the real test frames.
Make color a deliberate choice.
Learn gel types, white balance, natural skin, spill control and repeatable exposure checks.
Read the flash gels & color guide →