Lights are important in your projects, since much of your time at home is spent in the evening hours. HomeByMe has quite a collection of lights and light effects that can add the drama of shadows and reflections to your projects. This tutorial will show you how to turn your lights on at night for their full effect and several other stages of lighting that are quite useful.
If you’re in a hurry for just the answer to “How do I turn on my lights?”, here it is – in your Settings panel, move the time of day slider to the right until the lights go on. Notice that the light bulbs do not shine brightly. What you actually see is the light that is reflected from other surfaces. You’ll probably need to move your lights around a bit to get the effect you want.
Now for a few more tips and options for your lighting. When you start a new project there are default time and lighting settings that work really well for daytime images.
There are two optional lighting settings that you should be aware of. The Improved graphics when idle button is on by default. When you pause working for a few seconds – for a small project, or about 45 seconds (or more) for complex projects – you’ll be rewarded with great reflections and improved shadows. If you find that you prefer it off, just uncheck the box.
The other setting to try is the three-position slider that selects Best performance, Best Compromise or Best quality. By default it is set right in the middle, which works out well for most situations. The biggest differences in using Best Quality are the increased quality and clarity of the shadows and reflections. You can see this in particular in the day with the shadows on the table and the reflections underneath.
In night images, the two choices are almost identical. You can decide which setting is appropriate for your particular situation.
During summer the days are longer (as you move away from the equator). The afternoon sun is warmer in color and shadows start getting longer. Just move the Sunlight simulation sliders to change to the date and the time you want.
Now, let’s turn the lights on by sliding the Sunlight simulation slider to the right where the evening hours are. Make sure that Improved graphics is on, and be patient for a few seconds – for a smaller project , or up to about 45 seconds for this complicated project – you’ll be rewarded with rich colors and beautiful realistic reflections and shadows.
Evening lights can give your projects dramatic images to really reflect how nice it will be!
It’s your turn!