Table of Contents
Introduction
Lighting has always been a storytelling tool. In theatre, the way a scene is lit doesn't just serve visibility — it drives narrative, evokes emotion, and guides the audience's attention. Scenic designers know how crucial light is in creating worlds, shaping mood, and framing movement on stage.
The world of AI image generation has evolved dramatically over the past few years. Midjourney, launched in 2022, revolutionized how we think about AI art by introducing a sophisticated prompt-based system that could interpret complex lighting instructions. Despite newer models emerging, Midjourney remains relevant today because it pioneered the language of lighting in AI prompts — establishing terms like "cinematic lighting," "golden hour," and "volumetric light" that have become standard vocabulary across platforms.
Sora, released by OpenAI in early 2024, builds upon this foundation while making the process more intuitive. Where Midjourney requires specific technical terminology and syntax for best results, Sora embraces natural language prompting, allowing designers to describe lighting scenarios in conversational terms. This accessibility makes it particularly valuable for theatre professionals who may not be versed in AI prompt engineering.
One particularly helpful approach I've discovered is using ChatGPT or other large language models (LLMs) as an intermediary when working with these art generators. The LLM can help translate your creative vision into the precise language that Midjourney or Sora responds to best. For example, telling ChatGPT "I want an artist's studio at sunset with dramatic shadows" might yield a refined prompt like "An artist's studio with scattered supplies, bathed in golden hour light with long, angular shadows stretching across wooden floorboards, cinematic composition, ultra-detailed."
Now, with AI art tools like Sora and Midjourney, I have new ways to experiment with lighting digitally. These tools offer scenic designers fast, visual ways to explore tone, color, and visibility long before stepping into a theater. But what does that actually mean in practice?
In this article, I'll explore 20 lighting styles used in AI image generation. Each style is paired with example prompts for both Sora and Midjourney, showing how a single scene can transform entirely based on how it's lit. While I'm showcasing the visual results from Sora exclusively, I've included the corresponding Midjourney prompt terminology to help those who might prefer that platform understand the different tagging approaches needed to achieve similar lighting effects.
The Scene: An Artist's Studio
To isolate the impact of lighting, I created a consistent base prompt:
"An artist's studio with a tall window, scattered paintbrushes, a large canvas on an easel, wooden floors, and shelves filled with art supplies. The space is lived-in and atmospheric, with cinematic framing and ultra-realistic detail."
I then applied 20 different lighting styles to this exact scene — nothing else changed. What emerged was a study of how powerful and nuanced lighting can be.
Cinematic & Realistic Lighting Styles
These lighting styles aim to replicate natural, believable light or evoke the refined, motivated setups seen in film. From the soft glow of daylight to the bold contrasts of low-key lighting, these techniques prioritize realism, storytelling, and emotional nuance. They're ideal for use in AI-generated scenes that want to feel grounded, cinematic, or timeless.
1. Cinematic Lighting
Description: Polished, motivated lighting setups that create drama, depth, and mood, often mimicking film stills.
Sora Prompt Tag: "moody cinematic lighting with practicals and volumetric shadows"
MidJourney Tags: cinematic lighting, film still, volumetric, anamorphic
2. Natural Lighting
Description: Soft, ambient light that mimics daylight. Balanced and realistic.
Sora Prompt Tag: "soft natural daylight from a nearby window"
MidJourney Tags: natural lighting, daylight, sunlit, soft shadows
3. Golden Hour Lighting
Description: Warm, low-angle light occurring shortly after sunrise or before sunset. Enhances skin tones and colors.
Sora Prompt Tag: "warm golden hour light casting long soft shadows"
MidJourney Tags: golden hour, sunset, warm glow, long shadows
4. Moonlight / Night Exterior
Description: Cool, dim light from the moon or ambient night environment. Often serene or mysterious.
Sora Prompt Tag: "cool moonlight casting pale shadows through trees"
MidJourney Tags: moonlight, night lighting, cool ambient, blue tones
5. Backlighting
Description: Light source positioned behind the subject, creating silhouettes or rim lighting.
Sora Prompt Tag: "backlighting with soft glow outlining the subject"
MidJourney Tags: backlit, silhouette, rim lighting
6. Soft Lighting
Description: Diffused, even light that minimizes harsh shadows. Often used in portraits.
Sora Prompt Tag: "soft diffused lighting with gentle transitions"
MidJourney Tags: soft lighting, diffused, low contrast, even lighting
7. Hard Lighting
Description: Intense, direct lighting that creates sharp edges and deep contrast.
Sora Prompt Tag: "direct hard light casting sharp shadows"
MidJourney Tags: hard lighting, high contrast, dramatic
8. High-Key Lighting
Description: Bright, low-contrast lighting that eliminates shadows. Used in comedies or product visuals.
Sora Prompt Tag: "bright high-key lighting with minimal shadows"
MidJourney Tags: high-key, bright, clean, even exposure
9. Low-Key Lighting
Description: Dark, shadow-heavy lighting emphasizing contrast and mood. Often used for drama.
Sora Prompt Tag: "low-key lighting with minimal fill and strong contrast"
MidJourney Tags: low-key, dramatic, chiaroscuro, moody
Stylized & Genre-Based Lighting Styles
These lighting styles draw heavily from genre cinema and pop culture aesthetics. Whether it's the dramatic shadows of film noir or the neon-soaked vibes of the 1980s, stylized lighting infuses a scene with instant mood and identity. These are perfect for evoking a specific tone, era, or fantasy world — especially useful in AI tools for storytelling or genre-specific concept design.
10. Film Noir
Description: Stark black-and-white lighting, harsh shadows, and dramatic angles. Think 1940s mystery films.
Sora Prompt Tag: "film noir lighting with Venetian blind shadows and side light"
MidJourney Tags: film noir, hard shadows, low-key, black and white
11. Retro / 1980s Lighting
Description: Bold color gels, neon accents, and VHS glow. Often teal/magenta.
Sora Prompt Tag: "1980s retro lighting with pink and blue neon glow"
MidJourney Tags: retro, neon, vhs aesthetic, 80s lighting
12. Sci-Fi / Futuristic Lighting
Description: Cool-toned, LED-style lights with strong contrast. Often features tech glows or panels.
Sora Prompt Tag: "sci-fi lighting with cyan strips and futuristic ambiance"
MidJourney Tags: sci-fi, cyberpunk, futuristic, cool lighting
13. Fantasy / Magical Lighting
Description: Enchanted glows, sparkles, and surreal hues. Often ethereal and colorful.
Sora Prompt Tag: "fantasy lighting with magical sparkles and glowing mist"
MidJourney Tags: fantasy lighting, glow, ethereal, magic
14. Horror Lighting
Description: Uneven, eerie lighting using green, red, or underlit sources. Unsettling and stylized.
Sora Prompt Tag: "horror lighting with red gel and underlit shadows"
MidJourney Tags: horror, giallo, creepy shadows, underlighting
15. Romantic Lighting
Description: Warm and soft lighting from candles, sunsets, or fireplaces. Cozy and emotional.
Sora Prompt Tag: "romantic lighting with candle glow and soft highlights"
MidJourney Tags: romantic, warm lighting, glow, bokeh
16. TV/Computer Screen Glow
Description: A dim room lit only by a glowing monitor or TV, creating a soft blue glow.
Sora Prompt Tag: "ambient blue light from a single computer screen"
MidJourney Tags: screen glow, blue ambient, tv-lit, no other light
Performance & Stylized Presentation
These lighting setups are rooted in theatrical traditions and heightened visual effects. Spotlighting, stage gels, and god rays mimic the experience of a live production or a hyper-stylized cinematic sequence. They're designed to isolate focus, dramatize a moment, or elevate an image beyond realism — excellent for visualizing stage compositions or fantasy-inspired AI art.
17. Stage / Theatrical Lighting
Description: Strong beams from above or front with dramatic color washes, spotlights, or gobos.
Sora Prompt Tag: "bold stage lighting with colored gel washes and single spotlight"
MidJourney Tags: stage lighting, gobo, spotlight, theatrical
18. Volumetric Light / God Rays
Description: Beams of light visible through fog or dust. Often used for atmosphere and awe.
Sora Prompt Tag: "volumetric light rays piercing through haze"
MidJourney Tags: god rays, volumetric, light beams, dusty light
19. Overexposed / High-Contrast Stylized
Description: Blown-out highlights, intense whites, and stylized contrast. Great for fashion or dream sequences.
Sora Prompt Tag: "overexposed lighting with deep black contrast and blown-out whites"
MidJourney Tags: overexposed, stylized lighting, fashion, washed out
20. Spotlight
Description: A single concentrated beam, isolating the subject from darkness. Often dramatic or intimate.
Sora Prompt Tag: "isolated spotlight from above in a dark space."
MidJourney Tags: spotlight, dramatic lighting, theatrical
Tips for Crafting an Effective Prompt
When working with AI tools like Sora or MidJourney, the quality of your output is only as strong as the clarity of your prompt. Here are a few tips I've developed for crafting prompts that deliver meaningful, theatrical results:
Start with space and function
Define what the scene is (e.g., "an artist's studio," "a stage set," or "a dressing room"). Be specific enough that the AI can visualize layout and objects.
Use vivid but focused descriptors
Choose key adjectives to define the mood and tone, such as "lived-in," "atmospheric," or "timeless." Avoid overloading the prompt with too many competing elements.
Add context about framing
Terms like "cinematic framing," "wide shot," or "overhead view" can help shape the composition.
Include the lighting style at the end
I've found that placing the lighting cue last helps the AI prioritize it — for example, "lit with warm golden hour light casting long soft shadows."
Think like a designer, not just a director
Consider what textures, colors, and staging elements reinforce the lighting — even in a text prompt, those scenic details matter.
Use an LLM as your prompt engineer
If you're struggling to get the right results, use ChatGPT or another LLM to help refine your prompts. Simply describe what you want to see, and the LLM can help translate your vision into the technical language that Midjourney and Sora understand best.
Sample Prompt Formula
[Setting description], [stylistic adjectives], [composition or camera angle], lit with [lighting style].Example
"An artist's studio with a tall window, scattered paintbrushes, a large canvas on an easel, wooden floors, and shelves filled with art supplies. The space is lived-in and atmospheric, with cinematic framing and ultra-realistic detail, lit with soft diffused lighting with gentle transitions."Why It Matters for Theatre Designers
Lighting is one of the most effective tools theatre designers have to craft narrative visually. It shapes the rhythm of a production, builds atmosphere, and transitions me emotionally from moment to moment. Scenic design is inseparable from lighting — the textures, materials, and architecture of a set are all in conversation with how they are illuminated. As designers, I rely on this interplay to reveal space, emphasize scale, and reinforce meaning.
AI-generated images allow me to test those lighting choices early in the conceptual process. We can preview how a mood might shift between acts, or how a set might feel under warm candlelight versus harsh white overheads. It's not just about aesthetics — it's about narrative development. AI helps me visualize not just what a set looks like, but what it feels like.
Lighting isn't just aesthetic — it drives meaning. A cozy studio under soft daylight feels like a space of comfort and creativity. Lit from below with horror-style gels, the same studio becomes ominous. Add in neon lighting, and suddenly we're in a retro fever dream. These changes go beyond mood; they suggest character, genre, and narrative.
As AI-generated imagery becomes a tool in theatre design, previs, and storytelling, understanding lighting gives scenic and production designers more intentional control over tone, transitions, and the emotional pacing of a show. Whether I'm rendering scenic concepts or pitching a design, these lighting styles can help communicate your vision more effectively.
What's Next for Theatre Visualization
This experiment opens the door to more than just mood boards — imagine using lighting variation to communicate time of day, emotional arc, or even different play acts. We'll be sharing visual comparisons of each style on [Instagram / YouTube / Portfolio Site] to show how dramatically the mood can shift with nothing more than light.
Want to try it yourself? You can apply these styles to your own scenic rendering workflows — using AI to visualize how different lighting approaches might support your designs. Download the full list of Sora prompts or adapt them for MidJourney to begin experimenting.
FAQs About Lighting in AI Art Generation
Q: How do lighting prompts differ between Sora and Midjourney?
A: Sora tends to respond well to cinematic language and detailed descriptions of light quality, while Midjourney often works best with concise technical terms and artistic references. Sora can process longer, more narrative prompts about lighting effects, whereas Midjourney generally prefers specific style tags.
Q: Can AI-generated lighting replace traditional lighting design?
A: No, AI-generated lighting is a visualization tool rather than a replacement for professional lighting design. It helps in conceptualizing and communicating ideas but doesn't account for the technical limitations and opportunities of real-world lighting equipment.
Q: How important is lighting terminology in AI prompts?
A: Very important. Using specific lighting terminology (like "high-key," "volumetric," or "diffused") yields much more consistent results than vague descriptions. Learning the vocabulary of lighting design significantly improves AI outputs.
Q: Can I combine multiple lighting styles in one AI prompt?
A: Yes, but with limitations. Combining complementary styles (like "golden hour with volumetric light") often works well, but contradictory lighting (like "bright high-key" and "dark low-key") can confuse the AI and produce inconsistent results.
Q: How has the language of lighting evolved in AI art generation?
A: The terminology has become more sophisticated as AI models have advanced. Early models responded primarily to basic terms like "dark" or "bright," while newer models like Sora understand nuanced concepts like "practicals," "motivated lighting," and "rim light" that come from cinematography and stage lighting.
Q: What's the best way to structure a lighting prompt for consistent results?
A: Place the lighting description at the end of your prompt, after establishing the scene details. This helps the AI prioritize the lighting style over other elements in the scene, creating more consistent and intentional results.
Q: Can LLMs like ChatGPT help improve my lighting prompts?
A: Absolutely. LLMs can help translate your creative vision into technical prompt language, suggesting specific lighting terms that might enhance your concept. They can also help troubleshoot why certain prompts aren't yielding the results you want.
Meta Description: Explore how 20 different lighting styles transform AI-generated scenes in Sora and Midjourney, with practical prompts for theatre designers and visual storytellers.
Keywords: AI lighting techniques, Sora lighting prompts, Midjourney lighting styles, theatrical lighting AI, cinematic lighting AI art, lighting for scenic design, AI visualization for theatre, prompt engineering for lighting, LLM prompting for AI art
Comments