TL;DR

Master professional lighting vocabulary to create cinematic AI images and videos. Copy-paste these 27 prompt modifiers into Nano Banana Pro, Veo3, or any AI generator to instantly transform your visuals.

How to use: [Your Subject], [Prompt Modifier] --ar 16:9

Start Using Cinematic Prompts on Atlabs AI

Why Lighting Vocabulary Matters

Creating professional AI content isn't just about the subject, it's about the look.

Whether you're using Nano Banana Pro for images or Veo3.1 for video on Atlabs AI, the vocabulary you use for lighting and film stock defines the emotion of the shot.

Same subject, different lighting = completely different story.

Natural & Atmospheric Lighting

Best for: Realism, travel content, emotional storytelling

1. Golden Hour

Visual Guide: The "magic hour" shortly after sunrise or before sunset. Creates soft, warm, romantic glow.

Color Palette: Golds, oranges, soft yellows

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Golden Hour lighting, sun-drenched, warm orange haze, backlit silhouettes, long shadows, cinematic landscape

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Romantic portraits, travel photography, product launches

2. Blue Hour

Visual Guide: Twilight period just before sunrise or after sunset. Creates calm, cold, melancholic feeling.

Color Palette: Deep blues, cool cyans, soft purples

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Blue Hour, twilight, cold tones, deep blue sky, melancholic lighting, serene atmosphere

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Moody cityscapes, contemplative portraits, luxury brand aesthetics

3. High Key

Visual Guide: Bright, evenly lit scenes with very few shadows. Used for commercials, comedies, futuristic utopian scenes.

Color Palette: Whites, light pastels, airy grays

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High key lighting, bright and airy, low contrast, clean white tones, commercial aesthetic

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Product photography, beauty ads, tech commercials

4. Silhouette

Visual Guide: Subject completely black against bright background. Excellent for mystery or dramatic introductions.

Color Palette: Pitch black foreground vs. bright background (orange sunset or bright white)

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Silhouette style, backlit subject, high contrast, pitch black foreground, dramatic outline

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Dramatic reveals, hero shots, mysterious character introductions

5. Nordic Noir

Visual Guide: The look of Scandinavian crime dramas. Cold, bleak, overcast.

Color Palette: Desaturated blues, greys, mute greens

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Nordic noir aesthetic, desaturated blue and grey, overcast lighting, bleak atmosphere, muted tones

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Crime dramas, mystery content, Scandinavian aesthetics

Try Natural Lighting Styles on Atlabs AI

Classic Film Stocks & Vintage Styles

Best for: Nostalgia, period pieces, artistic credibility

6. Kodachrome

Visual Guide: Famous Kodak film stock known for vibrant colors and high contrast. Distinct 1950s-70s National Geographic look.

Color Palette: Rich reds, yellows, deep blues

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Kodachrome film, vintage photography, warm tones, archival footage, analog look

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Retro brand campaigns, vintage aesthetics, documentary style

7. Technicolor

Visual Guide: Hyper-saturated look of old Hollywood (The Wizard of Oz).

Color Palette: Hyper-saturated primaries (Bright Red, Green, Blue)

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Technicolor, 3-strip color, hyper-saturated, vintage cinema, vibrant colors

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Fantasy worlds, musicals, whimsical brand content

8. Sepia

Visual Guide: Monochromatic brownish tone associated with early photography and Western movies.

Color Palette: Browns, tans, creams

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Sepia color grading, monochromatic brown tint, Western movie aesthetic, warm atmosphere

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Historical content, vintage branding, Western themes

9. Film Noir

Visual Guide: 1940s detective style. High contrast black and white with dramatic shadows.

Color Palette: Black, white, gray

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Film Noir, black and white, chiaroscuro, high contrast monochrome, dramatic shadows

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Mystery content, detective aesthetics, dramatic portraits

10. CineStill 800T

Visual Guide: Modern favorite for night photography. Famous for "red halation" (glow) around bright lights.

Color Palette: Tungsten (cool) balanced with red glowing highlights

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CineStill 800T, red halation, tungsten balance, cinematic night, 35mm film

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Night cityscapes, neon aesthetics, moody urban photography

11. Bleach Bypass

Visual Guide: Chemical process that retains silver in film. High contrast and low saturation (Saving Private Ryan).

Color Palette: Metallic grays, washed-out colors, deep blacks

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Bleach Bypass, silver retention, desaturated, high contrast, gritty texture

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: War scenes, gritty realism, harsh environments

Explore Vintage Film Looks on Atlabs AI

Stylized & Aesthetic Genres

Best for: Music videos, sci-fi, fantasy

12. Teal & Orange

Visual Guide: Blockbuster movie standard. Skin tones pushed to orange, shadows pushed to teal for maximum color contrast.

Color Palette: Cyan/Teal shadows, Orange/Amber highlights

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Teal and orange color grading, blockbuster aesthetic, complementary colors, cyan and orange

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Action movies, Hollywood trailers, premium commercials

13. Wes Anderson

Visual Guide: Flat lighting, perfect symmetry, pastel color palette. Whimsical and quirky.

Color Palette: Pastel pinks, mint greens, soft yellows

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Pastel color palette, Wes Anderson style, 35mm film look, flat lighting, symmetrical composition

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Quirky brand content, artistic photography, symmetrical designs

14. Solarpunk

Visual Guide: Optimistic future where nature and technology blend.

Color Palette: Bright whites, lush greens, soft gold sunlight

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Solarpunk aesthetic, eco-futurism, lush greenery, bright sunlight, white and green palette

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Sustainable brands, utopian futures, eco-friendly campaigns

15. Cyberpunk

Visual Guide: High-tech, low-life. Futuristic cities with heavy neon lighting.

Color Palette: Neon pink, magenta, cyan, deep black

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Cyberpunk, neon lighting, magenta and cyan, reflective surfaces, neon noir, wet texture

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Tech products, futuristic brands, gaming content

16. Steampunk

Visual Guide: Retro-futuristic Victorian era driven by steam technology.

Color Palette: Brass, copper, brown leather, steam gray

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Steampunk aesthetic, brass and copper, Victorian industrial, warm golden atmosphere, steam

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Fantasy content, vintage-tech fusion, alternative history

17. Matrix Green

Visual Guide: Distinct sickly green tint of The Matrix, suggesting simulated reality.

Color Palette: Monochromatic gradients of computer green

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Green tint, fluorescent green, Matrix aesthetic, dystopian color palette

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Tech thrillers, digital worlds, hacker aesthetics

Create Stylized Looks on Atlabs AI

Low Light & Dramatic Lighting

Best for: Horror, thrillers, intimate character moments

18. Candlelight

Visual Guide: Lit only by fire or candles. Creates cozy or eerie intimate vibe.

Color Palette: Warm oranges, deep blacks (Chiaroscuro)

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Candlelight, fire lighting, warm glow, deep shadows, intimate atmosphere, chiaroscuro

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Romantic scenes, horror content, medieval settings

19. Sodium Vapor

Visual Guide: Distinct orange glow of older street lamps. Gritty, urban industrial feel.

Color Palette: Sickly orange, yellow-brown, black shadows

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Sodium vapor lighting, orange streetlights, urban night, industrial atmosphere

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Urban photography, gritty realism, crime aesthetics

20. Bioluminescence

Visual Guide: Natural light emitted by living organisms (Avatar, deep-sea creatures).

Color Palette: Glowing blues, electric greens, dark surroundings

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Bioluminescence, glowing plants, deep blue night, magical atmosphere, organic neon

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Fantasy worlds, underwater scenes, magical realism

21. Ultraviolet / Blacklight

Visual Guide: Glowing fluorescent colors under UV light.

Color Palette: Deep purple background with glowing neon paints

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Ultraviolet light, blacklight, fluorescent glow, UV reactive, deep purple

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Club scenes, artistic portraits, psychedelic content

Experimental & FX Looks

Best for: Abstract visuals, surveillance footage, surreal content

22. Infrared (Aerochrome)

Visual Guide: Turns green vegetation into bright pink or red. Surreal and dreamlike.

Color Palette: Bubblegum pink, white, deep blue skies

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Infrared photography, Kodak Aerochrome, pink trees, surreal colors, false color

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Artistic landscapes, surreal content, unique brand aesthetics

23. Thermal Imaging

Visual Guide: Shows heat signatures. Used for "Predator" vision or military aesthetics.

Color Palette: Rainbow gradients (Red=Hot, Blue=Cold)

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Thermal imaging, heat map, infrared camera, predator vision

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Sci-fi content, surveillance themes, military aesthetics

24. Night Vision

Visual Guide: Grainy green look of military goggles or CCTV.

Color Palette: Monochromatic bright green and black

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CCTV footage, night vision, monochromatic green, security camera, grainy, surveillance feed

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Found footage, surveillance themes, horror content

25. Duotone

Visual Guide: Replaces all colors with just two contrasting colors. Pop-art style.

Color Palette: Customizable (e.g., Red/Blue or Yellow/Black)

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Duotone, double color exposure, Red and Blue palette, pop art

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Album covers, artistic posters, bold branding

26. Cross-Processed

Visual Guide: Developing film in wrong chemical solution intentionally. Colors shift unnaturally.

Color Palette: High contrast with shifted greens or yellows

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Cross-processed, color shift, unnatural colors, lomo style, chemical imbalance

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Experimental art, indie music videos, alternative aesthetics

27. Selective Color

Visual Guide: The "Sin City" look. Black and white image with one object in color (usually red).

Color Palette: Grayscale + one vibrant color

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Selective color, monochrome with red splash, Sin City style, color isolation

Use in Nano Banana Pro for: Dramatic emphasis, artistic portraits, bold statements

Experiment with FX Looks on Atlabs AI

FAQ

Does keyword order matter?

Yes. In Nano Banana Pro and most AI generators, words at the beginning carry more weight. If lighting is most important, place these modifiers early, right after your subject.

Example:

A woman walking through city, Cyberpunk, neon lighting, magenta and cyan --ar 16:9

Can I use these in Kling 01 video?

Yes. These lighting modifiers work in both Nano Banana Pro (images) and Kling 01 (video) on Atlabs AI. For video, add them to your motion prompts.

Which aspect ratio is best?

For truly cinematic feel, avoid squares. Use widescreen:

• --ar 16:9 (Standard Widescreen)

• --ar 2.35:1 (Anamorphic/CinemaScope)

• --ar 9:16 (Vertical for social media)

Ready to Create Cinematic Content?

Copy any of these 27 prompt modifiers and paste them into Nano Banana Pro or Kling 01 on Atlabs AI to instantly upgrade your visual storytelling.

Start with the lighting. The emotion follows.

Master Cinematic Lighting on Atlabs AI – Start Free

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