All 30 prompts in this guide work across Atlabs models including Veo 3.1, Kling 2.1 Master, Nano Banana Pro, Flux Kontext, and Seedance. Start at atlabs.ai, pick your model, paste, generate.

PROMPT 1

Medium portrait, head and shoulders. A woman in her 40s with strong bone structure, minimal makeup, dark blazer. Single large softbox positioned at 45 degrees to the left of the subject and slightly above eye level. Rembrandt lighting pattern: a small triangle of light visible on the right cheek within the shadow area. No fill light. Dark, seamless grey background. Contrast ratio approximately 4:1. The shadow falls naturally across the right side of the face without going fully black. Shallow depth of field at f/2.8. Color temperature 5500K. Shot on medium format, commercial portrait photography aesthetic.

PROMPT 2

Close-up beauty shot, tight on face. A model with defined cheekbones, flawless skin, bold red lip. Single large softbox placed directly in front and above the subject, pointed slightly downward toward the face. Butterfly lighting: shadow visible directly under the nose and upper lip in a symmetrical butterfly shape. No side shadows. A small white reflector disk below the chin bouncing light upward to soften under-eye shadows. Seamless white background. Very low contrast ratio 2:1. High key. Color temperature 6000K. Retouched beauty photography aesthetic, fashion magazine cover quality.

PROMPT 3

Close-up portrait, tight crop. A man in his 30s with angular features, slight stubble, looking slightly off-camera. Single bare Fresnel spotlight placed exactly 90 degrees to the subject's left at eye level. Split lighting: the left half of the face fully illuminated, the right half in complete shadow with no fill. Black background. Contrast ratio 10:1. Hard-edged shadows. Slight catchlight visible in the left eye only. Monochromatic desaturated grade, deep blacks. Cinematic psychological thriller aesthetic.

PROMPT 4

Eye-level medium shot, head and shoulders. A man in his late 30s in a light grey suit, approachable expression, slight smile. Large softbox positioned at 30 to 45 degrees to the left of subject and slightly above eye level. Loop lighting: a small loop-shaped shadow drops from the base of the nose at an angle toward the mouth corner. A white reflector panel on the right side at 2:1 fill ratio. Clean grey seamless background. Corporate headshot aesthetic. Color temperature 5500K. Neutral color grade, slightly lifted blacks.

PROMPT 5

Medium portrait, head and shoulders. A woman in her late 20s with natural styling, relaxed posture, warm smile. Large octabox positioned at 45 degrees to the right, slightly above eye level. Broad lighting: the lit side of the face is facing the camera. A secondary fill light from the left at 3:1 ratio. Warm color temperature 3800K. Soft linen backdrop, cream tones. Natural, lifestyle photography aesthetic. Slight warmth and softness in the grade, lifted shadows.

PROMPT 6

Close-up portrait. A woman with sculptural cheekbones, dark hair swept back. The subject is turned slightly three-quarter to the left. Single large softbox at 45 degrees from camera right and slightly above eye level. Short lighting: the lit side of the face is the side facing away from camera. No fill on the shadow side facing camera. Deep brown seamless background. Contrast ratio 6:1. Fine art editorial aesthetic. Slight film grain visible, neutral cool grade.

PROMPT 7

Three-quarter medium shot. A male athlete in dark training gear, standing still, facing slightly off-camera. Two rim lights placed symmetrically behind the subject at 5 and 7 o'clock positions, 45 degrees up from horizontal. Hard light, no modifiers. The rim lights trace the outline of the shoulders, arms, and top of the head in bright separation. A very low fill light from directly in front. Black background. The subject appears to glow against total darkness. High contrast commercial sports photography aesthetic.

PROMPT 8

Medium close-up portrait. A woman in her 50s sitting at a wooden desk at dusk, looking toward camera with quiet confidence. The only light source is a single warm-toned vintage desk lamp to her right at eye level. Window light from camera left is blue-grey and fading. The desk lamp creates a warm pool of tungsten light (2800K) across the right side of her face, the window creates a cool separation on the left. No studio lighting. Available light photography aesthetic. Slight underexposure, documentary feel. Kodak Portra 400 film grain.

PROMPT 9

Straight-on medium shot, eye level. A premium stainless steel water bottle standing upright on a white seamless paper sweep, no visible horizon line between surface and background. Two large strip softboxes at 45 degrees left and right, positioned at the same height as the product and aimed across the front face. A top fill light adding even illumination with no shadows. Product photography: absolute white background (#FFFFFF), no shadows visible. Color temperature 5500K. Even, flat, commercial catalog aesthetic. Label text must be legible.

PROMPT 10

Three-quarter overhead view, slightly elevated angle. A ceramic coffee mug with a matte finish sitting on a white marble surface. Single large overhead octabox providing directional light from slightly behind the product. A natural, soft shadow visible beneath and slightly behind the mug. The shadow is soft-edged, approximately twice the diameter of the mug base. Fill from a white reflector directly in front. Clean marble surface texture visible. Premium lifestyle product photography. Color temperature 5600K.

PROMPT 11

Front-facing close-up. A luxury whisky decanter with ornate stopper on a black reflective surface. Single Fresnel spotlight from above and slightly to the right, highlighting the cut glass facets. Rim light from directly behind traces the stopper and neck in a bright white separation line. No fill. Black velvet background. The glass facets catch and refract the light in sharp sparkle points. Contrast ratio 12:1. Luxury spirits photography aesthetic. Deep blacks, minimal color grade.

PROMPT 12

Natural light, wide product shot. A skincare serum bottle placed on a pale wood shelf alongside a small succulent, a rolled face towel, and a white ceramic bowl. Morning window light from the left at a low angle, warm and raking across all surfaces. Shadows fall naturally to the right. Color temperature 4500K trending warm. Bohemian lifestyle photography aesthetic. The product is the hero element but the environment creates context. Slight warm grade, lifted highlights.

PROMPT 13

Extreme macro close-up. The surface of a hand-stitched leather wallet, shot from 3cm distance. Single raking light from the left at a very low angle, almost parallel to the surface. This raking light causes every stitch, every grain of leather, and every surface variation to cast a micro-shadow, revealing texture in three dimensions. Black background. f/11 for deep depth of field across the surface plane. Color temperature 3200K warm. Product craftsmanship aesthetic. No color grade, natural material tones.

PROMPT 14

Eye-level close-up. A glass of amber whisky with ice, a liquid pour caught mid-air creating a splash crown on impact. Single backlight from directly behind the glass creating a rim light that illuminates the liquid from within. A small key light from the upper left adding surface highlight. No fill, letting the shadow side drop to near-black. Black background. The liquid appears luminous and golden. High-speed photography aesthetic, frozen motion. Amber tones enhanced, deep shadows.

PROMPT 15

Extreme close-up macro. A diamond engagement ring resting on a grey velvet ring display stand. Three separate point source lights at positions 10, 2, and 12 o'clock, each a small halogen or LED spot at 60cm distance, no diffusion. Each facet of the diamond should catch at least one of the three sources and scatter the light in a starburst pattern. Background is dark grey, out of focus. The ring setting metal has rim light from behind. Commercial jewelry photography aesthetic, high detail, sparkle maximized.

PROMPT 16

Centered, square crop. A skincare product bottle floating slightly above a gradient background that transitions from soft peach at the bottom to pale lavender at the top. Single large overhead softbox providing clean, even illumination with no hard shadows. A small soft shadow directly below the product suggests it is hovering. High key. Color temperature 5600K. Social media advertising aesthetic. Clean, minimal, contemporary. No props, no context, product only.

PROMPT 17

Eye-level medium shot inside a bare concrete room. A man in a white shirt seated at a metal table, hands flat on the surface, eyes forward. A single bare incandescent bulb on a cord hanging directly overhead. The bulb is the only light source, creating a hard-edged cone of light that illuminates the top of the head and shoulders while the face falls into partial shadow from the overhead angle. Deep shadows in the corners. The far edge of the room dissolves into darkness. Contrast ratio 15:1. 35mm film grain, slightly underexposed. Crime drama aesthetic.

PROMPT 18

Wide medium shot. A young couple walking along a coastal path. The sun is 8 degrees above the horizon at the end of the frame, backlit, creating silhouette edges and long golden shadows extending toward camera. The warm light (2200K) catches dust and pollen in the air. Lens flare from the sun source visible as a soft anamorphic streak. Fill light from a golden reflector card held off-camera at 45 degrees bouncing warmth into their faces. Romantic drama aesthetic. Golden grade with slightly boosted orange in the highlights.

PROMPT 19

Medium shot. A woman in a dark trench coat standing at a street corner in a night-rain Tokyo alley. Neon signs in red, magenta, and blue behind her reflect in the wet pavement. The neon light from the right illuminates half her face in pink-red tones. A white LED street lamp above creates a harsh top light. A blue-tinted car headlight in the far background adds a third accent color. The rain is caught in the neon light as streaks of color. Deep shadows between light sources. Neo-noir aesthetic. Teal and orange grade with neon color preserved.

PROMPT 20

Close-up to medium shot. A woman's face lit only by a group of three candles at table level, directly in front and slightly below eye level. The candle light is warm (1900K), flickering slightly, casting moving shadows across the face. The lower part of the face is more strongly lit than the forehead, which fades toward darkness. The eyes catch small flame reflections as catchlights. Deep shadows at the temples and sides of the face. Background is pure darkness. Period drama aesthetic. Warm grade, slight desaturation except in the flame tones. No grain. Still frame.

PROMPT 21

Wide shot. An empty government office. Rows of workstations, beige walls, drop ceiling with recessed fluorescent tubes. The fluorescent lighting is flat, even, overhead, slightly flickering at one fixture on the left. Color temperature 4000K with a green-yellow cast typical of cool fluorescent tubes. No shadows, everything fully illuminated, nowhere to hide. A single figure at a desk in the middle distance, small and surrounded by institutional sameness. Procedural drama aesthetic. Slight desaturation, cool grade, green cast preserved.

PROMPT 22

Wide shot, low angle. An ancient cathedral interior. Morning light entering through three tall windows on the right, cutting through incense smoke and dust as visible god rays or volumetric light beams. The beams fall at 45 degrees across the stone floor. The rest of the cathedral is in relative darkness, lit only by scattered ambient fill. A lone figure stands in the path of the central beam, silhouetted. Color temperature 5800K in the light beams, 2800K ambient warm shadows. Spiritual epic cinema aesthetic. Slightly overexposed highlights in the beams.

PROMPT 23

Close-up portrait study. A man's face, early 50s, carved features. Single bare tungsten light source from above at 30 degrees off-axis to the right. No fill, no reflector, no bounce. Chiaroscuro lighting: approximately 60 percent of the face in pure shadow, 40 percent in direct light. The shadow-to-light transition is abrupt and defined, not gradual. Black seamless background. The visible eye has a single sharp catchlight. Skin texture is visible in the lit area. Contrast ratio 20:1. Black and white tonal range only. Fine art photography aesthetic, printing ink reference.

PROMPT 24

Full-length fashion shot. A model in a structured architectural gown standing against a white seamless backdrop. Single large octabox at 2 meters to the upper left of subject, 50cm above head height, aimed down at 15 degrees. Full-power strobe exposure. The light is bright, clean, high contrast, with soft but defined shadows to the right. No fill. The white background is separately exposed to pure white via a background strobe. The shadow from the model falls cleanly on the floor with a soft edge. High fashion editorial aesthetic. Slight lift in shadows only, all other tones clean.

PROMPT 25

Medium close-up. A man in his late 20s facing a large monitor in a completely dark room. The only light source is the screen, emitting a cool blue-white light (6500K) that illuminates the front of his face while leaving everything behind him in total darkness. The screen light falls off rapidly to the sides, leaving the temples and ears unlit. Bright catchlights in both eyes, reflecting the shape of the monitor. The hands resting on a keyboard are partially visible in the lower frame. Ambient glow from RGB keyboard keys in a different color below the hands. Tech aesthetic, film noir influence.

PROMPT 26

Wide shot, low angle. A single standing figure at the crest of a hill against an overcast bright sky at sunrise. The sky is brightly lit from diffuse cloud cover, approximately 4 stops brighter than the foreground. The figure is in complete silhouette with no detail visible, only their shape against the sky. The grass around their feet catches some backlit rim. No fill. The silhouette is clean and defined. Epic landscape photography aesthetic. Sky tones preserved, foreground allowed to fall to black. Wide aspect ratio.

PROMPT 27

Straight front view, eye level. A luxury perfume bottle with complex faceted glass design on a black gloss acrylic platform. Two large softboxes with grid modifiers at 45 degrees left and right, aimed across the front face of the bottle. The grid modifiers prevent light spill from reaching the background. The acrylic platform creates a perfect mirror reflection of the bottle base. Background is deep charcoal grey. A small top light from a gridded spot above adds a highlight to the stopper. Commercial fragrance photography aesthetic. No lens flare. High detail in glass facets.

PROMPT 28

Wide shot, very low angle, slightly elevated from road level. A sports car in motion on a highway at night. Long exposure effect: the car appears sharp and solid due to a studio fill flash freezing the subject, while the headlights and tail lights of background traffic create long streaking lines of white and red across the frame. The road surface has multiple overlapping light trails. The sky is dark blue. Color temperature of light trails ranges from 2700K warm orange to 5000K white. Automotive night photography, long exposure aesthetic.

PROMPT 29

Extreme close-up macro. A human hand holding a single peony bloom backlit from directly behind by a diffused white light source. The petals of the flower are translucent, showing the internal structure: veins, lighter areas, color gradation from deep pink at the center to pale at the edges. Subsurface scattering: the light penetrates the petal material and scatters inside it, creating an internal luminosity visible from the front. The hand and stem are darker, not translucent. The background is pure white from the backlight. Botanical fine art photography aesthetic.

PROMPT 30

Medium shot, interior. A chef in a white uniform and apron at a kitchen prep counter, late afternoon. The primary light is a large 4x6 foot softbox positioned at camera left, mimicking the quality and direction of afternoon window light. The softbox is positioned so that the camera angle makes it look like it could be a real window off-frame. Color temperature 5000K. A small practical lamp on a shelf in the background adds depth and separates the scene into foreground and background planes. Slight reflective fill from white-painted kitchen walls on the shadow side. The lighting reads as entirely natural. Lifestyle cooking photography aesthetic, editorial food magazine quality.

Weak Prompt

Strong Prompt

A portrait of a woman with dramatic lighting on a dark background.

Medium portrait, head and shoulders. A woman in her early 40s, dark hair, minimal styling. Single large softbox from camera left at 45 degrees, 30cm above eye level. Rembrandt pattern: light triangle on shadow cheek. No fill. Dark seamless charcoal background. Contrast ratio 5:1. Shot on 85mm at f/2.2. Color temperature 5500K. Editorial portrait aesthetic.

Weak Prompt

Strong Prompt

A product photo of a watch on a dark background with good lighting.

Eye-level close-up. A stainless steel chronograph on a rotating black marble platform. Single Fresnel spot from upper right illuminating the dial face. A thin strip light from directly behind traces the case edge as a rim highlight. No fill. Black velvet background. Contrast ratio 12:1. Watch dial and hands fully legible. Slight anamorphic lens compression. Commercial watch photography aesthetic.

Weak Prompt

Strong Prompt

A cinematic scene of someone standing in a dark room with a single light.

Medium shot. A woman in her 30s standing still in the center of an empty concrete room. A single practical incandescent bulb on a cord hangs from the ceiling 30cm above and in front of her. The bulb creates a sharp-edged cone of warm light (2800K) illuminating her face and shoulders, fading rapidly to darkness at the edges. Contrast ratio 18:1. Deep shadow behind her. The cord casts a thin shadow up the wall. Psychological thriller aesthetic. 35mm film grain, slightly underexposed.

01

Name the color temperature precisely

2800K for tungsten, 3200K for warm studio, 4000K for fluorescent, 5500K for daylight balanced, 6500K for overcast sky. Do not write 'warm light' or 'cool light.' Write the Kelvin number. The model responds to this specificity.

02

State the contrast ratio

The ratio between the lit side and the shadow side of the subject. 2:1 is flat and even. 4:1 is natural and professional. 8:1 is dramatic. 12:1 and above is extreme. Adding this single number changes the entire emotional register of the output.

03

Describe the shadow quality, not just the shadow

A hard-edged shadow reads as a bare flash or hard spot. A soft shadow with gradual fall-off reads as a large diffused source. Specify which you want. 'Hard shadow with a defined edge' versus 'soft shadow with a gradual 2cm transition zone' produce very different results.

04

Position the light like a clock face

Instead of 'light from the left,' say 'light from the 9 o'clock position' or 'from 45 degrees above at 10 o'clock.' This is the positioning system that cinematographers and photographers actually use and that the model responds to most precisely.

05

Use Atlabs multi-model workflow

Generate your reference still image with Nano Banana Pro or Flux Kontext using the image version of your lighting prompt. Then take that image into Veo 3.1 or Kling 2.1 Master as a reference frame for your video. You carry the lighting setup from still to motion.

06

Specify what the background does

The background is not passive. It receives or blocks light, creates separation, and affects the depth of the whole image. 'Dark grey seamless, 2 stops underexposed relative to subject' tells the model something very specific about how the background should behave.

01

Go to atlabs.ai and open your project

Log in or create a free account. Open a new project or navigate to the generation workspace.

02

Select your model

For images: Nano Banana Pro (photorealistic, consistent characters) or Flux Kontext (maximum prompt adherence, fast iteration). For video: Veo 3.1 (cinematic with native audio), Kling 2.1 Master (motion consistency), or Seedance (stylized motion).

03

Paste the prompt

Take any of the 30 setups from this guide. Modify the subject description to match your project while keeping the lighting parameters intact. That is where all the value is.

04

Iterate one variable at a time

If the output is close but not right, change one element of the lighting description. Move the position by one clock position. Change the contrast ratio by 2 stops. Adjust the color temperature by 500K. Isolating variables is how you converge on the exact result you want.

05

Transfer to video

Once you have the right still image, use Atlabs Ingredients to Video to feed it into Veo 3.1 or Kling 2.1 as a first-frame reference. Your lighting setup carries through from still to motion.

06

Use Atlabs' full production stack

AI Script Writer for your concept, Nano Banana Pro for character consistency, Veo 3.1 for hero video, Sync 2.0 for lip sync, AI Voiceovers for narration, all in the same platform without switching tools.

Access All 30 Setups. Try Every Model. Start Free on Atlabs.

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Setup Name

Primary Use Case

Contrast Ratio

1

Rembrandt Lighting

Editorial Portrait

4:1

2

Butterfly Lighting

Fashion and Beauty

2:1

3

Split Lighting

Drama and Music Photography

10:1

4

Loop Lighting

Corporate Headshot

3:1

5

Broad Lighting

Lifestyle Portrait

3:1

6

Short Lighting

Fine Art Editorial

6:1

7

Rim Lighting

Hero and Athlete Shots

High

8

Practical Only

Documentary Portraiture

Variable

9

White Sweep

E-commerce Catalog

Flat

10

Floating Shadow

Editorial Product

3:1

11

Dark Drama

Luxury Product

12:1

12

In-Situ Lifestyle

Contextual Product

Natural

13

Material Study Macro

Craftsmanship Detail

4:1

14

Pour and Splash

Beverage Photography

8:1

15

Jewel Light

Jewelry and Gems

High sparkle

16

Gradient Background

Social Media Advertising

Low

17

Interrogation Room

Crime Drama

15:1

18

Magic Hour

Romance and Nostalgia

Natural warm

19

Neon City

Urban Night, Neo-Noir

High multi-color

20

Candlelight

Period Drama, Intimacy

12:1

21

Cold Procedural

Thriller, Dystopian

Flat

22

God Rays

Epic, Spiritual

High volumetric

23

Chiaroscuro

Fine Art Portrait

20:1

24

Fashion Strobe

High Fashion Editorial

5:1

25

Screen Glow

Tech and Gaming

15:1

26

Environmental Silhouette

Epic Conceptual

Pure silhouette

27

Softbox Grid Product

Studio Precision

6:1

28

Motion Blur Trails

Automotive and Abstract

Motion-based

29

Subsurface Scatter

Botanical and Beauty

Translucent

30

Hybrid Practical

Commercial Lifestyle

4:1

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