Relight images in Photoshop for realistic composites

Make subjects blend into new backgrounds by adding lights and adjusting their position, intensity, softness, and color.

Published November 10, 2026

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00:01

Introduction

[Jesús Ramirez]: Your client loves their online store photo of their new jacket.

Now they want to use it on a nighttime lifestyle image on their launch campaign.

You replace the background, but something still looks off.

The model is lit for a studio, not the street.

Here's how to fix it in Photoshop with just a few clicks.

My name is Jesus Ramirez, and I create TV and movie posters professionally.

In this video, you'll learn how to use a Relight layer to change the lighting of an image.

This is the composite for my client's advertising campaign.

It contains several layers.

The original background layer, the model wearing the jacket for this campaign, and a few adjustment layers that turn her blue jeans into black.

00:39

Combine layers into a Smart Object.

The goal here is to relight the scene to make it look like she's really standing in the street.

Relight works on one layer at a time.

If you're working with a single layer, like a regular photo, you can choose Layer > New Relight Layer to start relighting it.

But in this case, several layers make up this composite.

So we need to combine them so that the Relight layer references all of them.

To do so, select the topmost layer, hold Shift and click on the Models layer to select all three layers.

Then right-click over the selected layers and choose Convert to Smart Object.

This places all layers into an editable container so you can work non-destructively.

01:16

Create a Relight layer and set the light’s intensity and position.

You can also create a Relight layer by going into the Layers panel flyout menu and choosing New Relight Layer.

Photoshop hides the selected source layer and creates a new Relight layer based on its content.

You can now adjust the light settings from either the contextual task bar or the properties panel.

I prefer the contextual task bar, so I'll drag it over to the side to make more room.

Then I'll click the white light icon to open the controls for light number one.

Now let's adjust the sliders and see how they affect the image.

First, drag the Original Lighting slider all the way to the left to 0%.

This ensures that the only light affecting the photo comes from the Relight layer completely overwriting the original lighting in the image.

Next, let's look at Intensity, which sets how bright the active light is.

At 0%, the light is off.

And with Original Lighting also at 0%, the layer goes dark.

But this may be difficult to work with, so set it to about 20%, just enough to start shaping her with light.

Setting up this view allows you to make better decisions by getting a better look of the lights you're adding.

Then when you're done, you can use the Original Lighting slider to bring back more details.

Next, let's reposition the light.

Simply drag the light icon over the canvas.

Notice how the Left/Right, and Low/High sliders adjust accordingly.

And of course, you can use the sliders themselves to reposition the light.

More importantly, watch how the highlights and shadows move with the light.

Photoshop is relighting the layer, not just painting a glow on top.

It's magical and it looks great.

02:47

Set the light’s distance, softness, and color to match your scene.

Next, let's look at the Close/Far slider, which controls the light step.

Drag towards Close to move the light in front of the subject towards the camera.

And move towards Far to move the light behind the subject, creating a backlight effect with a rim light.

In this case, I'll move it back to the front just a bit.

Now let's look at Diffusion, which controls the size of a light source.

Lower values cast harsher shadows, while higher values create softer shadows.

Set it to 60% to create a soft shadow.

Next, let's change the light's color from the color dropdown.

The default is 5500 Kelvin, a neutral light.

And you have different temperature presets.

But better yet, you can choose a custom color.

And from the color picker, choose red to match the neon sign behind her.

Then click OK.

Now the light is red and so is the corresponding light icon in the contextual task bar.

03:41

Add a second light to separate the subject from the background.

On a real photo shoot, a single light rarely does the whole job.

Photographers add more lights to shape the subject and separate it from the background.

And Relight lets you do the same with up to three lights.

To add a second light, click Add Light in the contextual task bar or properties panel.

The new light icon appears over the image.

Click the second light icon in the contextual task bar to open its settings.

These controls affect the second light independently of the first.

The Original Lighting slider is the exception.

Changing it here affects every light in this Relight layer.

Now we'll use the second light to create a rim light to add separation between the background and the model.

You can use the sliders to place the light to the left and high above her.

Then push the light back as far as possible.

So drag the Close/Far slider all the way to the right.

Set the Intensity to about 60%.

And let's make the rim light sharper by dragging the Diffusion slider all the way to the left.

This creates the rim light and the separation we need.

The layer is currently too dark.

To match the background's brightness, drag the Original Lighting slider to about 80% to reintroduce some of the original brightness in the image.

Anything higher can bring back the studio lighting that doesn't work for this composite.

And this result looks fantastic!

You can now click Done in the contextual task bar to generate the final version at your current document size.

05:03

Restore sharpness and fine detail in the finished image.

Here's a pro tip.

The generated image may look smoother than the original, but you can use the original layer to bring back detail.

Let me show you how.

First, enable and select the original Smart Object.

Then duplicate it by pressing CTRL+ J on Windows, that's CMD+J on the Mac.

And drag the duplicate to the top of the layer stack.

Now go to Filter > Other, and choose High Pass.

High Pass only keeps the edges and texture of a layer.

It's the opposite of Gaussian Blur, which removes detail.

Set the radius to a value that only reveals the detail around the edges, about 0.5 pixels in this case.

Then press OK.

Now, change the Blending Mode from Normal to Overlay.

And the sharpness of the original Smart Object will appear over the Relight layer, making it into a more realistic result.

Now that you know how to relight a composite in Photoshop, try it with your next project.

Again, my name is Jesús Ramirez.

Thank you for watching.

Note: Sample files provided are for practice purposes only. See terms.

What you’ll learn

Combine layers into a Smart Object

A Relight layer works on one layer at a time, so a composite element made up of more than one layer, such as the model and the adjustment layers, must be combined. Select those layers and convert them to a Smart Object, so the Relight layer can reference all of them. The Smart Object keeps its contents editable, so you can work nondestructively.

Create a Relight layer and set the light’s intensity and position

From the Layer menu or the Layers panel menu, choose New Relight Layer, and a single white light is added to the image. Drag Original Lighting to 0% so only your new light affects the photo, then set Intensity to about 20% to see the light clearly. Drag the light on the canvas or use the Left/Right position slider to change how the light affects the subject.

Set the light’s distance, softness, and color to match your scene

Matching the light to the background scene is what makes a subject look like it belongs there. Use Close/Far to move the light in front of or behind your subject and set Diffusion higher for softer shadows or lower for sharper ones. Choose a color temperature preset or a custom color, such as red to match a neon sign.

Add a second light to separate the subject from the background

In a Relight layer you can add up to three lights, each with its own settings. Add a second light high and to the left, push it to the back with Close/Far, set Intensity near 60%, and drag Diffusion to the left for a sharp rim light. Then raise Original Lighting to about 80% to match the background’s brightness.

Restore sharpness and fine detail in the finished image

After applying a Relight layer, the image may look smoother than the original. Duplicate the original Smart Object layer, move it to the top of the stack, and choose Filter > Other > High Pass and use a setting of about 0.5 pixels. Set the blending mode for that layer to Overlay to bring back some sharpness and detail from the original image.

Instruction and AI-generated composite image by: Jesús Ramirez

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