Light the shoot before you get to the studio.
A 3D studio lighting simulator with real physics. It runs in the browser — nothing to install.
Start free. The full simulator, no card required.
A run-through: placing lights, metering the exposure, and shooting the final renderA 40-second run: place, meter, shoot.
Three steps, from sketch to photograph.
Place and shape lights
Drag strobes around the set and mount softboxes, grids, and gels. Everything moves in 3D, in real time.
Dragging strobes and mounting modifiers on the 3D setMeter the real exposure
A virtual light meter reads the f-stop at the subject. Inverse-square falloff and real watt-seconds, just like the studio.
The virtual light meter reading the f-stop at the subjectShoot the final render
A real camera: 24–200mm, aperture and ISO, depth of field. The final render is path-traced.
The real camera shooting the final render with depth of fieldA whole studio, computed with physics.
Physical photometry
Watt-seconds, inverse-square law, color temperature. The numbers match the gear on your shelf.
Focal length, aperture, and ISO. Click to focus and watch the depth of field shift.Real camera with DoF
The top-down lighting diagram updating liveLive lighting diagram
Real modifiers
Softbox, beauty dish, umbrella, grid, and gel. Each one changes the source size and the character of the shadow.
10 classic presets
Rembrandt, clamshell, rim, and more. One click sets the scheme; you take it from there.
The path-traced final render with soft shadows and bounce lightPath-traced final render
Try it right here.
Drag the light. The f-stop recalculates on its own.
Against set.a.light 3D.
We'll be honest: set.a.light is mature and powerful. Here's what you gain by moving the studio into the browser.
| softboxsh | set.a.light 3D | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Any browser | A ~2 GB Windows/Mac install |
| Cost to start | Free tier, forever | $84–169 license + limited trial |
| Getting started | Running in seconds | Download, install, and license |
| Number of lights | No artificial caps | 5-strobe cap on Basic |
| Sharing a setup | One link, done | Files inside a desktop app |
Clear pricing. The beta is free.
The beta is freeFree
- Full simulator: presets, lights, and modifiers
- Unlimited local scenes
- 3 cloud scenes
- 1080p export
Pro
- Unlimited cloud scenes
- 4K export
- Diagram as PDF and PNG
- Priority preset packs
The beta is closed. The list is the way in.
We invite in small batches. We'll email you when your turn comes up.