What the Reference Lab is for

The Reference Lab is the second room in the Studio, next to the Lighting Simulator. You give it a portrait you like and it reads the light on the face: which side the main light came from, roughly how high it was, how deep the shadows are, and whether the picture suggests light behind the head.

It then builds a suggested starting setup on its own head so you can hold the two side by side, and hands that setup to the Lighting Simulator so you can carry on from there with your portrait next to the head.

What it is not

The read-out is a reading of one photograph, not a measurement of the studio it was taken in. It tells you where the light came from and roughly how strong it was. It cannot tell you which lamp was used, how far away it stood or what power it was set to. Use it to understand a look and rebuild it your own way.