Light Elevation Map
Treat luminance as a height field and relight it with a movable virtual light.
Add Light Elevation Map
Open an image or build the source composition first. Put this effect after the content it should process in stack processing order. Choose Optics → Light → Light Elevation Map in the effects picker, or search for Light Elevation Map with Cmd/Ctrl + F. Select the new layer in Layers to open its Effect Panel.
Build the relief
Increase Height to derive a shaded surface from source brightness. Keep the height low initially so you can see how the source structure responds.
Move the light
Use Azimuth and Elevation to place the light. Adjust Intensity, Ambient and Colour Blend until the original image and surface shading balance.
Compare and finish
Toggle the layer eye to compare with the incoming composition. Use the Effect Panel footer for opacity and blend mode, or add a mask to limit the affected area. In Video or Live, use the function menu on a supported control to add keyframes or a driver.
Control reference
Show individual controls
| Control | What it does | Values and animation |
|---|---|---|
| Ambient | Adds a constant light level to the generated height-map relief. | 0% to 100% Default: 25% Continuous keyframes |
| Azimuth | Direction of the simulated light across the height-map relief. | 0° to 360° Default: 135° Continuous keyframes |
| Colour Blend | Blends between the original source colours and Light Colour before applying relief shading. | 0% to 100% Default: 0% Continuous keyframes |
| Elevation | Height of the simulated light above the relief surface. | 0° to 90° Default: 30° Continuous keyframes |
| Height | Scales the relief height derived from the source image. | 0 to 20 Default: 3 Continuous keyframes |
| Intensity | Multiplier on the directional light illuminating the source-luminance relief. | 0 to 4 Default: 1.2 Continuous keyframes |