Light fall of depends on these criteria such as brightness, distance and direction.
Hard light comes directly from 1 light source, for example the sun comes directly to a ball. The shadow will appear kind of like the same shape as the ball or the objects that it comes into generally.
Soft light comes from a bunch of light sources for example in a cloudy day the clouds absorb the sunlight, reflect it into different directions. These directions turn from hard shadow being repeated in different angles, making the shadow softer than before.
Ambient Occlusion can be appeared everywhere. It is the overlapping space between things, makes shadow.
Reflective lighting lessens down the brightness and contrast when hitting more surfaces than before. For example, sun goes down 45 degrees, reflecting the same degree to others.
In a picture these kinds of lights always be combined to make more realistic and more depth. For example, above sky need 1 hard light and some soft lights from different directions. Next, mostly from the hard light make the reflection kind of like a zigzag with lessen down contrast and brightness. Also remember to make the reflection for the soft light but this one will be less contrast and brightness compared to hard light. Experimenting with reflective direction for the vibe, mood, focal point. (?)
Taking care about the topology of the object, makes the light more 3D (this one I watched a 2D tutorial, but I think in 3D space this can be fixed with settings, I guess…?).
Local value of the object, this one also from that tutorial, making the focal point more standing out, rendering details more it and lessen the others.
Checking also the shiny and matte surface, this one I think is about Substance Painter in 3D Space.
Light and Shadow:
Normally go along with values, always look at the medium contrast for the average light, half tone and average shadow. But sometimes, you can develop the more contrast with more greyscale color to describe generally.
Highlight will be the brightest, next is the halftones (depend on what kind of materials, shiny or matte), next is the terminator (the middle edge of light and shadow), next is the core shadow (applied through the terminator but some may be deleted by the reflected light), reflected light from the under surface, ambient occlusion will be the darkest and soft shadows spreading out from that, catching the shape of the objects being lighted.
Shadows can also be the main, for leading lines, framing, negative spaces, shapes and scales.
Values:
In 2D Values are affected by the light and shadow, in some case these is still the same color but in different light and shadow, making different visual results.
Dynamic Light:
Light color.
Light contrast.
Light Direction.
Rim Light usually being place under the shadow to highlight object’s edge that you want to describe intentionally, using dark background, effectively with high contrast. It can be using such as 2 or more than 3 rim lights with different colors
Rim Light can be combined with Silhouettes, not as usual that adding some reflective for the front, now adding nothing and the shadow of the objects become bigger with rim light like a ‘giant boss’. This one aka Backlit.
Lens Flare for the over saturated feeling, kind of like dreamy stuff vibe from my perspective. Adding some smoke with fog if you want.
Bounce Light.
Subsurface Scattering for the absorbed light from skin, wax, leaves, etc.
Fog for the mysterious vibe, I guess. (?)
There can be many layers that you can add to your environment to make the storytelling more appealing and more senses.
Cinematic Light:
Low key for dramatic, art vibe. Using black background, high contrast lighting, only one light source may be more based on your demand. Placing can be variety I guess for the vibe you want.
High key for airy, fresh vibe. Using white background, low to medium contrast lighting. Also, this needs a black fill or something nearly in front of the camera (foreground), avoid being lighted by light source and break the capture image generally. This one most use ambient light, can use some reflective fill for rim light.
Rembrandt Light for highlighting texture, details based on the facial geometry from nose shadow connect to the cheek to create a white triangle in the shadow side for the mysterious vibe. It needs to be in dark background for not over contrasting while in white background. I think beside facial properties, this can be applied in environment for highlight the focal point more intentionally. Placing in a 45–60 degree from the objects.
Butterfly Light for the 2nd Rembrandt Light but making the object flatter, placing right above the camera axis 0 degree, making the 2 side of faces have the white space, similar to a butterfly, work best with something have balanced structure generally.
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Loop Light for more versatile visuals than Rembrandt Light.
Key light aka the main light source but make over contrast balance in the shadow.
Fill light for fixing that problem, adding more light for the details which are in shadow for not too dark.
Reflector for the bounce and reflective light.
Catchlight make more dynamic and interesting for the visual.
Cove Light for the new-tech architecture, for house, the light is embedded inside the wall that the viewers only see lights coming out from the wall but cannot see the light source generally.
Split Light similar setting with butterfly but 90 degrees, the most dramatic visual with no catchlight and should be on dark background for the mysterious vibe, emphasizing texture and shape generally. Can use some more additional lights, it is optional.
Lighting ratio for the difference between the brightness, with this formula: Brightness (Key Fill)/ Darkness (Fill). For example, 11, 21 for medium to above medium low, 41 for medium and 81 for high contrast.
High Contrast Light can be understanded as not a technique but a result for these above techniques. Highlight the high contrast between the brightness and the darkness in a scene. For example, 1 light spot set up can use dark background and block to reduce bounce light and ambient to create the sharp edge difference between them, etc.
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As my understanding, modifier in 3D can be different that you can change light setting for the contrast, shadow that you want, even adding some reflector for bounce light and blocker for reducing bounce light.
Dynamic Range is the term for the difference between lightness and darkness.
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Reflector can be silver (most powerful bounce), gold (adding warmth) and white (soft).
Most common form of a reflector is 5 plates in 1.
Negative fill oppositely absorbs bounce lights, control them for the mood that you want.
Translucent for transmitting light.
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North South Facing Window is ideal.
Soft box for soft light and soft shadow, including reflector, diffuser and grid. Frid is a black bee's hole to make the light come directly 1 way, not goes to the others generally.
Color Complexity, instead of using 1 light source from 1 direction, combining different kind of color based on color theory for the vibe you want.
Checking out these videos for more. Thankyou!
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