Question
Can AI change the lighting in a photo?
Yes. You can ask for warmer or cooler light, a different time of day, a hard beam of sunlight or softer shadows, and an image model will relight the scene. The result is believable new lighting, not a physically exact simulation of real lamps.
Name the light source and direction. "Soft window light from the left" works better than "better lighting". Google's best practices use "make the lighting warmer" as an example of a follow-up refinement.
Relighting can change colors and shadows across the whole image, so check skin tones and product colors after the edit.
A photo of the light you want can guide the result; see Can a reference image guide the lighting?.
In ImageQuarry a request like "Add a sharp beam of sunlight from above" produces a new version, and the version before it stays available.
Source: Google's Gemini image generation best practices, checked October 20, 2026.
Last reviewed October 20, 2026 by ImageQuarry
Create an image. Edit it with words. Keep refining.
Relight the scene
Name the light you want and compare the new version with the one before.
Start creatingAlready have an account? Sign in