20.10.20268 min

Interior lighting in Corona and 3ds Max: from sunlight to post-production

Start your Corona interior lighting setup with daylight: choose the sun direction and shadow softness, then add the fixtures and balance them in LightMix. We will explore this sequence using two views of a prepared kitchen scene. This breakdown covers scene preparation, the files to keep for Photoshop and a way to add a person while preserving the architecture.

Prepare the scene and the view through the windows

The tutorial starts with a finished kitchen model and assigned materials; those were created in earlier parts of the series. The screen shows 3ds Max 2026 and Corona 14. To follow the lighting workflow, you need your own prepared scene. This article does not cover modeling the kitchen.

Fill the empty exterior with a ground plane, a material from Chaos Cosmos and UVW Map. Convert trees to Corona Proxy objects and distribute them around the building with Forest Pack. For this interior, the preparation serves a specific purpose: providing a background through the windows.

The amount of exterior detail depends on what the camera can see. An unnecessary view can be covered with a curtain when a detailed exterior does not contribute to the composition. Choose the camera before refining the background so you can identify the areas that need attention.

A textured ground plane and the UVW Map panel in 3ds Max — Preparing the view through the windows: a ground plane and UVW Map. 00:01:20

Build the daylight setup with Corona Sun and Corona Sky

When rebuilding the lighting setup, remove the previous light source and configure Corona Sun and Corona Sky. In the interactive render, first check the sun’s position: where direct light falls, how clearly the surfaces read and how much of the kitchen is in shadow.

Sun position and Size control different aspects of the image. Moving the source changes the shadow direction; increasing Size softens the edges. Choose both settings for the particular camera view. Judge them by the patch of light and the shadow boundary rather than copying a value from another scene.

Once you have chosen the direction, adjust exposure and white balance. Watch the bright areas near the windows: trying to brighten the entire kitchen can overexpose them. Establish a readable daylight setup first so you can then assess each fixture’s contribution.

Add ceiling lighting and check it in LightMix

For the ceiling strips, create rectangular Corona Light objects, turn their emitting side in the required direction and place them beside the gaps built into the model. Create repeated sources as linked copies, or instances. Spotlights are also present in the example scene and contribute to the overall lighting.

After adding the sources, run Setup LightMix again. Then switch light groups on and off in Corona VFB and change their intensity and color. This comparison shows whether a strip illuminates the ceiling and interior or simply creates an overly bright accent.

Check daylight and fixtures separately, then together. If changing a group has little visible effect, revisit the source’s position and orientation. There are no universal power values in this article: the tutorial balances the lights visually for this particular kitchen.

Kitchen render with illuminated ceiling strips and the LightMix panel open — The first kitchen view in Corona VFB: daylight, ceiling strips and the LightMix panel. 00:16:02

Reassess the light direction for the second camera

After the first image, choose another camera and reassess the lighting. In this example, the sun is moved to the opposite side for the new view to create more pronounced shadows, and the artificial lighting is rebalanced in LightMix.

This is a separate lighting arrangement for another image. If your image series should look as though it was captured at the same time, check that the sun direction remains consistent between views. The useful method here is to choose the camera, find a lighting accent and check that the important surfaces remain readable.

Save a CXR and prepare render elements for Photoshop

Before post-production, add CMasking_WireColor, ESSENTIAL_Reflect and ESSENTIAL_Refract in Render Elements. The color mask will help you select individual surfaces. Reflections and refractions are also included in this scene’s set, although the main local adjustments in the workflow use WireColor.

Save the working result with Save CXR. This file keeps render data, including LightMix and tone mapping settings, for further work in Corona Image Editor. For Photoshop, prepare a separate 16-bit TIFF and the required render elements.

Keep these purposes distinct: CXR supports further work with Corona data; TIFF is used to edit the image in Photoshop. Check the exported file’s appearance before handing it over. The tutorial should not be treated as a universal color management preset.

The kitchen’s CMasking_WireColor element in Corona VFB — CMasking_WireColor for the second view: surfaces are distinguished by color. This element is used for Photoshop masks. 00:19:00

Make global adjustments with Camera Raw

In Photoshop, convert the render layer to a Smart Object and apply Camera Raw Filter. The filter remains editable. Start with white balance, then adjust Highlights and Exposure while checking detail in bright areas.

Next, adjust contrast, Clarity and Texture, and use HSL to modify yellow tones. In a kitchen with large wooden surfaces, this has a visible effect on the overall color balance: changing the yellows affects several major surfaces at once.

Post-production also reveals scene problems. In this example, excessive floor bump required returning to the material and reducing the effect. If a problem comes from the material itself, correcting it in the scene preserves control over the next render.

Wooden kitchen fronts and HSL settings in Camera Raw — Adjusting yellow tones in Camera Raw: a close-up of wooden surfaces. 00:24:03

Use WireColor for local adjustments

For the ceiling, floor and curtains, select a region on the CMasking_WireColor element with Magic Wand. Use the selection to create a group mask and place a Levels adjustment layer inside. This changes the selected surface’s brightness independently of the rest of the image.

The second view presents another problem: the microwave’s front panel looks too dark. Return to the image in Corona VFB, obtain a brighter version and bring it into Photoshop. Use a mask to keep only the required panel, then adjust it to match its surroundings.

The practical principle is to obtain additional information from the saved render and limit the adjustment with a mask. Check selection boundaries and neighboring surfaces. A color element makes object selection easier, but the resulting mask still needs inspection.

Microwave close-up with a mask and Photoshop adjustment layers — Local Photoshop adjustments to the microwave panel: a mask and adjustment layers limit the edit to the selected area. 00:32:04

Add a person on a separate layer when the image needs one

You can add a person to the kitchen using image generation in Google AI Studio. Submit a selected image crop, receive a result and bring it back into Photoshop. You can skip this stage if the brief only requires an interior image.

In the second image, the generated crop did not align with the original geometry. In this situation, adjust the layer with a transform, hide it behind a mask and reveal only the person with a white brush. The original cabinets and appliances should remain the basis of the image.

Compare the inserted crop with the original before the final adjustments: check furniture edges, hand placement and where the person touches objects. Generation adds a character, but the result still needs checking and careful compositing.

Bright kitchen with a patch of sunlight and a person at the microwave in Camera Raw — The second view after compositing the generated person: final adjustments in Camera Raw. 00:35:10

Checks before saving the finished image

This workflow combines Corona lighting with Photoshop post-production. Before saving, check the bright windows, ceiling readability, floor material, dark appliances and alignment of the generated crop.

The sun direction and shadow softness suit the chosen camera view.
The fixtures are positioned correctly and represented in LightMix.
The CXR, Photoshop image and required render elements have been saved.
Local masks do not affect neighboring surfaces.
The added person does not alter the visible interior geometry.

Questions and answers

How can I soften shadows from Corona Sun?

Increase Corona Sun’s Size and assess the shadow edges in the interactive render. The sun’s position controls their direction. In the tutorial, both settings are chosen for the particular camera view.

Why run Setup LightMix again after adding fixtures?

Repeat the setup after creating the ceiling sources so you can work with the added light groups in LightMix. Before the final render, check that the required sources are represented in the set.

Do I need an AI-generated person to follow the tutorial?

No. Daylight, ceiling lighting, render element export and post-production form a complete workflow on their own. Generating a person is an optional finishing technique that can be integrated in Photoshop with a transform and a mask.