AI Relight Photo: Change the Lighting, Keep Everything Else
VdoBloom Relight is an AI tool that changes the lighting of a photo you already have. Upload a portrait, product shot or scene, pick one of six lighting presets (golden hour, studio key light, rim light, neon, candlelight or day to night) and get the same picture under new light. Shadows and highlights are redrawn to match the new light direction, while faces, identity, pose, clothing, objects and framing stay as they were.
Is it free? New accounts get 10 free credits and one relight costs 5, so your first two relights are free. After that it is 5 credits per image on either model, at 2K. A one-time Lite pack of 300 credits costs $19.50 and never expires, which covers 60 relights. A failed job is refunded.
Relight suits photographers fixing flat light, sellers who want a product shot in warmer or more dramatic light, and creators who want a night or neon version of a daytime photo without reshooting it.
Examples
Golden hour relight of a portrait
Neon relight of a portrait
How it works
- 1
Upload your photo
A portrait, a product or a scene. The output keeps the shape of your upload, so nothing is cropped.
- 2
Choose a lighting preset
Golden hour, Studio key light, Rim light, Neon, Candlelight or Day → night. Each preset describes a full lighting setup, not just a color filter.
- 3
Pick a model
GPT Image 2.5 Precision is the default for faithful edits; GPT Image 2.5 is the faster option. Both cost 5 credits per image.
- 4
Relight
The new image is usually ready in under two minutes. Shadows, highlights and color temperature follow the new light; the subject and composition do not move.
- 5
Download, upscale or animate
Download the result, send it to the Upscaler for a bigger file, or press Animate to turn it into a short video. It is also saved to My Creations.
Why use this tool
Six complete lighting setups
Each preset is written as a real lighting setup: light direction, softness, color and shadow behaviour, so the result reads as relit rather than tinted.
Identity stays put
Only the light, shadows, color temperature and, when needed, the sky and time of day change. Faces, pose, clothing and objects are kept.
Shadows match the light
Shadows and highlights are redrawn for the new light direction, which is the difference between relighting and a brightness slider.
Works beyond portraits
Products, rooms, streets and landscapes relight too. Day → night swaps the sky and switches on windows and practical lights.
Same price on both models
GPT Image 2.5 Precision and GPT Image 2.5 both run at 2K for 5 credits an image.
Hand-offs built in
Upscale opens the result in the Upscaler; Animate opens Image to Video with the relit photo already loaded.
The six lighting presets and when to use them
Relight works from presets rather than sliders. Each one changes direction, softness, color and shadows together, which keeps the result believable.
| Preset | What the light does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Golden hour | Warm, low sunlight from one side, long soft shadows, amber highlights and a gentle haze | Portraits, couples, outdoor lifestyle and travel shots |
| Studio key light | Large softbox key at 45° front-left, soft fill from the right, a subtle hair light and clean catchlights in the eyes | Headshots, profile photos, clean product images |
| Rim light | Strong light from behind outlining the edges, a darker front with soft fill and clear separation from the background | Dramatic portraits, fitness, album and poster art |
| Neon | Magenta from one side and cyan from the other, colored reflections on skin and surfaces, night atmosphere | Gaming, music, nightlife and social posts |
| Candlelight | Warm light from low and in front, deep soft shadows, an intimate orange glow, dark surroundings | Moody portraits, restaurants, seasonal and romantic scenes |
| Day → night | Dark blue night sky, glowing windows and practical lights, cool moonlit ambient light, the subject lit by nearby warm light | Real estate exteriors, street scenes, storefronts |
Which model to use for relighting
Two GPT Image 2.5 variants are offered. Price and resolution are identical, so choose by how much precision the edit needs.
| Model | Credits per image | Resolution | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT Image 2.5 Precision (default) | 5 | 2K | Portraits and faces, where the subject must not change |
| GPT Image 2.5 | 5 | 2K | Faster runs, scenes and trying several presets quickly |
Read more: GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (Precision) editing model · GPT Image 2.5 Flare editing model
Is AI relighting free? What it costs
The 10 free credits on a new account cover two relights. After that each relight is 5 credits, whatever preset and model you choose. Lite is $19.50 one-time for 300 credits that never expire, or $15 a month for 300 credits that reset each cycle.
| Job | Credits |
|---|---|
| One relight, any preset | 5 |
| The same photo in three presets to compare | 15 |
| All six presets on one photo | 30 |
| A 10-product catalogue in studio key light | 50 |
| Relight, then upscale with Topaz Wonder 3.5 (output up to 8 MP) | 5 + 4 = 9 |
Relighting vs. brightness, filters and reshooting
A brightness or exposure slider makes every pixel lighter or darker by the same amount. Shadows stay where they were, so a face lit from the left is still lit from the left. A color filter tints the whole frame. Relighting redraws the light itself: where it comes from, how hard it is, where the shadows fall and how surfaces reflect it.
That makes it a good fix for flat, overcast or office light, and a fast way to get a mood you did not have on the day. It does not replace a lighting setup for a shoot that matters. When the light in the original is very poor, a relight is a reinterpretation and fine detail can drift.
Who uses AI relight
Relighting is useful whenever the photo is right but the light is not:
- Portrait and headshot photographers rescuing a session shot in flat or mixed light.
- Online sellers giving product photos a consistent studio look, or a warm lifestyle feel, without a new shoot.
- Estate agents and hosts making a night version of a daytime exterior.
- Creators making neon or rim-lit versions of a photo for thumbnails, covers and posts.
- Couples and families turning a midday snapshot into a golden-hour keepsake.
Read more: AI Relight guide: change the light, keep everything else
Tips for a natural-looking relight
A few habits keep results clean:
- Start from a sharp, well-exposed photo. The model needs detail in the shadows to relight them.
- Pick a preset that fits the scene. Candlelight on a beach at noon asks the model to change too much at once.
- Use Studio key light for headshots and product shots that need to look neutral and professional.
- For a portrait, keep GPT Image 2.5 Precision selected so faces stay faithful.
- Run two or three presets on the same photo and keep the best one; each run is 5 credits.
- If you also need a new background, relight after changing the background so the light matches the final scene.
Limits worth knowing
Relight is a preset tool. These are the current limits:
- There is no free-text lighting prompt, direction dial or intensity slider; you choose one of the six presets. For a custom description, the AI Image Editor accepts a written instruction.
- There is no "match the lighting of this reference photo" option.
- Extreme changes, such as a dark night photo relit as bright daylight, can lose detail or look artificial.
- The sky and time of day can change when a preset calls for it, as Day → night does, so expect a different sky in outdoor shots.
- One photo and one result per run. Upload photos you have the right to use, and the upload box asks you to confirm any people pictured are adults.
Read more: AI Image Editor: describe any change
Frequently asked questions
How do I relight a photo with AI?
Upload the photo to VdoBloom Relight, choose a preset (golden hour, studio key light, rim light, neon, candlelight or day to night), keep or change the model and press Relight. The relit 2K image is usually ready in under two minutes and is saved to My Creations.
Is AI relighting free?
Every new VdoBloom account gets 10 free credits and one relight costs 5, so the first two relights are free. After that it is 5 credits per image on either model. A one-time 300-credit Lite pack is $19.50 and never expires.
Will relighting change my face?
Relight is told to change only the light, shadows, color temperature and, if needed, the sky and time of day. Faces, identity, pose, clothing and composition are kept. For portraits, the default GPT Image 2.5 Precision model is the safer choice.
What is the difference between relighting and changing brightness?
Brightness lifts or darkens every pixel equally and leaves shadows where they were. Relighting changes where the light comes from, its color and softness, and redraws shadows and highlights to match.
Can I turn a day photo into night?
Yes. The Day → night preset replaces daylight with a dark blue night sky, glowing windows and practical lights and cool moonlit ambient light, with the subject lit by nearby warm sources.
Can I relight product photos?
Yes. Upload the product shot and use Studio key light for a clean catalogue look, or golden hour or candlelight for a warmer lifestyle feel. The product itself, its shape and label stay as they were.
Can I control the light direction or color myself?
Not in Relight, which uses six fixed presets. To describe your own lighting in words, use the VdoBloom AI Image Editor and write the change you want.
What resolution are relit photos?
Both models generate at 2K and keep the shape of your upload. For a larger file, press Upscale to open the result in the Upscaler.
Can I animate a relit photo?
Yes. Press Animate under the result and Image to Video opens with the relit photo loaded, ready for a short clip.