Low Contrast

In photography and cinematography the term “contrast” refers to the difference in brightness between the lit and shady areas of an image. Low contrast images have neither very deep shadows nor strong highlights which could direct the viewer’s eye to a particular detail.

Instead, shadows tend to be transparent and soft. Due to the lack of deeper shadows which could set the subjects off from one another to create depth, low contrast images often look flat and pale. Opposite of high contrast. A lighting style that is characterized by low contrast lighting is called high-key lighting.