Glanzlichtern

Glanzlichter is a German term used in photography, optics and visual arts to describe bright reflections created by light on a smooth or polished surface. They are the specular highlights that occur when light is reflected toward the observer, in contrast to diffuse reflections that scatter light in many directions and contribute to the general illumination of a surface.

The appearance of Glanzlichter depends on several factors: the direction and intensity of the light source, the angle between light, surface and observer, and the surface roughness or texture. Glanzlichter tend to be sharp and small on highly polished materials, while they become broader and softer on rougher surfaces. The color of a highlight can be influenced by the light source and the material properties.

In practical photography, Glanzlichter are important for conveying shape, material and depth. Photographers manage them through lighting setups, exposure settings, and the use of modifiers such as reflectors or diffusers. In post-processing, highlight recovery and dynamic-range adjustments help preserve or restore details in blown-out areas, and high dynamic range imaging can capture a broader range of highlights and shadows.

In computer graphics and rendering, Glanzlichter arise from specular reflections modeled by BRDFs. The size and intensity of highlights are controlled by material roughness and light configuration, contributing to the perception of glossiness, metallicity or plasticity.

The term is commonly used in German-language photography discourse to describe these bright light spots and their role in the realism and expressiveness of images.