Varjoitusta

Varjoitusta is a Finnish term describing shading or shadowing—the process of creating darker areas on a surface to model light, volume, and depth. The concept covers both natural shadows produced by light and artificial shading used to enhance perception in art and imagery. The result is a gradation of tones from light to dark that communicates form and space.

In traditional visual arts, varjoitus refers to techniques for applying tonal values. Artists use hatching, cross-hatching, stippling, blending, and chiaroscuro to build shadows and achieve a sense of three-dimensionality.

In photography and cinematography, varjoitus relates to lighting design and exposure choices that shape the distribution of shadows, mood, and texture. The deliberate placement of lights creates cast shadows and silhouettes that contribute to composition and storytelling.

In digital graphics and computer graphics, varjoitus denotes the computation and rendering of shadows and shading. Depending on the pipeline, shading may be flat, Gouraud, Phong, or physically based rendering, producing effects such as cast shadows, soft shadows, and ambient occlusion to convey realism or stylization.

Etymology: The word derives from varjo, shadow, with the suffix -itus indicating a process or result; in Finnish it is used to name both technique and phenomenon. Related terms include varjo (shadow) and varjostus (shadowing) in Finnish.