key light

noun

(in photography or motion pictures) the main light that illuminates the subject being photographed or filmed.

Origin of key light

First recorded in 1935–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for key light

key light

noun

television theatre photog the main stage or studio light that gives the required overall intensity of illumination

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012