Rim Light casts a directional glow along the avatar's silhouette, providing clear visual separation between the subject and the background.
Rim Light is a screen-space effect operating independently of 3D scene lighting. By sampling along the specified light vector against the silhouette of the frame, Persona precisely isolates outer edges to cast an inner luminous contour.
OriginalEffectControls
| Control | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rim Type | Single / Both Sides / Single (Sharpen) / Both Sides (Sharpen) | Single | Light distribution geometry and edge falloff sharpness |
| Color | Hex | #ffeb74 | Color of the rim light glow |
| Size | 0 – 1 | 0.5 | Distance the glow reaches inward from the silhouette edge |
| Intensity | 0 – 5 | 0 | Peak brightness of the glow (defaults to 0; raise to reveal) |
| Contrast | 0 – 1 | 0 | Subject darkening factor to make the rim light stand out |
| Angle | −180 – 180° | 0° | Directional angle of the incoming rim light |
| Opacity | 0 – 1 | 1 | Global compositing opacity of the rim layer |
Intensity defaults to 0, which means the effect is visually dormant upon initial activation until the slider is raised.
Rim Light Types
Single illuminates exclusively along the direction defined by Angle, faithfully replicating a physical studio backlight. Both Sides introduces an opposing counter-light to encircle the entire silhouette, trading directional emphasis for balanced edge definition.
The Sharpen variants compress the inner falloff curve to produce a tight, crisp specular fringe suited to cel-shaded anime aesthetics. The standard variants produce a broad, diffused photographic glow.
Direction and Spread
Angle defines the solitary light vector, ranging from −180° to 180° where 0° denotes top-down incidence. Positive values rotate clockwise, and negative values rotate counter-clockwise.
Size governs how far the glow extends inward from the outer contour. Because this value scales proportionally with the viewport, the rim light maintains consistent visual thickness regardless of window size or render resolution.
Backlight Behavior
Rim Light adds luminance in a dedicated backlight model: bright light naturally blends through the subject's own hue, creating smooth highlights without requiring separate blend modes.
A white rim creates bright, clean highlights, while colored rim lights tint the silhouette with atmospheric colors. Contrast darkens the interior of the subject before opacity blending, allowing you to deepen shadows and accentuate the edge glow even when Opacity is adjusted.
Processing Order
Rim Light evaluates immediately after the Live2D layer composites and prior to chromatic aberration and subsequent color grading passes. Consequently, the rim glow is harmoniously affected by downstream color adjustments and bloom.
Because it samples directly from the composite silhouette, Live2D models receive identical, high-fidelity rim lighting alongside 3D VRM avatars.
Rim Light radiates strictly toward the interior of the silhouette; it never expands outward past the model's boundary. For a solid outer outline extending beyond the body, use Outline.
Last updated on November 3, 2026