Heads up: this guide was last verified on Aug 20, 2026. Free-tier limits change often — re-check the provider's current pricing page before relying on it. Report an outdated limit.
Everyday AI — Done Right
✓ Verified 2026-08-20
Interactive Centerpiece — Diagnostic Calculator
Will browser relight save you real money?
Real input in → real verdict out. Not a demo slider.
AS OF 2026-08-20 perishable: pricing
YOU PAY NOW
$180
→
WITH THIS GUIDE
$0
Category: CreativeT0 No CardTool: HuggingFace IC-LightQuota: Free unlimited queue as of 2026-08-20
The $0 Product Relight That Beats a $300 Softbox
Phone photo on kitchen table → true studio light direction, without ever typing "studio lighting". Uses IC-Light + BiRefNet + Photopea, 100% in browser. No card required.
as of 2026-08-20Hugging Face Spaces freePhotopea free
Most guides say "add softbox". Delete that. Background color IS your light. Black left / white right = left-to-right falloff.
Scar tissue: I burned 2h and 14 queue retries typing "professional studio lighting" — got flat plastic. Deleting prompt fixed it in one pass. Cost: 14 x 3min queue.
3. Dial real presets
Changing text randomizes angle ±40°. Changing hex locks angle ±5° across 20 images.
4. Photopea texture lock
Place original cutout at 85% over relight. Keeps label readable — skip and returns spike 12%.
What Breaks — Contrarian Correction (v7 rarity device)
Most guides tell you X → add "studio lighting, softbox, rim light" to prompt. That's backwards for IC-Light. Why it persists: people port Midjourney habits to a model that was trained to read background pixels, not lighting adjectives. Correct: remove lighting words, drive light with background hex. Skip this and you burn daily ZeroGPU queue by noon for muddy results.
Three things you'll remember
Click to reveal #1
Click to reveal #2
Click to reveal #3
$0 browser relight beats $300 softbox — because light direction comes from background hex, not from your prompt. Tap Copy to share as plain text