From BlenderWiki

BSoD 2006 Notes

List of topics, random order and without grouping atm, that I would like to cover (or link to).

• Light types
• Blender and lights (assumed energy, more lights than in reality...)
• Shadows, and how important they are
• Light info (position, colour, intensity)
• Matching real world setups, also using as mood tools
• Shadow types, faking some via extra lamps
• Light bouncing in real world
• Raytracing issues and uses
• Group and layer uses
• Light baking
• HDR and LDR
• Light setups based in light probes
• Radiosity
• Baked radiosity vs pre render radiosity
• AO including sky relation
• Spot light based AO, including separate setup for ground area
• Composition as mean to tweak colours and intensity
• Bloom, reason and methods
• Spot halos
• Mirrors and lights
• 6 spots for shadow casting
• Hair shadows
• Halos that cast shadows
• Fixing spot shadows, side and camera "views"
• Monitor basic calibration
• Quick review of monitors (as in "I see banding in my LCD")
• 3 light setup and why is boring
• Use of histogram to check lights or image in general
• Tweaking a la photography dark room
• Slide projectors & caustic faking
• Materials faking lights
• Lights vs materials (spec settings...)

The order of progression would be:

• Lamp basics
• Lessons from real world and photography
• In depth usage
• Advanced methods, AO and radiosity
• Postpro