Miniature Contrast Painter – Online View Zenithal Highlight & Wash

Zenithal highlighting is a priming technique where you spray white or light-colored primer from directly above (the zenith) over a dark base coat. This creates natural highlights on upward-facing surfaces and shadows in recesses — mimicking how sunlight falls on a 3D object. It helps painters visualize light placement and serves as a guide for applying translucent paint layers. This tool lets you preview that effect on a 2D photo before committing paint to your model.

A wash is a heavily thinned paint that flows into crevices, panel lines, and recessed details. As it dries, pigment settles in the deepest areas, dramatically increasing perceived depth and contrast. Popular commercial washes include Citadel's Nuln Oil (black), Agrax Earthshade (brown/sepia), and Drakenhof Nightshade (blue-black). Our tool simulates this effect by selectively darkening shadow regions of your image.

Absolutely! The tool loads with a procedurally generated sample texture that mimics a primed miniature surface — complete with raised details, rivets, and recesses. You can explore all adjustment sliders immediately. When you're ready, upload your own miniature photo (JPG, PNG, or WebP) for a personalized preview. The sample image is designed to clearly demonstrate zenithal highlight and wash effects.

This tool provides a visual approximation based on 2D image processing. It analyzes pixel brightness and spatial position to simulate light falloff and shadow deepening. While it cannot perfectly replicate the complex volumetric behavior of light on a true 3D surface, it gives you an excellent starting point for planning your zenithal prime and wash strategy. Many painters use it to experiment with different light angles and wash tones before airbrushing.

Charcoal (Black): Simulates a pure black wash like Nuln Oil — best for cool tones, metallics, and maximum contrast.
Sepia (Brown): Simulates a warm brown wash like Agrax Earthshade — ideal for warm tones, leather, bone, and earthy schemes.
Nightshade (Blue-Black): Simulates a deep blue wash like Drakenhof Nightshade — perfect for cool shadows on blue, silver, and mystical themes. The slider lets you blend between these tones for a custom wash color.

While classic zenithal priming places the light source directly overhead (0°), offsetting the angle can create more dynamic, directional lighting. A slightly off-center zenithal prime (e.g., 15–30° to one side) can emphasize specific features on asymmetrical models or create a more dramatic, cinematic look. This is especially useful for display miniatures where you want to guide the viewer's eye to a focal point.

Real airbrush and rattle-can primers leave a subtle grainy texture on the surface. The Spray Texture slider adds a fine, randomized grain to the highlight layer, mimicking the micro-droplet pattern of sprayed primer. At 0%, the highlight is perfectly smooth (digital look). At higher values (10–30%), you get a more realistic, slightly speckled appearance that better represents how primer actually lands on a miniature.