---
title: Matcap
order: 3
---

The Matcap panel picks the lit-sphere image every shape is shaded with, and a tint over the whole scene.

![the Matcap panel](../assets/rendersettings-matcap.webp)

## Settings

| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| **Matcap** (the preview) | the first matcap in the list | Click it to open the matcap grid and pick one. The list is Blender's own matcaps. |
| **Specular** | on | Shown only when the matcap has a separate specular layer. On adds the matcap's highlights; off keeps just the diffuse layer. |
| Colour swatch | white | A tint multiplied over the matcap for every shape. White leaves the matcap untouched. |
| Reset (the arrow button) | | Sets the tint back to white. |

Each shape's own colour comes from its [Chisel material](../materials/panel.md) and is multiplied into the matcap under this tint.

Matcaps added in *Preferences ▸ Lights ▸ MatCaps* (`.exr` or `.png`) appear in the grid too. The file stores the matcap by name, so it keeps its matcap on another machine; a name this machine lacks falls back to the first matcap.