Recessed Lighting Applications
general lighting:
General lighting is designed to provide ambience or a substantially uniform level of illumination throughout an area.		  

task lighting:
Task lighting is mainly functional and is usually the most
concentrated, for purposes such as reading or inspection
of materials.
  As you can see in the examples below your task light source
positioning is crucial. A poorly positioned light source may
cause contrast reduction, resulting in loss of visibility.


This is a good example of how to and how not to use task lighting properly.
A PAR lamp with a baffle or cone trim provides a more concentrated light beam. This combination is effective for uniform illumination from a ceiling that is higher.
    When lighting for tasks it is important, position the fixture in front of where the task is going to be done. Positioning the fixture near the center of the kitchen (as is show in figure B) may be good for a general lighting source, but is not good for task lighting. Doing this creates a hard shadow, and in some cases, may cause the person to accidentally hurt themselves depending on the task being carried out.
   
uniform illumination:
Uniform illumination creates an ambient layer of light. This is
a way of achieving constant light without creating very strong
shadows. 		 

This is a good example of a uniform, general lighting application.
   accent lighting:
Accent lighting is mainly decorative. It is designed to
highlight pictures, plants and other elements of interior
design.
lighting paintings and pictures:
When lighting paintings and flat
artwork like photographs, the
fixture should usually be installed
2-3 ft. away from the painting.
Also lighting the artwork from a
30° angle eliminates glare from
reflecting into the viewers eye.
non-uniform illumination:
Non-uniform recessed lighting creates the appearance of
“pools” of light. Doing this creates a more dramatic
experience. This effect is achieved by spacing the lighting
far enough apart, so the beams do not overlap when they
reflect off of a surface. 		 

This is a good example of a non-uniform, general lighting application.
  
lighting 3D objects:
When lighting a three
dimensional piece of artwork,
such as a sculpture or floral
arrangement, it is important
to highlight the object’s form
and texture. Using two
  different light sources is the best way to achieve this effect. One hard source to bring out shadow and highlight shadows, and a softer light thrown from the opposite side to cut the shadows a bit, causing the
object to appear more natural.