Soft lighting is usually accomplished by bouncing light off a white or colored surface and then back onto the subject. Soft lighting creates, as the name suggests, a soft effect around the subject, filling the frame with just the right amount of light blurring the subjects a bit. Some soft lighting styles create a halo of light around the subject being shot. Soft lighting is usually used with portraits to emphasize the beauty of the face or on close-ups in movies.
For harsh lighting, extremely bright lights are used to keep part of the subject exposed while other parts are immersed in deep shadow. This light is usually used to emphasize strength and power in a scene or shot, and can be found in numerous film noir films featuring detectives and is prevalent in the 2005 film "Sin City."
Broad lighting is a technique used to make thin faces appear broader, as its name suggests. It involves illuminating the side of the face that is turned toward the camera while darkening and de-emphasizing the other portions. It is primarily used with portraits.
Butterfly lighting is when the main light is lined up directly with the subject's face, creating a butterfly-like shadow underneath the subject's nose. It is also sometimes referred to as "glamour lighting" and was used for Hollywood portraits in the 1920s through 1950s.
Rembrandt lighting is the result of an illuminated triangle in the center of the subject. The main light is usually positioned high and pointing toward the side of the subject's face that is away from the camera. This style of lighting was used in many of Rembrandt's portrait paintings, giving it its name.