A device and method for applying a virtual lighting effect in an electronic device are provided. The electronic device includes a display, a memory configured to store a first normal map and a second normal map corresponding to a face, and a processor. The processor is configured to acquire a first image and detect a face region in the first image. Additionally, the processor is configured to determine a normal map corresponding to at least a partial region of the face region based on the first normal map and the second normal map; and display a second image, based on the determined normal map, on the display. The second image includes the first image after a virtual lighting effect is applied thereto.