A comprehensive guide to video lighting (with illustrations), crucial for enhancing video production quality.
Key points include:
1. Choosing Lights:
Factors include light source, color temperature, intensity, and physical specifications. Consistent color temperature and appropriate light placement are essential.
2. Types of Artificial Lights:
Key Light: Main light source, typically bright and powerful.
Fill Light: Eliminates shadows created by the key light.
Back Light: Enhances the subject's outline, reducing shadows.
Ring Light: Ideal for solo use, provides even lighting.
3. Lighting Schemes:
Three-point Lighting: Uses key, fill, and back lights.
Two Lights: Employs a bounce card or natural light for fill.
Four Lights: Adds a background light.
Loop Lighting: Combines key and fill lights for professional setups.
One Light: Often a ring light for simplicity.
4. Natural Light:
Best when controllable; position yourself in front of or beside a window for optimal results.
5. Outdoor Lighting:
Utilize ND filters and reflectors to manage harsh sunlight, and aim for early morning or late afternoon shoots.
Discussion (2)
I’ve always struggled with getting my video lighting right, but I think there are a few MINOR tweaks most people can do to make their video look 10X better.
I only have 1 light and make sure to center it on my face behind the camera, before it was off to the side and it looked horrible (which I thought was the right thing to do). That small adjustment made my videos look soooo much better.
My room is hard to work with, it has a window right behind me and so as the sun moves I would get really weird lighting. I ended up using black out curtains and controlling the light completely with 2 softbox lights. Saved me so many headaches.