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Why Picking The Right Lighting Is Important For Your Videos

The Right Lighting Is Important For Your Videos

By Jonh RobinsonPublished 4 years ago 5 min read
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Lighting is one of the most neglected aspects of video making. It is often overlooked in favor of other critical elements like lenses, filters, tripods, props, and other accessories.

By far, the worst mistake in videography is not giving proper attention to the lighting in your videos. Poor lighting can ruin a good video even if you have access to free video editor with no watermark software. On the other hand, a mediocre video can look considerably better with good lighting.

Let’s take a look at why lighting is such an essential factor for good videography:

A Sign Of Professionalism

Using enough light is essential in any video you make. Also, just having enough light is not enough—the lighting should be placed appropriately. A video with poor lighting will look amateurish even to the inexperienced viewer.

Lighting Sets The Mood

We usually associate dramatic moments in videos with appropriate lighting. However, you need to realize that lighting plays a vital role throughout the length of any video.

Variation in lighting levels in a video influences the mood and thereby the way we respond towards it. A video with vibrant colors and bright lighting has an uplifting effect, whereas somber, dark shadows create an impact of gloom.

Focusing On Relevant Objects

Did you know that lighting can help you tell the story of your video? The way you move the lighting and vary the intensity can get your audience to stay focused on relevant objects and people. On the other hand, poor lighting can be distracting.

Natural Light Vs. Artificial Light

Both natural light and artificial light have their individual issues. While natural light is somewhat easier to manipulate than artificial light, you need to be aware of certain variables.

For instance, when you shoot similar outdoor scenes on different days. The first day may be sunny and the second cloudy. You will find it difficult to maintain continuity in the video.

So, it would help if you decided whether when you are going to use natural light and when you will use artificial light. For artificial light, you can get a lot of different equipment.

The Editing Factor

Often, you spend more time editing a video than you did shooting it. Editing can be a tedious process at the best of times. But if your lighting is not up to the mark, you will need to spend more time using software to adjust inadequate lighting.

Examples of Bad (Objective) Lighting

Before we go into what you should try to get the lighting right in your videos, here’s what you need to avoid:

1. Fluorescent Lighting

Never use fluorescent lighting in your videos. The subject will never be appropriately highlighted, and the video will look unprofessional.

2. Back Lighting

The light comes from behind the subject, concealing the features in a silhouette. It can happen when the camera is directed on a person standing in front of a window.

3. Underexposure

If the lighting is sufficient and set up correctly, but the camera settings are wrong, you won’t get a clear image of the subject.

4. Overexposure

Here again, the camera settings are incorrect. It can also happen when the light is too bright. The features of the subject cannot be seen clearly due to the glare.

Quest For The Perfect Video Lighting

If lighting is so essential for making videos, we need to know how to get good lighting. Here are a few useful tips that should help you out in this aspect:

Preparing Your Location

Whether you are going to do an indoor or outdoor video, go and check out your location before the shooting. Take particular note of natural lighting and how it looks at a specific time of day. If indoors, the positioning of windows can be critical.

For indoor locations, the best option is to go for artificial lighting, because natural light can be unreliable. Natural light can change rapidly with a change in weather conditions.

Choosing Your Options

When it comes to lighting options, the sky is the limit. You can spend thousands of dollars on lighting or get suitable lights within $100.00. It all depends on the scale of video that you are going to shoot and also the type.

You can buy a variety of lights online, so it would be worthwhile to do a bit of online shopping to get the lighting of your choice within your budget. If your videos are on a larger scale, you could rent out high-end lighting, which could save you a lot of money.

Light Color Temperature

You may have heard the terms “cool” light and “warm” light. Well, this alludes to the way light is perceived by the human eye. Fluorescent light will give off a “cool” effect, and the light from filament bulbs looks “warm.”

Hence, depending on the type of light source you use, we allocate a specific “light color temperature.” It’s a good idea to test different temperature types of light to arrive at a suitable match for your purposes.

Taking Care Of Glare From Glasses

Glare from eyewear and glasses is a common problem but can be usually taken care of by adjusting the position of the lights. But always check for glare. Later on, it isn’t easy to correct. You can also try asking your subject to remove their glasses, but it is not always an option, so leave that as a last resort.

Use Suitable Software

As we mentioned above, video editing is no mean task. Hence, ensure that you have suitable software to provide you with the best results. You can get a promo video maker software free download to help you do a better video editing job.

Summing It Up

Lighting plays a crucial role in video shooting. But it is a neglected aspect that can impact your work if you don’t take care of it. Here, we looked at how lighting can work for or against you while shooting a video.

If you are aware of the various types of bad lighting that can occur, you can avoid them. With a little preparation and suitable equipment, you can create excellent videos, whether you use natural or artificial light.

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