Monday, April 2, 2012

The value of Lighting Your Web Video

By Van Z. Jones


Perhaps you have sat down and watched a web site video, only to find that it is a huge disappointment. While many reasons exist why a web video might be disappointing, not enough information, didn't clearly explain the actual, there is one major cause of individuals to not watch a web site video. This cause is from bad lighting. Did you know that bad lighting can seriously affect the way your video looks, feels and is responded to?

Lighting for web videos isn't exactly completely different from lighting for actual films; however, it will take an understanding of how the world wide web will show your video. There are many tips that if you follow, you will have beautifully lit web video.

The first tip in lighting internet video is understanding what type of lights to truly use. While many people which are filming their very web video simply use their house lights, some view the need for extra lighting; however, they often go too far. You may notice that many web videos look beaten up, or are too bright to determine the details of the video. This is because the individual used harsh light. The important thing to having perfect lighting for web video is to use soft-light. But what exactly is soft light?

This phrase is easy to define, basically so that you can have soft light; you want to defuse the light as much as possible. You can do so by detracting the light from directly hitting where the digital camera is filming. You want to have a very glow, instead of a harsh beam. These harsh light beams are known as hotspots, and they are the enemy to have a beautifully lit shot.

If you are filming inside, it is easy to exaggerate and have too much light. The key to softening the light is usually to deter it through several methods. Some individuals simply put a thin sheet within the light in order to defuse it enough to reduce hot spots, but still let enough light to undergo to give the shooting area a soft, yet bright, glow. By pointing a light directly at the subject that you are filming, you are going to drain them out and create shadows and various hot spots. Remember, hot spots and shadows, or any other sort of contrasting light is not cohesive with a great web video shot. Generally look through your camera's viewfinder and try to point out any shadows and extra-bright areas. By doing so, you will have a finished product that looks professional and clean.

Filming outside can sometimes be a difficult task because you provide an ever-changing source of light, when you are filming through the daytime. Instead of putting your subjects directly on the planet, which will cause them to squint and search washed out; set them back to where the sun's rays are not directly within their faces.

You can defuse the sunshine by using reflectors, which will allow you to sit in the shade while still obtaining enough light to clearly see the subjects. One of the biggest trade secrets is to lay down a white sheet directly in front of the subject that you are filming. This will likely reflect the light, as well as giving the shot a great glow.




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