How to get better lighting for your videos (PART 1) | How-To-What-Is

Welcome back everybody to Season 2 of How to What is! It has been sometime since we entered 2021 and here we are back again with brand new topics to explore on HTWI. So as you can see Nic isn’t in today, but no worries because he will be coming back soon. 

So it’s just going to be you and me and trust me you are going to like today’s topic because it is the first of our four part series where we teach you how to shoot videos on a budget.

This is actually a mini-series that Nic and I have been planning for months and finally we are able to share this with you guys and hopefully you will find them useful. We are going to teach you basic things about production and that includes things like how to set up lighting, how to choose the best camera, how to get the best audio and of course, how to choose the cheapest or the  easiest editing software for you to edit your videos. And we will start off this series with LIGHTING.

Why is lighting important?

Lighting has a huge impact on the quality of footage you record and it’s can be a cheap way to take your footage to the next level. Getting the lighting right can also save you time on the editing process. With good lighting you don’t have to spend so much time trying to fix the white balance, exposure you know, stuff like that.

Lighting is also not just about brightness and darkness. It also determines the tone and the mood of a video. Like for example, you can see that there’s an orange glow right behind me right? I actually added that so that my on-cam looks more interesting. If I turn it off, the image will look more flat. So that is also one way you can play around with lighting.

1.Make the most out of natural light

If you are someone who first started out trying to shoot a video, this might be the best option because this is technically free! But the downside is that if you rely on the sun as a source of light, it can be too intense which causes harsh shadows on your subject. It also moves and changes in intensity as the weather shifts and clouds pass overhead.

This is very important when you’re shooting outdoors. You want to avoid standing under direct sunlight, so find a way to diffuse the light by standing in a shade or under some trees. We like cloudy days because there is a lot of soft diffused light.

If you’re shooting indoors, try to find a room with a big window that can let in a lot of sunlight. You can also use a sheer curtain to diffuse any harsh light coming in.

2.Ring Lights

I think most of you guys have seen ring lights before especially if you watch tik tok often. You know, the lights that make your eyeballs to have this ring halo thingy. Yeap, that’s the one. Ring lights often come with diffusers and can cast a very even light on your face. This makes it great for close up shots and talking heads, so they are popular for stuff like make up tutorials.

Plus, it makes your eyes pop! Plus they are also very cheap. You can actually get one online for less than RM50.

3.Softboxes & Umbrella Lighting

I think besides ring lights, softboxes are also one of the more common lighting that you guys might know.  Soft box is a light modifier that comes in different shapes and sizes.

You can use them to diffuse harsh lighting and it can be used to direct the light more effectively. They are super versatile and can be used for all kinds of shoots. Softboxes are also fairly lightweight and compact, which makes them easy to transport as most can fold down too.

Another variant of the soft box you can consider is the umbrella diffuser which is also another kind of light modifier. It is often even more portable than a soft box so it can be better for those who travel a lot.

4.Use your imagination

Light can be found anywhere, and there are plenty of cheap, affordable and even free “hacks” that you can use to add light to your videos.

I’ve seen people use their car headlamps when shooting outdoors. You can also drape a piece of tissue paper over your phone’s flash for a soft fill light. You can even use the light from your monitor to light your face.The important thing is to get creative and don’t be afraid to try everything. You don’t need to spend so much to get good lighting.

Alright so that’s about it for today’s episode. On the next HTWI we are going to talk about cameras. Nic and I will be talking about how to best use your money when choosing a camera. Sometimes, the best camera is already in your pocket.