Perfect Lighting: What it is and How to Achieve It

When it comes to creating an interactive video or promotional video for your company, focus on the light. Your message cannot get through to the person watching your video if you fail to create a beautiful, easy to see video. What's worse than having too little light is having light that's simply not at the right level as this can create the wrong focal point for your video. With a few helpful tips and tricks, though, you can create videos that are perfectly suited to your audiences needs, especially in an online format.

Know the Rules of Lighting

The first thing to focus on are some basic rules. When creating videos, always remember these specific rules.

• You want the people or products in the shot to look good.
• Focus on removing the shadows that occur on a person's face or on the focal point.
• Don't make lighting so obnoxious that it becomes a distraction to the viewer or the person in the piece.
• You don't have to spend a great deal of money on lighting. Use what's available and natural.

Now that you know these rules, you can make better decisions about the lighting you use. But, there are a few more things to keep in mind.

Focus on Ambient Light

One of the best options is ambient light. The best source of light is what's natural for that space. For example, if you position a light over the top of the person in a video, this is going to create shadows. It is also going to distort the colors in your photo. Next, realize that natural light is a good thing and a bad thing. When you want a natural setting, natural light works well. However, when you want ample control over your lighting, its best to block out all natural light possible and create your own!

Light Placement

Where should you position lights to create the right look? Every shoot will be different to some level here. Here are some rules to consider:

• The light source should be in front of the lens in most shots.
• Place light at a level that is just above the subject's eyeline.
• Create contrasting shadows for depth by placing a light at the subject but at waist level.
• Point the camera slightly down at the subject and place the lights in front of it, out of the lens, of course.

It is also important to consider the light source. The larger the light source is, the softer the light will be. Soft light doesn't create shadows and offers more depth, and therefore is often best for most business videos. It's also a good idea to use fluorescent bulbs over the stark light of LED.

When considering all of these components, the goal is simple. Create a video that is easy to see, but one that is visually interesting. Light takes practice, unless you allow a professional to help you to do the work for you. Create a few videos with light at different locations to see the differences for yourself.

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