Do you find that some of your videos come out too dark or grainy? We’ve all been there (including myself). In this 1 minute 40 second quick online video tip, I will show you how to improve the lighting for videos shot in low light areas without spending a fortune on professional video lighting equipment. I’ll also give you a few general pointers to keep in mind when lighting your videos. I can’t wait to show you these tips!
Video Lighting Kit Part List: Here is a quick recap of the parts you need to build the lighting kit for your video:
- Clamp Light: $9 at Amazon, Home Depot, or your local hardware store
- Fluorescent Light Bulb -Soft Light: $5 at Amazon, Home Depot, or your local hardware store
- Vinyl White Shower Cap: 3 for a $1 at your local Dollar Store
More Video Lighting Tips: Keep the following lighting tips in mind when shooting your next video…
- When possible, shoot your videos outdoors in natural light.
- Avoid light (or sunlight) directly above you. This will create a shadow on your face as you can see in my video above.
- Avoid setting up lights behind you.
- Setup two light sources, one to the left and one to the right of you…slightly in front you.
- Avoid standing behind a white background, a darker background works better so your skin won’t look washed out.
Share this Tip with Your Friends: If you know anyone else struggling with dark and grainy videos (we’ve all been there, including myself), please share this video with them on Twitter and Facebook by clicking on the buttons below.
Do You Struggle with Dark or Grainy Videos? Share your own experiences and how you improved the lighting in your videos in the comments below. We can all learn from each other.
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Thanks for that great tip Hani! Been fighting with this issue for a while and wasn’t sure how to remedy it. Awesome!
My pleasure Pablo…you’re not the only one. I struggled with this for a while too. I can’t take full credit for this tip, it was inspired by my good friend Perry Lawrence.
Hey Hani,
Man you have some great stuff going on with this site. Great tips. I have a lot of projects going on that can benefit from video. Lighting is one of the major things that I see wrong with most of the video’s out there right now.
Thanks for some great information.
Chris Owen
Hey Chris,
My pleasure…I’m glad you’re enjoy and learning from this site. If you’re starting out with video, don’t worry to much about lighting and audio, focus on content and providing value. Once you’re more comfortable and got the hang of video (it’s simple and fun), then slowly look into improving lighting and your audio as well.
Cheers,
Hani
Great tip – only wish we could get hold of those aluminum reflectors here in the UK – Shower hat Brillient !
Hey Lee…thanks for dropping in and saying hello. I’m really surprised to hear that you are not able to find the aluminum light clamps easily in the UK. It might be worth checking your local hardware store in the construction site section. They don’t necessarily have to be aluminum, it can be any type of light stand.
I checked our your site…NIICE. Very well done website and professional videos.
Hey Hani,
This is awesome! Can’t believe the simple gadgets used to help out the lighting in video. That is a problem I was having with my room since it doesn’t get that much sunlight.
Tomorrow I’m be heading over to Home Depot. Now, I have a reason to purchase a shower cap. I use to make fun of them. Now, I’m going to purchase one. I might even wear it on the video! Nah…
Chat with you later…
Josh
That would be hilarious…people would pay to see see you wear that shower cap
Let me know how it goes with the new lights.
By the way, your site has some great marketing tips!
Hey Hani,
I just want to say. Last night I purchased the stuff make my lighting kit. I tell you the video looks more alive. Go check out the video I made.
Thanks again for sharing this info…
Josh
Awesome video Josh! I’ve compared it to your previous videos and you’re right…the video looks more ALIVE
I’m glad to see someone besides me try it out 
I’d also like to hear from others who have made their own lighting kit…did it help?