3 Steps to Building a Video Lighting Kit

3 Steps to Building a Video Light Kit Button | 3 Steps to Building a Video Lighting KitDo 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!

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Video Lighting Kit Part List: Here is a quick recap of the parts you need to build the lighting kit for your video:

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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Written by Hani on March 7th, 2010 # Filed under Online Video, Video Editing # 23 Comments #

  • http://MeetPabloGonzalez.com Pablo Gonzalez

    Thanks for that great tip Hani! Been fighting with this issue for a while and wasn’t sure how to remedy it. Awesome! :-)

  • http://www.easyonlinevideotips.com Hani

    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.

  • http://www.chrisowenacademy.com/doggone-it-people-like-me-positive-affirmations-with-chris-owen/ Chris Owen

    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

  • http://www.easyonlinevideotips.com Hani

    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

  • http://www.caravanstv.com Lee Jones

    Great tip – only wish we could get hold of those aluminum reflectors here in the UK – Shower hat Brillient !

  • http://www.easyonlinevideotips.com Hani

    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.

  • http://www.joshgarcia.com Josh Garcia

    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

  • http://www.easyonlinevideotips.com Hani

    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!

  • http://www.joshgarcia.com Josh Garcia

    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

  • http://www.easyonlinevideotips.com Hani

    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?

  • Joe K.

    Hi — great advice, and cheap! Do you recommend anything like tripods or stands to clamp the lights onto? And if so, where can those be cheaply purchased? Thanks!

  • http://www.easyonlinevideotips.com Hani

    Hey Joe…cheap, but effective :) Depending on the size of your office (where you record your videos) you may want to invest in a pair of light stands to clamp these lights to. They are fairly inexpensive (as low as $40 for a pair at amazon.com). You can just google “light stands”

    There is another great money saving tip from my friend Gideon Shalwick…it shows you how to build a homemade viewfinder so you can see yourself when filming with a Flip-style camera.

    http://gideonshalwick.com/viewfinder-fix-for-flip-ultra-hd/

    Cheers,
    Hani

  • http://www.easyonlinevideotips.com/3-steps-to-building-video-light-kit/ David Fonseca

    Hi Hani,

    Two quick questions.
    #1 What size buld is the best?

    #2 Is the heat from the bulb a problem for the shower cap, does it touch?

    Thank you

    David

  • http://www.easyonlinevideotips.com Hani

    Hey David,

    Great questions. I use Phillips EnergySaver MINITWISTER Compact Fluorescent Bulb 23 W (equivalent to 100 W) soft white light.

    They do touch the shower cap at the tip, but it doesn’t get very hot when I use it for an hour or so at a time.

    Let me know if I can help in any other way.

    Hani

  • http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Topdoginuk Topdoginuk

    [..YouTube..] 367 views and no one comments! Well, I will. This is a great video and very interesting useful information.
    Thank you for creating it, uploading and sharing it.

  • http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Topdoginuk Topdoginuk

    [..YouTube..] 367 views and no one comments! Well, I will. This is a great video and very interesting useful information.
    Thank you for creating it, uploading and sharing it.

  • http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Topdoginuk Topdoginuk

    [..YouTube..] 367 views and no one comments! Well, I will. This is a great video and very interesting useful information.
    Thank you for creating it, uploading and sharing it.

  • http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Topdoginuk Topdoginuk

    [..YouTube..] 367 views and no one comments! Well, I will. This is a great video and very interesting useful information.
    Thank you for creating it, uploading and sharing it.

  • http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=hanimourra hanimourra

    [..YouTube..] @Topdoginuk Thanks so much! I’m glad to hear some feedback…367 views later :) Many more online video marketing tips on my YouTube channel.

    Cheers,
    Hani

  • http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=hanimourra hanimourra

    [..YouTube..] @Topdoginuk Thanks so much!  I’m glad to hear some feedback…367 views later :) Many more online video marketing tips on my YouTube channel.

    Cheers,
    Hani

  • http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=hanimourra hanimourra

    [..YouTube..] @Topdoginuk Thanks so much! I’m glad to hear some feedback…367 views later :) Many more online video marketing tips on my YouTube channel.

    Cheers,
    Hani

  • http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=hanimourra hanimourra

    [..YouTube..] @Topdoginuk Thanks so much! I’m glad to hear some feedback…367 views later :) Many more online video marketing tips on my YouTube channel.

    Cheers,
    Hani

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