Understanding what diffused light is, and how to apply it correctly, is crucial for those who work with video recordings. Ensuring that your scene is well lit is the baseline for effectively communicating whatever is being captured on camera.
The concept of diffused light isn’t complicated, yet some people may struggle to use it correctly. This can be due to a lack of knowledge about equipment that could simplify this process, ensuring proper lighting.
To help you navigate this task, we’ve crafted this guide, in which you’ll discover ways to apply diffused light. With the right tools, you should be able to overcome the challenges previously faced when attempting to light your scenes.
Enjoy!
Understanding Diffused Light
First and foremost, it’s necessary to understand what diffused light is, in order to know how it can be applied to your video recordings. The concept isn’t complex – we’re talking about uniform lighting that aims to minimize shadows as much as possible.
Diffused light bulbs are those equipped with a filter, usually made of glass or acrylic, like those found in a lampshade, for example. This causes the light to spread throughout the environment more evenly, creating a sense of comfort.
This type of lighting can be used in any setting and can be particularly beneficial when illuminating scenes for filming. In a movie, visibility is critical, and achieving this becomes simpler with diffused light.
The filter does not block the light but instead retains approximately 20% of its full illuminating potential. As a result, the light is gentle on the eyes, making the scenes more comfortable to view without straining the eyes.
That said, there are also other types of lighting, which we will mention below:
Direct light
This is used to illuminate a specific subject, giving it more emphasis, and also results in more prominent shadows in the scene.
Indirect light
This is light reflected by a surface, ensuring everything is lit, but without the direct incidence of a light source.
As you may have noted, diffused light is a blend of both – it’s direct light that spreads evenly. For this reason, achieving this type of lighting can pose a challenge since combining the two techniques may be labor-intensive.
However, having the right equipment can help you achieve good diffused light within your created scene. In the following sections, we will talk more about its application, using the appropriate devices to achieve the best results.
Equipment to Help You Apply Diffused Light Correctly
Now that we understand what diffused light is, let’s delve a bit more into its application. To achieve this, you’ll need the right equipment, which greatly facilitates the process of capturing images.
With the proper equipment, you’ll be able to record any type of action, whether it’s a tutorial video or any other type of filming. Using the right lighting devices significantly enhances the quality of your work.
That being said, there are two key pieces of equipment that can help you achieve diffused light in your recordings:
Softbox
This is a large piece of equipment capable of generating high-quality diffused light. It can illuminate an entire scene on its own.
Ring Light
This product is commonly used for makeup tutorial videos as it effectively illuminates the face, providing excellent diffused light to highlight the actors’ features.
While these are just a couple of examples, as we’ve seen, certain light bulbs can also provide diffused lighting. It’s recommended to have the main light source on your set already diffused. This helps ensure good image capture and maintains the desired quality.
However, it’s also advisable to familiarize yourself with various lighting techniques, as this will facilitate the filming process. While the right equipment can help you achieve your goals, knowledge should never be overlooked.
In any case, making proper use of diffused light is crucial to ensure that shadows do not hinder your recording. As we’ve seen, direct light can create strong shadows, and if that’s not your intention, it’s important to experiment with diffused lighting techniques.
The Importance of Lighting in a Scene
Now that we’ve covered what diffused light is and how to apply it to a setting, let’s discuss its importance. In fact, let’s talk about how crucial quality lighting is to ensure that your recording is not jeopardized.
For example, in a tutorial video where viewers are unable to see what’s being demonstrated, its usefulness is diminished. People can only understand the steps if you have good lighting to highlight the correct way of doing something.
That’s why investing in proper lighting for videos or any other recorded work is essential. The lack or excess of light can pose significant challenges, depending on the objective of your specific footage.
However, it’s worth noting that the absence or excess of lighting can also be used as a technique. In suspenseful scenes, for instance, a lack of light can enhance tension. Similarly, using strong light to obscure the appearance of something in a film can be an effective approach.
It all depends on your objective and how you skillfully use lighting to convey your intended message in a recording.
It’s important to remember that lighting is crucial to creating a visually appealing scene, setting the mood, and emphasizing important details. It’s not only about the amount of light but also about how it’s used and controlled, which can make a huge difference in the final output.
If you want to experiment with different types of lighting in your videos, here are a few additional tips:
- Use reflectors: Reflectors are great tools for bouncing light onto your subject from different angles. You can use a white reflector to achieve soft, diffused light, a silver one for brighter light, or a gold one for warm, sunset-like light.
- Utilize natural light: If you’re shooting outdoors or near a large window, take advantage of the natural light. However, be aware that the time of day, weather, and the position of the sun can greatly affect the quality and direction of the light.
- Control the light with modifiers: There are various light modifiers available, such as umbrellas, diffusers, and gels that can help you manipulate the quality and color of the light. Using these tools, you can create diffused light, dramatic hard light, or even colorful, artistic light effects.
- Experiment with backlighting: Backlighting is when the main light source is behind your subject, creating a halo or rim light around them. It can be a great technique for adding depth and a dramatic effect to your scene.
- Understand three-point lighting: Three-point lighting is a basic and versatile lighting setup that includes a key light, fill light, and a back light. The key light is the main source of light, the fill light helps to soften the shadows, and the back light separates the subject from the background.
Lastly, remember that practice makes perfect. Take time to experiment with different lighting setups, and analyze the results. With time, you’ll gain a better understanding of how light behaves, and how to use it to create the desired effects in your videos.
In any case, that concludes our text, and we hope you now understand what diffused light is and how to apply it to your recordings. If you need the assistance of professionals to create well-lit videos, don’t hesitate to visit our website and explore the services we offer!