- Let's talk about lighting.
It's probably the most overlooked aspect
of your video creation and filmmaking,
but it's also the number one thing
that can change everything about your video projects.
If you can master the five simple lighting fundamentals
that we will show you in this video,
we guarantee you that you will
not only up the production value of your videos,
but we'll also have the power to create cinematic imagery
for whatever kind of videos you want to create.
From promo videos to blogs,
to YouTube tutorials like this one.
This is Christine from Invideo,
and today is all about cinematic lighting.
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Step one is to use soft lighting
from diffused light sources, instead of harsh light sources.
This is one of the most fundamental steps
to create a cinematic look,
and also it can create the biggest impact
in terms of how your shots look like.
For instance, check out how this shot looks like
with a harsh one point light source
versus a diffused light source.
As you can clearly see,
the shot with the direct light seems
very artificial and causes harsh shadows.
Now, there are a few ways to achieve soft lighting
without having to spend hundreds of dollars
on expensive lights.
You can add a layer of diffusion
with the help of something as simple as a diffusion paper
that you will easily get an Amazon.
Of course, another popular way of diffusing light is
by using a soft box.
They can go on top of led lights or flashlights
and will be available in different shapes and sizes.
But if you're shooting in a closed room
for a YouTube video or a product video,
a soft box between 18 inches to 32 inches
should be just enough,
and you can buy one for as low as $40.
We will drop in a link for the one we recommend
in the description below.
Now, if you're shooting outdoors,
then the easiest way to achieve diffuse lighting is
by shooting at the right time of the day.
For those of you,
who've just started shooting your own footages,
the best time to shoot outdoors is the golden hours
which is the first hour
when the light is coming up and the last out of the day,
when the sun is going down.
During this time,
the light from the sun mimics the diffused light you get
when you use a soft box in front of an LED light,
eliminating the harsh shadows it can cast on your subject.
On the other hand, if you shoot during the day,
the sun will act very similar to a hard direct source
of light coming from above your subject,
leading to hard shadows on your subject.
For instance, check out these three shots that were taken
at 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM.
As you can clearly see,
the shots taken at 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM
look much smoother and cinematic,
as opposed to the shot taken at 12:00 PM.
Step number two is to pay attention
to the angle and direction of your lighting.
Now, while step number one
will ensure that you have the ideal intensity and lighting
for your videos,
the direction from which you light up your subject
will drastically change the look and feel of your shots.
If you light up your subject from too far up, it will again,
lead to harsh shadows on your subject,
especially under the eyes leading to your subject,
looking creepy, depressed, or less trustworthy.
On the other hand, if you place your light source too low,
you'll start making your subject look supernatural,
tense or borderline scary.
More often than not,
What you will be tempted to do is to place the light right
in front of your subject, to light it evenly.
But as you can see here,
what happens is
that this makes your subject's face look flat,
since it eliminates all shadows and depth.
You will want to place your main light source
at a 45 degree angle from your camera
so that it eliminates shadows on one side,
but still retains the drop shadow on one side of the frame.
So if you're just starting to shoot your footage,
remember the direction of the light
is as important as the quality or intensity of the light,
if not more.
Step number three is to make sure you light your background.
This is probably the second most overlooked step
after angle of lighting,
since most people will light up the subject,
leaving the background entirely dark,
especially if you're shooting indoors.
What this does is it highlights the artificial nature
of these lights and makes the video look even most staged.
And this is not just important for interviews or tutorials,
but it's also important for B-rolls and blogs.
If you'd go back and watch any of your favorite YouTubers,
you'd see that their backgrounds will always be lit properly
to make the video look natural.
You can do this super easily by simply adding a light source
in your background,
like a lamp or to bounce the fuse light onto the wall.
Step number four to cinematic lighting is
to ensure you have depth of frame.
Creating depth of frame becomes super important
when you think of how you can separate your subject in focus
from the background.
Now, one way to shoot this is by a low aperture lens.
Now, as you've guessed, it's not something doable,
if you're shooting from your phone.
Now, the simplest way to do this is
by reducing the amount of light that you use
for your background
and making it darker as compared to the amount of light
on your subject.
Another way of doing this is by using a light source
with a complimentary color to separate your subject
from the background.
For example, if you're using a slightly warm light
as your key light,
lighting your background
with more warm light
will not help you differentiate your subject.
Instead, what you want to do is use a blue light
since it's on the opposite end of the color wheel.
This brings us to our last and final step,
which is to ensure that your subject has a catch light
or an eye light.
This is essentially the reflection of the source of light
on your subject's eye.
This is something
that makes your characters feel human and alive.
If you ever see another person in natural daylight,
you'd always see one catch light,
which is a reflection of the light coming from the sun.
So when you're shooting indoors,
what you would want to do is position your lights
in a way that your subject mimics the same look and feel.
And that was a Roundup of five key steps
that you can take today to achieve cinematic lighting,
and your videos look like a million bucks.
Which one of these tips was your favorite?
Let us know in the comments below.
And don't forget to check out this next video
where we talk about five video lighting tips
that every beginner should use
when they're creating their videos.
This is Christine from Invideo,
and I'll see you in the next one.