Lighting 101: Understanding Light Quality

[@TapTwice]

Probably the type of Diffusion i use the most: clouds

[@aputurelighting]

Lol same

[@royal1234ful]

"how do you shoften your light?" answer: I don't, that's why am here to learn.

[@TapTwice]

I know many people are just bouncing the light of the ceiling or using cheap Diffusors and shower curtains but i personally try to use softboxes (often with a grid) as much as i can. Otherwise i would waste so much of my light output that does not directly hit my subject. Sure, there are situations for both solutions but i prefer the more controlled setup.

[@RonS]

How I diffuse? I use a standard softbox or shower curtains for bigger scenes :D

[@75416264]

Que : How do you soften your light My Answer is : Apparently I found an extremely budget friendly diffuser in Ikea store ..I bought a set of white shower curtains ..they work wonders to diffuse the light and create soft light on the subject ...I have a couple of people hold the shower curtain in front of the light ...if I need further diffusion then I just ask them to double fold the Shower curtain ..that's it

[@aputurelighting]

Haha yes! Ikea for the win

[@EricNietofilms]

I have used shower curtains and paper a lot to difuse lights! 😂 also white walls are preaty usefull for this when you are on a budjet!

[@EricNietofilms]

shower curtains paper and white walls it's what I used more in projects on a budjet! 😂

[@Befric]

I use a bed sheet when needed , and a black fabric from ikea as a negative fill.

[@julian_heuschneider]

I soften my light with a cheap diffusion cloth form amazon and a 5 in 1 reflector.

[@feketelucka]

White baking paper, brown baking paper, thin baking paper, thick baking paper, baking paper, baking paper, BAKING PAPER, BAKING PAPEEEER (I have budget only for baking paper :)

[@AustenPaul]

Really depends on the situation im shooting in, Bouncing off walls or the ceiling, light dome II, and or book light with a bounce board and white bed sheet.

[@upawa]

Lightdome II does it for me!

[@benjaminfiedler]

When I'm shooting in a small room I often use walls to bounce light. Recently I enjoy using daylight trough windows with a curtain. Actually one of the best ways to get soft light.

[@Icarusvideo]

Of course, I use the diffusion box included with the Aputure MC! ;) Jokes aside, I don't have one "go-to" way of diffusing my light. During daytime I like shooting with dirty windows as my primary source of lighting if the windows are not dirty enough I either use white paper or a thin sheet to cover them up and soften the light!

[@RivuSouravBanerjeeVideoEditor]

Thank u so much for sharing these tips..hugely helpful & i will use these techniques. I hv only one led light & i use a softbox to get a soft light on the subject. I try to place it at an angle of about 45 degree. ...i want to use a backlight & a hair light too.but i hv only one light. love frm India 🇮🇳

[@muralibalaraman]

I use shear curtains and windows to diffuse natural light. I have a silk bag for diffusing my hue light. And finally my white T-shirt to take care of my key light.

[@j.oakley9588]

I’ve diffused light using shower curtain. I recently did a morning/breakfast table scene at 7 pm, shooting light through the window with 1/2 CTO (I believe). I placed a couple of shower curtains over the window and it turned out nice. Can I have that MC now?

[@AsherPardey]

I'm still a student, so I have a limited budget, I've used a sheet, a shower curtain (Which works really well), and plastic packets... which wasn't a great idea, because my floodlight melted the packets! :P

[@MarcinRutkowski]

I have very low power led panel, to achieve soft light and enough brightness I simply put it as close to subject as it possible. Relative size of this panel will change, and the light will be softer. It's not perfect, but for small objects like bottles, cups or lenses it does look greate.

[@n8miles455]

When I first got into cinematography in high school, I would use a really bright desk lamp, diffused by a sheet of parchment paper, bounced it off my white ceiling through a white bed sheet I had tacked to the ceiling and back onto the talent. Creativity goes a long way. if you want the desired results like you would from professional grade gear while on a low budget - ya just gotta put in a little more effort. sure the set may look like chaos but the image on camera will be pristine

[@Darkanent]

I soften my light through book light. It’s always most preferred.

[@coachjohnlucas7451]

I use shop lights from Home Depot ($12) with led bulbs. I made barn doors for them to help control the light. I diffuse with either a bounce ($1), shower curtain ($10), or both. Depends on the needs. I also like using different bulbs 5000K or 2700k and varying brightness levels. Some day I’ll upgrade to real lights.

[@Nqrgaard]

I soften the light with a soft box, but a DIY cheap version could be buying a white shower curtain in IKEA 😊👍

[@martin.morscher]

I soften my light with everything I could use... if it's white wall, baking paper, t-shirt or lightdoom/umbrella

[@JorgeDourado]

How do I use light? I like to recreate light with an organic look embracing the environment so I usually bounce light or do a book light depending on the subject and scene. Cheers.

[@DYONIZIAKFILM]

I've a question. What is difference between silk, lee 250 and normal, cheap blend?

[@JoshuaFortuna]

My main lights are 120Ds, so I love putting the Light Dome in them shooting through a silk. However I’m going to be trying a parabolic umbrella with Joker 1600 with no diffusion soon. Excited to see soft light without a rag 🤞🏽

[@miltonw57]

I like to bounce my hair or rim light from a large bounce slightly opposite of the rim. It gives a nice hard edge to the subject while breaking up the light considerably for a key.

[@534daro534]

I often use full density diffusion foil about 50-80cm from the light source and when it's too harsh I bounce that light with a styrofoam or deprom. On no budget productions I often use shower curtain and white walls (if available)

[@hunterbuchanan2]

My secret sauce is to work with natural light and help shape what's already there. So if I'm near a window put some curtains to control it and then take a 300d II with a dome and use it to "wrap" it even further. Then I take a shower curtain and throw it in front of the window and the 300D as close to my subject as possible (which makes it one source). With this right out of frame, it makes your light fall off smoothly. Your interview subject will feel more at ease with this because it also works to hide the "scary space light" and feels more natural. **Bonus Tip: I recommend not using a second light to fill the other side but whiteboard that you can pick up from home depot. If you use it as an eye-catch. then you can cut it into a different shape to show up in their eyes. Like a stop sign or get crazy with a star shape (just make it big).

[@JianLiangg]

I use shower curtains. Clip them on a lightstand and you got a very big light source. Double the layer to further soften it ✔️

[@Noah7s-f6s]

I normally use softbox because my cheap light doesn't have enough power to bounce back xD Thank you for these awesome videos by the way!

[@RapzoneProductions]

Kept it far away low down intensity & than used the cheap umbrella still it work well for the look I required

[@anthonysyfilms]

I usually diffuse my light by bouncing it off the ceiling or other surfaces but recently I’ve found that a white hydro flask carrier is great for my bright LED’s.

[@Suburban_Pantsula]

Bouncing the light is usually what I do, I mostly work on low to no budget projects so I need to work with what I have. Thanks for the tips.

[@Kossekun]

at my workplace we rarely have diffusion material, so i often went to convenient store to get a plastic bag (yes we still using plastic bag) then just put it over our lights that soften the light to produce a pleasing result :)

[@Infancinema]

On a budget I Bounce the light off a white wall. In close ups I even bounce it if the palm of a hand. Bouncing is very powerful

[@Burritosarebetterthantacos]

Parchment paper and duct tape, however, I’m ordering an aputure keylight soon so probably a dome👍

[@chok1169]

Is baking paper good for diffusing light? And how do I choose what type of shower cortain to diffuse light? help

[@dutchgirl2]

Don't use any yet hope to learn more about lighting. We are traveling fulltime and like to learn how I can use the outdoors with maybe one light.

[@ChristianWestby]

A while back while i did a piece on a strawberry company, we forgot the 250 diffusion back at the office. But then we came up with the brilliant idea of using the soft fabric they put over the strawberries when they grow. from that on allways carry a extra bit of fabric as backup cause it takes no space and its also great for putting between gear when traveleing so it dont chafe.:)

[@LKBL8]

that motion graphics in videos are very distracting. I always watch the moving line instead the text inside. Again and again. Optical illusion. There is huge contrast and the colour of the line is more aggressive and moving according the rest - so it steals attention to its self. I would put it away or make it static, and black or dark grey (the line). Anyway - nice fast lessons, I learn a lot. thanks for it.

[@qvalfilmstudio1048]

Best idea for flood the whole room with light , it’s just bounce a light from white wall ( of course if in room it’s white but usually it’s works ) also here u can control which engle will better for you )

[@MikhailChub]

how do you shoften your light? I don't. These days soft lights are much more affordable than hard lights. It is a problem to find a good hard light with low price.

[@fernis123]

I typically bounce the light, especially book light. Just looks more pleasing to me

[@Vlachosj]

I like to use octoboxes with double diffusion. Octoboxes give rounder catch lights than softboxes.

[@CodakChris]

I WATCH EVERY EPISODE faithfully

[@НабиМелдебек]

👍👍👍 thanks

[@MaximilienZeraschi]

mostly to soften my light I have some tiny softboxes. but aside from them boucing is the easiest way... I think. the booklight looks fantastic though

[@neoray10]

I have softened the light for a interview by bouncing two softbox cfls on to the ceiling of a room on each side and for a sketch video placed two layers of parchment paper in front of a 1000 w harsh light 4 ft away.

[@smokermarine]

5 in 1 reflektor - most versatile tool for reflecting, diffusing and bouncing

[@giovannimattei1644]

I like to soft the light by boucing It on The cealing. Every time i don't haver enough light to fill The enviorment...

[@rikiwatanabe4342]

We can’t always have a big light source due to the limitation of the available space on set. In this kind of situation, I use a dome diffuser to effectively and evenly spread the light.

[@Michael-A-V58]

I run a low cost setup myself and I use frosted shower curtains with diy flag frames and neewer 5 in 1 Light reflector to bounce the light when needed, it works well for what I do for now .

[@ethanhenrickson6156]

Que : how do you soften your light? A super cheap way to soften the light is to take like a target or Walmart bag and then open it up and set it on the light. It defusses the light quite a bit and makes it much softer. Note - only use this for led lights otherwise the bag can start in fire

[@harmonylimoggio8279]

Ive certainly used bedsheets, tablecloths, and tee shirts... broke film student life

[@godbodyjones]

You can diffuse with a variety of bed sheets differing by quality and thread count you can get from a Walmart

[@janrolon]

My favorite technique for diffusing light on a budget is a clear shower curtain!

[@VincentTartar]

I guess it depends on the situation but i would say that in desperate situations, white shower curtains that you can find in any store can save your shooting quite well.

[@AshutoshSoni]

How to used small light source to light up the subject like as model ? *Light source - like small led @aputure mc

[@Jones_Media]

Awesome !! I use the light dome mini 2 for creating soft light .

[@MrTrepTower]

Paper towel sheets. I legit use paper towel. It’s cheap useful and for smaller lights offers some useful diffusion.

[@flowet7110]

A softbox is my preferred was of lighting a subject!

[@S9universe]

on my last shooting I used a huge thick white sheet on a backdrop stand for diffusion and it worked pretty well

[@orfanidis071]

In most cases I use the transparent side of those 5 in 1 reflectors to diffuse the light coming from the sun, because I'm in a budget :P

[@animusvisual]

I soften my lights with a light dome II as primary diffusion and then put that thru a 4x4 or 8x8 with a silk. super soft, sometimes i need 2 lights to punch through especially on the 8x8. cant want to buy the 600d you guys.

[@aputurelighting]

Haha sounds like a great setup! We can't wait for the 600D either :)

[@CRMXph]

I use may 5 in one reflector to either pass through or bounce. 👌🏻

[@bluejoker150683]

Umbrella and 5in1 reflector, the most underrated modifiers.

[@sanilalkuttimon1755]

😍😍😍

[@mrheng562]

That's so cool how I'm teaching my lighting unit to my high schoolers and you're making videos for my lessons. We just learned about hard and soft lights last week. Then, key/rim/fill. Today, we learned color temperature of lights. Let me guess, is that the next video? LOL!!! Anyhoo, I want that MC light to go with the M9. So, the way I soften my light is use a shoot through umbrella. I know I can't control light as well as soft boxes, but that light wrap is sooooooooooo pretty!!!

[@aputurelighting]

Wow that's so crazy! I hope the episodes have been helpful for your students. You're right about the umbrella. There's something about indirect light that's always better than direct light.

[@mrheng562]

@@aputurelighting , definitely very helpful and keeping the videos short helps a whole bunch too. Keep doing these four minute film school tutorial videos.

[@mounirzouina4004]

My Answer is : i use a Budget 60 cm Diffusion to make the light softer

[@allradmedia]

I now use a softbox, but I used to use whatever I could afford, usually just a shower curtain or a shirt.

[@omdbagul]

I use a big white bedsheet to soft my lights, that way it's cheaper and not to mention works great...

[@alexv4907]

I use an umbrella kit and either shoot through or bounce off the umbrella depending on the look I want.

[@thelifeofryan8683]

I use white umbrellas. They aren't the best but they get the job done.

[@MaxGleiser]

A: If shooting near windows I like to use mirror boards to focus the sun through some 216, and use very see-through curtains to just give that second layer of spread. Interior I'm a huge fan of softboxes (the Domes mainly), or shooting it through unbleached muslin for a more diffused source. :P

[@aputurelighting]

Reflecting the sun that way sounds awesome! And unbleached muslin is a great diffuser because of how thick it is. Good stuff!

[@SaguinMedia]

I use a shoot through umbrella to soften light, since that's all I have at the moment. :)

[@Awrange]

Are there an news on the sidus links bridge? Desperately waiting for that one to Come out!

[@8lec_R]

I use a china ball. Also since all my walls are white, some of the light bounces of the wall giving really soft light

[@Jaystickzs]

I use the lightdome 1 works like a charm with extra added diffusion its give me a smooth roll off

[@orangearts-desgs5614]

I use the good old white shower curtain. :D Awesome video!

[@jacobstauff7153]

Bounce up into a white ceiling has given me some really nice results, also using curtains already in place can help to nail a “sunny exterior” feel

[@SotoAivalis]

I’m using a LSD II with the light dome II as my key light and in the between of that and the subject I’m using a 5in1 reflector and I choose the white part that softens the light! Amazing video thanks for the great content!

[@aputurelighting]

Thank you! Sounds like a great setup

[@mrmance1]

I soften with a soft box which is double defused, and I use a hard rim light.

[@Mthandeni14]

saw that indy mogul tshirt S/O Ted from the A-Team

[@sifux]

I use one or more sheets of paper to soften my light. Instagram: @sifuxanimation

[@daylight5500]

How do I soften light (LED lights only)= layers of BUBBLE wrap or large opaque plastic bottle.

[@aputurelighting]

Bubble wrap?? I'll have to give that a try sometime!

[@nakulmohur9638]

Increase the distance between the light and the subject and then using a scrim jim

[@aguynamedme7760]

I have a frame for a green screen, but I throw a bed sheet on it an that works pretty well.

[@bevisneo6803]

i soften my light with a thin layer of shirt as to be budget friendly or bounce of a poly

[@productionssnowland]

I usually bounce it on a wall or I put a 250 or an opal diffusion sheet in front of it.

[@AndrewHughes71]

Generally on a major budget so a sheet of corflu board as a reflector works well

[@stevenkralovec]

I usually soften light by bouncing off the ceiling or wall.

[@tomn.9610]

Really great video. This video is clear, concise, informative and helpful !!!!

[@aputurelighting]

Thank you!

[@sebastianus_olaf]

so far i use aputure dome ii. all works great. no complain at all. btw how about rim light? is it better soft or hard light? love the video especially the shirt diffusion lol

[@aputurelighting]

Glad to hear you're getting good results with the Light Dome. Rim light can go either way. I like for all of my lights to be soft, because I think it adds a higher quality look to the image. But a hard edge light can look great too. I think even a "hard" edge light should have at least some light diffusion on it just to be safe.

[@anatoliyg7311]

Before: bed sheet Now: Aputure Lantern

[@Infancinema]

Light is definitely underestimated. Great video 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@aputurelighting]

Agreed! Thanks for the love

[@maximelys5119]

I usually hang up the diffuser part of a collapsable round light reflector to soften the light. Easy and quick, and works well !

[@aputurelighting]

Yes! When I started I had a 1k tungsten light and that diffuser and it worked great

[@LeonUnity]

Personally, I've used everything from a bedsheet, a curtain to bouncing it off a really pale Boom Op's bare chest - this is not a joke, this actually happened. Generally speaking, I'm one of those weirdos who likes a box catch light over a round one, so I actually go for a softbox in with a square format. I'm not sure why I like that, maybe it's because it reminds me of windows more?

[@TrippyArtist007]

Answer: To soften the light,I will use aperture light products.lol!