How to Make a Light Panel for Video and Photography

[@craftedworkshop]

AWESOME project Vinny, really clean and well thought out build. Will be featuring you in this week's Weekly Maker Roundup!

[@Makify1]

Wow, thank you!

[@MaxAfterburner]

Great work! You obviously got a lot of enjoyment just in the construction process of the wood, metal and electronics work. Liked the bloopers at the end too!

[@hugonascimento742]

so far the most clean DIY solution I've saw. thanks!

[@hugonascimento742]

how to calculate how much power will be to choose a power adaptor and how to choose a DcDc converter...

[@BruceChastain]

came out great. and I can't believe how clean you keep your work area.

[@Makify1]

My workshop is also my office and our space bedroom so I can't let it get too messy.

[@dennisclark8766]

Fantastic narrative, camera and editing for a training video, well done.

[@ScrapwoodCity]

Really useful project, I definitely have to make something similar, thanks for sharing!

[@Makify1]

I made two and I keep being more and more impressed with them every time I use them. They work well.

[@americandowninbrazil]

Enjoyed the video, especially the bloopers and thanks so much for the links to all the stuff. Many people don't do that enough on KZbin!

[@RobinLewisMakes]

That's great man, really like how easy it is to adjust the brightness

[@Makify1]

That was a major priority in designing it.

[@danieldolezal8541]

Well done. Great job. It is not difficult it just requires tools that many may not have at home.

[@sandeepsharma-do1qp]

tremendous amount of perfection you deliver, its not any of my business video but i watched whole video highly professional you r

[@RetroAdventure]

Wow, this is the second time I have watched this video...and you really did a great job. Very detailed and well put together!

[@Makify1]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, twice.

[@WeBalKamal]

New subscriber from Punjab, India

[@janak9743]

What heating ?

[@MyPhotoVideoLab]

Excellent video!! I will follow your instructions to make one..

[@jesusgallardogalindo1906]

Thank you from Mexico

[@darylbottema-adkins7957]

So cool. Really admire your DIY skills.

[@Makify1]

Thank you!

[@andrewk8636]

This is awesome. I want to make the same channels design but on a flexible platform somehow. And have both warm white a cool white to be able to adjust color temperature

[@ImaginetMedia]

Excellent DIY project. Very well done. Thanks for sharing.

[@thomasreed1386]

I'm interested in something like this for a video shooting friend. However...I'm concerned about the CD-to-DC converter. You mentioned the flickering problem. The converter you mentioned is no longer available on Amazon. How do I find a converter that will not have the flickering problem (the switching of the converter getting to the output)? What do I look for in the spec's?

[@nickkmd9306]

Have a question, i have power adapter for specific led strips outpur 12v, would i still need step down dc dc?(basically.im.a.noob )

[@learn.spanish.podcast]

Hi, what are those iluminating channels? like the plastic thing you put under the lights

[@1minotm1]

where did you get those diffusers stripes ? ... great video

[@hansdegroot8549]

Great build. Thanks for sharing.

[@deLincel]

Vinny, there's some great stuff on your channel. Keep it up mate.

[@Makify1]

Thanks, I'm glad you like my videos!

[@benrussell820]

Hey Makify, thanks for the video. Do the aluminum channels increase the risk of shorting or ruining the circuit? Say if some solder from the positive side got stuck to the aluminum, and ran down to the solder on the negative side?

[@Makify1]

Theoretically, the channels could conduct electricity and could cause a short but I've used them in several projects and it seems highly unlikely that a short would happen unless you are a VERY messy solderer.

[@IrwinOrtiz]

Hi! how i connect a battery like npf970 also?

[@xfornos]

there is flickering in this led panel? sometimes happens with high shutter on the camera

[@Makify1]

The DC-DC converter I used should not cause flickering like you see with some led lights at high shutter speeds.

[@eferelye]

what is that yellow thing you used to cut the alumunium plate? on 4:08

[@Makify1]

It's a miter box like this amzn.to/2mYnUP4.

[@wadadliplus3775]

Hey man, great video, looking to build one, how what does it put out say, whats the equivalent to a Tungsten Lamp? Thanks.

[@danthemakerman]

Looks great! Thorough instructions too.

[@Makify1]

Thanks!

[@2000sativa]

I like the out takes. Good video.

[@Makify1]

I'm glad you liked it!

[@jacksonsheikh659]

Most of the DC converter you guys are using throughout the DIY LED lights, are from Amazon.com, which is not easy to find in India. Can you help me to find a similar one in India from amazon.in?

[@robertfeliciano5723]

Great build, runs cool, low profile. But I'm not sure I'd use the term 'super bright' yet for LEDs. Can you give us some light meter readings or compare to a halogen hot light like a Lowel Rifa?

[@Makify1]

I'll have to do some testing but in the meantime, I can tell you that this panel is a couple of stops brighter than one of the lights I was using before which were soft boxes running five 45watt CFL's each.

[@puretoneix]

😂😂 thanks for this amazing tutorial! After watching it, i got this awesome idea! ==> "brooo can you just make me one.." 😁😂😂 🙈🙈

[@AwesomeWoodThings]

Great build! I may try to make this for myself. Thank you!

[@Makify1]

You're welcome. I'm glad you like it!

[@vapourmelon-independentvap8050]

hey, great video, Thanks!... I'm hoping you can help, I'm not an electrician and struggling to get my head around the voltage supply requirements, so a couple of questions please: 1. can you suggest a good alternative on the UK Amazon site, I can't tell what I need. and 2. I know if you go too high on the volts you'll blow the LEDs, when you power off how can you be sure the volts won't reset too high when you come to olig in again? ( I only ask because it's digital rather than a manual knob to adjust)..... Thanks on advance!

[@Makify1]

The voltage regulator I used remembers the last setting used even after you unplug it and you can't change the voltage when it isn't powered on. I found the same voltage regulator on the UK Amazon site amzn.eu/0kfaUl0. You'll also need a power supply that can output at least 13 volts (the LEDs need 12 volts at full brightness and the voltage regulator uses 1 volt) and at least 7 amps (maybe a little less if you absolutely have to). One like this one would work: amzn.eu/8kaIYJE. Sometimes the amps (abbreviated as A) aren't listed on Amazon but watts are given instead. You can figure out how many amps a power supply can provide with the formula P=I*V where P is the power (in watts), V is the voltage (in volts), and I is the current (in amps). So a 15 volt, 120 watt power supply can provide 8 amps of current (120/15=8). I hope this helps.

[@vapourmelon-independentvap8050]

Makify1 thanks that's wonserful. thank you for taking the time to come back to me so quickly. very kind of you!

[@Makify1]

You're welcome. I'm here to help.

[@Gigshooters]

great build, and very good easy to follow video, how much approx did the light cost

[@cephotoclub]

great tutorial, just asking though. What about all the exposed electrics that could zap you?

[@pleitgeb]

Great build!

[@Makify1]

Thanks!

[@MylesDavid]

Hey Vinnie, Are there led’s that you can change the color temp that you can use for this project? Also- is there a way you could control the lights via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth? Thanks for the great video! Myles

[@Makify1]

There are RGB LEDs that let you change the color but I don't know of any that are precise enough to let you dial in an exact color temperature (e.g. change from 6500K to 5500K). They do make LED controllers that you can control over Bluetooth but I've never used them and the only thing I know about them is that they exist.

[@realinohio]

Well done video! By the time we all buy or rent all these tools to manufacture this, we might as well just buy a new light! LOL

[@Makify1]

It's true that I used tools not everyone has but you could make one of these light panels with little more than a hand saw, drill, and soldering iron.

[@damianlure4698]

Cool build!

[@Makify1]

Thanks!

[@maxjo314]

hey bro! how to solve flickering led strips? please help me to solve this problem! I am using dimmer!

[@Makify1]

Do they flicker to the naked eye or just on video? If they are flickering to the naked eye, it's probably a problem with your power supply. If they flicker on video then it's likely a problem with your voltage regulator or possibly with the power supply. Many voltage regulators work by turning the power on and off very quickly but many turn it on and off at a frequency too fast to see with your naked eye but slow enough that it gets picked up by cameras. The voltage regulator I used in this project doesn't have this problem. There's a link in the description to the one I used.

[@maxjo314]

Makify1 They are flickering both ways eyes and video recording! voltage regulator is may be working well I think I need to increase voltage maybe I am not sure I think my adaptor is low voltage I don't know but adaptor is showing me 12v but I'm not sure is that 12v that's why I asked this question to you bro! thank you so much! now I am trying new then I will again contact you!

[@IrwinOrtiz]

16V 8A.... and not flickering any more

[@astonishing-a]

If you are using a dimmer instead of the voltage regulator used in the video.. LED dimmers dim by PWM - that will cause flickering. (Google it)

[@MaxsBestBootcampDanbury]

Not handy enough for this yet, but really great job making it & this tutorial!

[@3alegions]

Material total cost?

[@Andy-ue3dv]

Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@powerbatterychannel4315]

Really good gob! I plan to add a battery compartment to this device;)

[@Emancarrillo]

Looks great. Love the aluminum channels. Really ups to look. You should consider wiring in a master on/off switch and then even a small switch for the fan. So you can toggle it on/off super easy.

[@Makify1]

Those are both good ideas. I have also considered adding a resistor to the fan to slow it down and quiet it.

[@EversonBernardes]

You could probably change it for a larger, slower moving fan, to get the same amount of cooling with less noise. The current one is comically undersized for the radiator :D

[@danieldolezal8541]

Or try to find apropriate fanless cooler from some old graphic card and replace the original one.

[@Wajang100]

How the heck is a videographer so skillful at woodworking? And how the heck does a videographer have a full on professional workshop with top of the line tools? 🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@chandranshpandey1929]

A lil design change use thick aluminum sheet and use it as a heat sink for led as well as dimmer electronics You don't gonna need fan in such conditions

[@johnkraemer5505]

Very nice!

[@Makify1]

Thanks!

[@johndrew4689]

This is a very well made video, and extremely informative. I would like to run this from a V-Lock professional battery which has a nom voltage of 13.8V. Thoughts on that??

[@Makify1]

Hmm... I wouldn't feel very good about running these LED's straight from a 13.8V battery. You could use a voltage regulator like the one I used or you could just add a (properly-sized) resistor between the battery and LED strip.

[@badrohamidou]

So profisionel i love it but i think should remove the protecter of led to have more light

[@wproductionlhr6971]

good work

[@hugobracamontesbaltazar]

Awesome, great idea!

[@Makify1]

Thanks!

[@WatchMeDIYIt]

Awesome light, man!

[@Makify1]

Thank you!

[@legosnazzy]

Very cool, I really like your channel!

[@Makify1]

Thanks!

[@muratferitsirmali6445]

great. thanks..

[@cjhoyle]

Very nice project! Definitely a nice looking light and much easier to build than the custom LED light I built. Any idea what the total material cost was for this project?

[@Makify1]

Probably in the range of $100-125, depending on prices and what you already have on hand.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Looks nice!

[@Makify1]

Thanks Bruce!

[@liftsalot]

LEDs don't like different voltages than rated. You need a led dimmer for dimming. It flickers the light fast enough to look like it's dimmer.

[@49cfr]

Very well done.

[@Makify1]

Thank you!

[@divusiulius7539]

That really was an amazing video! Very easy to follow. Now I want to do that. Any idea what the lumens or Lux are on this light you created? If you have a light meter what kind of Fstops, shutters speeds at ISO 100 at one meter can you measure? This information really tells us the important details about the light. And once again, thank you !

[@Makify1]

Unfortunately, I don't have a dedicated light meter but I ran some tests using my camera, a Panasonic G7 with Panasonic 25mm f/1.8 lens. I set the camera to full scene metering, iso 100, f/8.0, and positioned it 1 meter from the light source. All the bulbs I tested, except the light panel, were placed in an 8.5" clamp light with reflector (like this one: amzn.to/2k0YMHg). I tested all the bulbs I had around the house. I know this isn't ideal but it's the best I could do. Here are the resulting shutter speeds: ValueBright 40W incandescent ??? Lumens = 1/100 Feit 7.5W LED 500 Lumens = 1/125 Ecosmart 23W CFL 1600 Lumens = 1/200 Philips 23W CFL 1600 Lumens = 1/200 Feit 100W CFL 1600 Lumens = 1/250 Sylvania 150W incandescent 2740 Lumens = 1/400 My LED Light Panel = 1/800 Anecdotally, these results jive with my experience shooting video. Before making and using 2 of these light panels, I was using 2 soft boxes each with 5 CFLs. I feel that the light panels give off a little more light than the soft boxes and the color of the light is better (i.e. no green cast).

[@amitabh029]

video are so awesome and u r suprrbbb.. love from India

[@Makify1]

Thank you!

[@livianomuratori2014]

compliments, fantastic!

[@Makify1]

Thank you!

[@noahtheeditor8650]

Can these DYI channels just sell some of the finished products

[@ravirajsingh7039]

Bahut hard hai bhai

[@RetroAdventure]

Very good sir!

[@Makify1]

Thank you!

[@benf101]

You're pretty amazing in the workshop. I wish I had the time to pursue that type of thing. Nice job!

[@forestlampcraft472]

COOL

[@pangrac1]

The bigger the fan u use the smaller RPM you need for the same cooling effect = more quiet it will be

[@damianlure4698]

Since you've done a longboard, make a wooden pennyboard too! That would be awesome

[@Makify1]

That's a good suggestions. I still need to get better at riding the longboard before I try a penny board though. One day...

[@Ifuurr]

this video just show ur gear that?

[@gazellep]

amazing tutorial, I'm so jealous of all your tools tho 😂

[@loriskulla3649]

program name for editing video ?

[@Makify1]

Adobe Premiere

[@mouradatia9580]

Was going to troll the video quality..but then i remembered that we can only watch 240p in my country..sorry

[@wattage2007]

Wow. What country only allows 240p?

[@mouradatia9580]

@@wattage2007 that was eons ago. Now we have 4k dw

[@Wackywoodworks]

Nice...

[@Makify1]

Thanks!

[@kennethredula8890]

nice

[@johnsummerfield8600]

I'm pretty sure that the metric conversions don't work. if you had done the design with Google SketchUp, people could fiddle with it, maybe make smaller or larger versions, maybe convert to metric and substitute metric bolts and drills rather than use overly precise conversions. That fan looks tiny. Perhaps one designed for a computer case would e quieter. You could also use an electronics kit box to enclose the power supply.

[@HappySlappyFace]

damnit I shoudev got the white leds from the workshop too last time I came....

[@divusiulius7539]

Those were really funny out takes. How in the hell did you do that popping noise with you mouth? Funny Funny shit. :-P Oh! and great light too. It's simple and easy. You should make a complete video on just your out takes Thanks!

[@Makify1]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! I don't know how I make those noises, I just make them. I assumed everyone could do that but I've heard that not everyone can.

[@divusiulius7539]

Another question for you. I'm trying to determine for a given ISO what are the, Watts, Lumens to FStops for a any given scene? and What kind of distance for the lights are you working with? Before I invest into LED Light panels, I need to get a reasonable idea what I'm going to get for the money. I'm not accustomed to LED Tech Lumens to FStops. So, What is the Lumen output for your device and what kind of Fstops are you working with for the distance your lights are from your subject? For instance, what was the Fstop for the light in that particular still image from that Video Still.

[@Yonatan24]

I envy the amount of copper the LED strip has.... Oh, the price!

[@Makify1]

They aren't the cheapest but they are beautiful!

[@johnconrad5487]

yeah! really no one cares just as long as u convey the message. u did a great job of the light panel as well as the video. thanks for sharing. where did u get the aluminum channels?

[@Makify1]

There are links in the video description.

[@wbocxe]

You crazy man, that is too much work. And that thing must weigh like a brick.

[@Makify1]

It weighs 3.7 lb (1.7 kg). It's smaller and lighter than the 5 bulb softbox I was using. I consider that a win.

[@noyarttt]

Then this is not for you. You always have to think what works for you, if you dont have time then you may have to spend some money to save that time. :)

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

Then improve the design. I'd say that big bit of thick plywood needs to go for a start. And there must be a lighter and quicker way of adding the positioning brackets. also why not use a single piece of wire either side and just melt off the plastic shielding at each contact?

[@KennethNicholson1972]

Nitpicking! This is a great project, all the parts that used machines in their construction can easily be done with simple hand tools. Minimum list = Saw, hacksaw, electric drill. The design is simple and can even be simplified even further by using flat aluminum instead of channel with diffuser, or not fitting a custom made bracket for example. If your life is so busy that you can not spend an afternoon making a simple project, and you have the income to throw cash at shop bought filming lights then go for it. This project is great for those that do not have your amazingly busy life or wealth, and actually like to make things with their hands. This video, its editing, narration, and project construction is made by a Man who is kind enough to share His ideas and the way He does them is so anyone can understand it, folks who maybe did not have the confidence to undertake some projects for fear of failure and wasting money. He shows that anyone can do it, just have a go. Make something.

[@currylane6601]

This is called not being simple,Too much work I’d rather spend 35 box on Home Depot buying led panel

[@dierappermartin3586]

Hello

[@Makify1]

Hi

[@GamingJojoWorld]

you should definitely work in ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY and get rich!! Haha! Great DIY Anyways :)

[@diandtaylor]

Dude just sell this thing and I will buy one

[@cattelia]

Or.. customs???

[@friendlyopensociety1679]

that fan noise tho

[@SalahHesham]

you could buy a ready one easily xD

[@EdGobina]

Are you serious man?