One of the most important factors for producing high quality video streams is the lighting. I have seen crappy analog cameras produce stellar results because of perfect lighting conditions. Proper lighting may seem simplistic but it is not as obvious as you would think.

Fact is that the human eye needs a lot less light than the electronic eye (the CCD) in your video capture device and not realizing this trips up a lot of folks shooting their own amateur videos for the first time. I see it all frequently in the videos SobeGirl renders for other websites. It is a difficult issue for most newbies to over come because after all, your eye is telling you that the lighting is OK. The only thing I can say is that the more videos you shoot the more you begin understand how to interpret what your eye sees into proper lighting for the video recorder.

Furthermore, Many experienced filmmakers don't adequately understand the difference between lighting for traditional 35mm film and lighting for digital video. In this article, we are going to take a look at what you should and should not when lighting your video shoots for web streaming. I will show you why one of the most critical issue in creating high quality video streams is understanding how differently the camera and your eye perceive light.

The human eye can discern a vastly greater range of contrasts than can the tape in your video capture device and keeping this in mind will go along way in making your video streams look better. The eyes really have it. As much as my Sony amazes me it is nothing compared to the human eye. The eye is a wonderfully designed optical device that works in all kinds of lighting situations. The eye can discern detail over a dynamic range, or contrast ratio, that approaches 800:1. This means that even in high-contrast lighting situations, the eye can make out the shadows and highlights without a problem. Of course, this ratio varies from individual to individual and changes as you age.

To put this in a real-world perspective, you can look at a bare 75-watt bulb in a room where areas are in deep shadow. Though the bulb will glare, you can make out the 75-watt label on the lighted bulb and can see some objects and details in the room's shadowed areas. The ratio between the light bulb and the darkest area of the room that you can see determines the contrast ratio of what you perceive. The ratio between the lightest and darkest perceived content determines the dynamic range of the instrument, whether it's your eye or a miniDV tape.

To demonstrate the superiority of the eye as an optical instrument over a video capture device place a bare 75-watt bulb in your scene next time you shoot a video. Scenes that your eye finds acceptable just don't work when recorded to videotape. This is because the tape has a much more restricted dynamic range than your eye. Ignoring the limited dynamic range of tape during a shoot will yield undesirable results in the rendered video. You can move the contrast range of your recording up and down the range of available illumination by changing the exposure times but you can't expand it.

It's because of the limited dynamic range of film that analog and digital filmmakers must learn careful lighting techniques to knock down the highlights and throw fill light into the dark areas. Knock down and fill techniques artificially restrict a movies contrast ratio to better fit in the dynamic range of a given film stock. This is much like what an audio compressor does. It limits the dynamic range of a signal by lifting the bottom and dropping the peaks-except with video, we do it with softboxes, fresnels, jells and reflectors.

Among all capture devices video has the most restricted dynamic range than lets say 35mm film. Although this range has expanded a lot in recent years, even the best cameras can only handle a contrast ratio of about 30:1. Advances in chip technology and digital signal processing are pushing this up rapidly toward 40:1. But remember that this ratio will decrease if postproduction goes through a few generation losses. Video's more restricted dynamic range causes many film gaffers and DPs to trip up when shooting video. They light for film, take careful measurements with light meters, and set up a shot that will look wonderful on film-but lousy on video. They forget, or don't know, that video needs more light compression than film, and to get good video lighting, you must control strong highlights and reflections and throw some fill into dark shadowed areas.

Now this is not always convenient when you are shooting sex videos such as I am but at least you can keep it in mind and adjust your camera angle to lock on to another light source. Be aware that most digital video recorders seek out the brightest light in its scope and they will adjust the white balance according to that.

When it comes to color perception, the incredible flexibility of the human eye again puts video cameras to shame. Not only does the eye perceive more light levels, the combination of the eye and the brain can compensate for the simultaneous presence of a number of different colors. You should generally balance the camera to the dominant light source and color-correct the other lights to the dominant source. To correct the other lights, you'll need some color-correction gels. Of course, special color-balanced fluorescent tubes are available as well. They run cool, emit balanced light but cost a fortune.

Some video shooters are often a little scared of color, and the blandness of the even white lighting shows up in their work. Don't be afraid of using subtle color tints-or even bold colors-in your lighting. The point is to use colors intentionally rather than accidentally. Control begets creativity The critical issues to create a fine video picture are contrast, color, and exposure. Controlling all three of these is essential if you want your video image to look good and behave well during post-production and web streaming. Contrast is controlled primarily outside the camera through careful lighting of your subject. Knock down hotspots and highlights; use adequate fill to illuminate shadowed areas and provide detail.

Outside, especially on a clear sunny day, reflectors will help you get that perfect look. A little knowledgeable attention to color and lighting details during production will save you great agonies in postproduction and I have found it even decreases the file size. Now that you have a basic foundation go out and shoot some different situations to see how the camera captures them. Next time we will learn about the different kinds of lights available and how much they cost. If you are serious about shooting your own content you will have to buy a light set. Just which one you choose depends on what kind of video you want to produce and how much money you have to spend. This is SobeGirl signing out – PEACE !