How to Light a Professional Video

One of the best ways to improve the quality of your videos is to get intentional about your lighting setup. Don't worry, you don't need to go out and spend thousands of dollars on studio lights! In fact, with some creativity, you may be surprised to know that you already have access to the best and most effective light source and it doesn't cost you a thing!

Now, there are folks out there whose entire career is built on adjusting, positioning and monitoring lighting for video, but we're not trying to be cinematographers just yet. We're keeping it simple with a traditional three or four light setup involving the following components:

• Key light
• Background light
• Fill light
• Practical light

Let's walk through this process together! By the end of this video, you will have mastered your basic lighting setup, drastically improving your production quality even if you're filming on a smartphone! For one last bonus, keep this graphic handy as your personal lighting cheat sheet and light it up!