Sign up now and get a free Tip Sheet for Videographers!

Lighting Terms

Jennifer O'Rourke
July 2005

Ambient Light A light that doesn't highlight any one subject for a natural room light effect. Usually a nondirectional light.

Artificial lightMan-made illumination not limited to "indoor" variety: fluorescent bulbs, jack-o'-lanterns and a car's headlights all qualify. Typically, it has lower color temperature than natural light, and thus more reddish qualities.

Back light Lamp providing illumination from behind. Creates sense of depth by separating foreground subject from background area. Applied erroneously, causes severe silhouette.

Black Wrap A black aluminum foil that is wrapped around lights to control spill. Can also be used to make small flags.

Broad A large open light generally used for fill or to light up a background.

C-47 Also called a number-1 wood clamp, this is your everyday wooden clothespin used to attach gels and scrims to barndoors.

Cameo Lighting Foreground subjects illuminated by directional light, appearing before a black background.

Color Temperature Relative amount of white light's reddish or bluish qualities, measured in degrees Kelvin. Desirable readings for video are 3200K indoors, 5600K outdoors.

Diffused light Indistinctly illuminates relatively large area. Produces soft light quality with soft shadows.

Directional light Light that illuminates a relatively small area with distinct light beam; usually created with spotlight, yields harsh, defined shadows.

Fill light Supplementary illumination, usually from a soft light positioned to the side of the subject, which lightens shadows created by the key light.

Flat lighting Illumination characterized by even, diffused light without shadows, highlights or contrast. This style may impede viewer's sense of depth and dimension.

Highkey and Lowkey A highkey scene is one that is brightly lit throughout with very few shadows. A lowkey scene has lots of dark shadows and high contrast areas.

Incident light The light that emanates directly from a light source. Measured from the object it strikes to the source.

Kelvin Temperature scale used to define the color of a light source; abbreviated as "K."

» Continued on page (2/2)
Page: 1 2

Want to learn more? People that read this article also read:

  • Alakazam! The Magic Bag of TricksJust like every good magician has a bag of tricks, so should every great videographer.
  • Lighting
    Lighting Gels    You're ready with 3-point lighting or a soft-light and mood setting. But ... hum... what's missing? How about some red and blue on that dull white scene?
  • Creating ShadowsDramatic Lighting without Fear (Or, How I Learned to Love the Dark)
  • Sponsors

Rate This Article

Rating: 1 (Poor) - 5 (Excellent)

1 2 3 4 5
How would you rate the author of this article?
How Would you rate the overall value of this article?
How would you rate the graphics?
How would you rate this article's method (i.e interview, tutorial, narrative) for explaining this topic?
How would you rate the depth and length of the article

Related Information

  • Alakazam! The Magic Bag of TricksJust like every good magician has a bag of tricks, so should every great videographer.
  • Lighting
    Lighting Gels    You're ready with 3-point lighting or a soft-light and mood setting. But ... hum... what's missing? How about some red and blue on that dull white scene?
  • Creating ShadowsDramatic Lighting without Fear (Or, How I Learned to Love the Dark)
  • Basic Training: Three-Point Lighting 101Lighting can be extremely complicated. Some movie and TV shoots use dozens of lights to assure proper scene lighting. Here's a primer to help dispel the mystery.
  • Lighting: Using PracticalsLighting a scene using everyday lamps realistically is a skill that earns Hollywood gaffers top dollars. Here are some tips to using practicals in your next video.
  • Sponsors
©2008 Videomaker, Inc.