Light Painting Tutorial

[MyRobotboy]

Fujifilm FinePix S2950 can i use this cam to light paint??

[MuiTOWxD]

what kind of flashlights are you using? and where do you get those mini ones?

[kennychew007]

hey man, thanks for your video, it inspired me to do this for my current design project and bought a nikon D3100 =D

[MrRayb0123]

I have a cannon rebel and everything is all set up but when i take the picture, an orange beeping blinking light is happening and it wont let me take anything. know anything about that?

[ebless]

@MrRayb0123 This must be your timer (I think), if you set your timer to 10 seconds you've to wait for the 10 seconds before start painting..

[TechGeek95]

@MrRayb0123 Switch to manual focus. The camera wont let you take a picture if it cant focus so switch it to manual focus and then focus it yourself.

[CurveXD]

There an iphone app called LIght Graffiti, ITS AWESOME

[Hollywoodish]

I use a older rebel digital, out in the desert at night on a tripod, focus can be tricky, set the iso to max 1600, set the fstop wide open f 2.8, and the shutter to 30 seconds,have subject hold very still and race like mad painting with the led light, you could also get colored gels for your light.

like this. for the movie "Baracuda" mojave desert near Calif. City

paradoxproductions(dot)com/pic­s/IMG_9612ChristyDesert.jpg

[mripodcases]

That is so awesome, I have a canon elph 300, do you think i could do that with my camera?

[MyThirdTry]

where could i order one of these flashlights O.o

[RedLipstick19]

Works with a Nikon L120?

[cfiredog1]

Do you know how to do this with a canon camcorder? specifically the Vixia Hf M30

[Anthonyperez3]

Does this affect the camera, just being curious. Thanks great vid!

[thedariustwin]

@Anthonyperez3 If you use a laser, then yes.. don't do that, it will ruin the sensor if you're not careful! I don't think using an LED will do much harm, esp if your fstop is set to around 5.6 and above like on the vid.

[MexBorderGuard]

when i try and do this i barely show up in the picture itself and everything is blurry. So no light and i turn invisible and everything is blurry. HELP?

[thedariustwin]

@MexBorderGuard I made a video about that called "light paint with a point and shoot camera - how to get focused in the dark" go to (1:17)

[pinappleface94]

great tutorial. short and to the point. very helpful!

[jenniej3371]

: )

[DaddyMacAndMacDaddy]

When I try my flash pops up and ruins it

[thedariustwin]

@DaddyMacAndMacDaddy , gotta set that cam to manual mode. nø flash.

[giru1992]

thnx for the tutorial............. :)

[incognitopanda13]

What camera are you using???? :)

[p3destrian]

i love your dinosaur photos!

[tkerkel3679]

16 people only have disposable cameras.

[yl4dt]

Thumbs up if Yahoo brings you here!!!

[mystratplaysforme]

dude, this was awesome....thanks for making an actual good video about something cool.  props, man-best of luck in your work

[lambmaster27]

Thanks for that seizure in the beginning you artist dick!

[andrearetel]

Love your work! My question is...how the heck can you do this sort of photography without you showing up in the back ground?

[thedariustwin]

@andrearetel you only show up if you cast light on yourself or sit still for too long. if you're quick and wear dark colors, you won't show up.

[thedariustwin]

@andrearetel you only show up if you cast light on yourself or sit still for too long. if you're quick and wear dark colors, you won't show up.

[thunderfoot43]

I knew that smiley face was coming.

[jasonsps78]

I know this is probably a retarded question, but can you do light painting with a video camera?

[thedariustwin]

@jasonsps78 kinda.. but not really. Best I've seen is a kinect hack.. But that's not really it. I feel like it'll happen at some point.

[GCAUFilms]

@jasonsps78 you can duplicate effect in after effects

[madtvm]

God bless your consistency sir!!

my frames 're all messed up as i couldn't keep my lines organised...

i guess it just comes with a lot of practice...

[biblegeek2009]

Too cool! A 7 year old little friend said that it would be cool if you could draw a horse and have yourself look like you are on top of it :) I don't think it is possible, but the little friend sure presented a challenge :)

God bless,

[n4rkotik]

Dude, those light dinosaurs that you made are fucking sick. How long do you need to keep the shutter open for? Are you able to 'paint' them in 1 shot like the smiley face or does it take a few?

[punkypenguinUSA]

@n4rkotik the yahoo website with the article said something about 5-10 minutes but that seems kinda long to me

[captquest1]

awesome 

[TEHTYMEKITTEH1]

Thats awesome dude. I love new art styles

[yahhboyrandy]

I s Stabilizers necessary? Or no.

[jo0123loulou]

How do you do it? Please do a tutorial showing what ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture you use? I am looking on every webiste and none of them work!!

[Curtleeeee]

it doesnt work for me i've change the shutter speed and aperture settings but when I take the picture it takes the picture as soon as i press the button and resulting in a pitch black photo, have i done something wrong?

[thedariustwin]

@Curtleeeee Yeah, you set the camera for a fraction of a second instead of many seconds. Thus the image is underexposed and dark. Gotta keep that shutter open.

[Curtleeeee]

@thedariustwin How do I do that?

[thedariustwin]

@Curtleeeee set the camera on manual mode first, the adjust the shutter speed to seconds --like this-->" instead of just something --- like this---> 1/50 or 20. Some cameras may not be able to set the shutter slower than a few seconds.. Might have to see an online manual for it.

[Curtleeeee]

@thedariustwin Cheers :) I'll try it out

[lunarstarrlite01]

@curtleeeee, if your camera is not already capable of doing a long shutter speed by the minute, see if it has a BULB setting and use an external shutter button.

[sosvocaloid]

How exactly do you focus it?

[thedariustwin]

@sosvocaloid from where you'd like to draw, auto-focus on the tripod; once you have your focus, switch to manual focus so the cam doesn't try to refocus before the shot.

[kent2472]

thanks for sharing..:)

[DYE9]

@thedariustwin

Thanks :)

[DYE9]

What is the iso you used?

[thedariustwin]

@DYE9 100iso

[xxkenzielouiexx]

I have to set my camera to manual to do that,and when I do no picture even shows up.

[Mrbulldozer011]

can i do this with canon sx200is please tell me

[MrKeTau]

thank you for that, really nice introduction! i think now i want to do light painting myself;)

[b5mickey93]

What iso and shutter speed did you put it on?

[sabariprasad]

You made it sound so simple man...thanks for the video...

[DulceJaja]

By "lens", I think you mean "shutter".

[RebornAc3]

Awesome tutorial. Good job!

[TheoTvQc]

I'm actually using a Canon Rebel XS. I'm kinda new with the device, and I'd need help setting the shutter speed and all that stuff. Btw, really good video, really clear, thx for the examples. You're doing a very good job !

[thatartchannel]

the most useful lightpainting video on youtube!

[marina2011]

Does it work with the Canon T2i? :o

[justinssite]

@marina2011 of course.

my point and shoot can do it, all you have to do is find how to change the shutter speed.

since mine is a cheapy canon point and shoot, i changes it to apature priority mode, and set it to 15 seconds shutter speed at 1600 iso.

[shoeshine29]

Check out my DEMO and my "Sound of Madness - Lightpainting" video to see what crazy ass stuff comes out when you combine it with stop-motion animation!

[jskamdo]

Thanxx forr the tipss!! =)

[SalmaZayed]

Do I change the exposure?

[Shaarme00]

it could be possible by using the bulb option?

[thedariustwin]

@Shaarme00 Yes. The ideal way to light paint is by using bulb mode and a remote shutter control.

[Shaarme00]

@thedariustwin yay thank you! n_n

[dannylameo]

what kind of lights are those, because iv been looking for some like those in stores but theyd never have any :P

[thedariustwin]

@dannylameo check out this site: lightpaintingphotography.calm/­light-painting-tools

[dannylameo]

@thedariustwin  omg thank you sooo much!! :D

[cbot8714]

thanks dude, helped a lot. Short and helpful. :) Thanks

[GamersRespect]

would this work if u used a lazer pointer

[thedariustwin]

@GamersRespect Yeah, but only if you turn up the ISO pretty high.. that, or go super slow with the laser.

[ivnd303]

whats that song/beat in the background!

Great tutorial..helped a bunch! Thanks!

[thedariustwin]

@ivnd303 this producer BENU: my[____].com/benuarts

[OmgItsAznAndrew]

Thants sooo much man! this reallly helped me on it!

[tiggerifficjem]

Great vid but the music in the background is a bit annoying when im trying to listen to you talking and doing the tutorial... next time may i suggest putting music on alot lower so we can hear you easier.

Thanks

[simplye11nore1]

can it be a regular flashlight that you would use to find your way through (say) a dark forest? and could it be a regular canon camera too?

[thedariustwin]

@simplye11nore1 yes it could. it could be a regular film camera you use... same principal applies.

[daniellepimpin07]

@NoodsCreative he said at a 99cent store

[daniellepimpin07]

I have the Kodak z981 It has the Program,Aperture Priority,Shutter Priority, and Manual setting it just has all numbers that can be set for Aperture,Shutter speed,Exposure Compensation, and Flash Compensation, so maybe any idea of what these need to be set to for this effect?

[Jeremy123845]

you're cutte

[powxpurplexx]

this is really cool. My grandpa has a lot of cameras i'm going to see if those will work :D

[Gravityxyz]

Hi I want to know what kinda of flashlights are you using for this?

[BeatBoxinCamels]

so could you do this with a normal camera like not a nikon but like one you get at target

[shawWwtee]

i know the 10" is the shutter speed. So whats the 5.6?

[GeekySnapper]

@shawWwtee The aperture, given as an f number on most D-SLR's :)

[AliasEternalNET]

Im using the same basic concetp of shutter speed and f-stop.

It's important to know that different combinations of settings will create different results. TRY EVERYTHING!

ITS FUN!

[amberneumeister]

when i set it back to normal, what do i put the shutter speed back to?

[amberneumeister]

can you please make a video of you changing the shutter speed itself?! im realllllllly lost :(

[thedariustwin]

@amberneumeister Not gonna make a vid.. but I'll tell you how. 1, set your camera to manual mode. 2, it depends on what your shutter control looks like.. but you're gonna have to change a dial to make to go from something like 1/300 to something like: 30". You also need a tripod or something to keep it steady for the painting part.

[mcdrummonkey]

hav you ever tryed this with a film camera like the holga?

[thedariustwin]

@mcdrummonkey I haven't. But I know if can be done.. might have to rig something to jam the shutter so that it stays open though. You'll prob need to use a lens cap

[youreacoolcat]

Deffffff the best one I've watched!

[godzeno]

really good!

[xfuckinghoreur]

I tried this yesterday & it didn't work. I put my camera's shutter on 10 then I started drawing when I clicked the button but the only thing that came up was half a line :O am I doing something wrong?

[thedariustwin]

@xfuckinghoreur Yeah, you set the cam to a 10th of a sec instead of 10seconds. makes sure it reads 10" and not just 10. Goodluck!

[xfuckinghoreur]

@thedariustwin How do you set it like that?

[thedariustwin]

@xfuckinghoreur use manual mode to adjust the shutter speed.. might not be able to depending on what your camera is capable of, look in the book

[xfuckinghoreur]

@thedariustwin Thank you, I'll try it today :)

[Iostshadow]

ur name is frommm an epiccc snes game

[donkeykongman0]

just a quick question, do you have to have a really good camera to take really good light painting photos or do all exposure cameras take the same quality light painting photos?

[donkeykongman0]

never mind worked it out

[donkeykongman0]

Hey, hope you can respond to me :3 but whats the cheapest camera that can use a 10 shutter speed?

[HadiHunk]

het i have a DSC-S 950 sony cybershot camera but i don't know how to set it up for light painting like all that shutter speed stuff..?? can u plzz help me out .?

[splitlenz]

Any tips for shooting outside in the open air? I mean I haven't tried it yet but does the camera pick up the light in the air? Do you find it a steep learning curve to draw in 10 seconds ?

[thedariustwin]

@splitlenz yes. do it. the camera picks up anything the eye can see and sometimes things it can't if you expose for long enough. I suggest finding a shutter release chord so that you can exposure for longer than ten seconds.. thats pretty limiting if you ask me! sometimes I shoot for 5min depending on what I want to do

[splitlenz]

@thedariustwin thank you so much. One last question. If I wanted to somehow put a model in there lol. What do you recommend. I've seen some on the net with people in them. It's mind boggling lol. Should the model stay still the whole time or do they come in at the end of the shot or shoot them seperately and then photoshop them in. Recommendations?

[thedariustwin]

@splitlenz don't photoshop, that's cheating and it looks obvious unless you're really really good. depends on where your light source is, if there's already light in the shot (ex: street lamps) then u have to have them hold very still the whole time (and they might still come out a little wonky).. if there's no light then you can pop a flash at them at the beginning and draw in what u need after.

[LLALLIBOYPRODUCTIONS]

did it worked perfect thanks 

[bloop453]

i bought my first dslr 2 days ago after spending most of that time reading the 100+ page manual, i found this 2 minute video to be more helpful

[MzSrH]

Hiii

Great Tutorial, by far the best one I've seen ; ) so THANKSSSS a lot : )

I just wanted to know, how can I do some light painting without appearing on the picture? I don't have a digital camera so I can't see the pictures till I develop the film

Like for exemple if I wanna put an object and paint around it, how to not appear on the picture?

Thanks a looot again and sorry for my bad english : )

[thedariustwin]

@MzSrH control the amount of light entering the frame. First, manually get your focus, then shoot your long exposure in the dark. whatever you shine light on will appear in the photo, even ambient light.. so keep that in mind. the quicker you move, the less you will begin to appear if there is some ambient light present.

[MzSrH]

@thedariustwin Thank you so much for your quick response, I'll try it this week end, hope i'll have some good shoots : )

Thanks again for your Tutorial, you helped a lot. I'm looking forward to checking out more of your work : )

cheers : )

[nitrate0009]

hmmmmmmmmm awsom

[Nhordmyr]

sounds great! i think i'ma try this tonight outside with my cam :)

[pinoypc21]

so can a digital camera work instead of a camera like yours? thanks for reply

[thedariustwin]

@pinoypc21 yeah, but only if you can set the shutter speed.. you want to do seconds instead of fractions of a second.

[mehrzad2200]

Thanks :D Easy teaching :D

[izzyramonez218]

@thedariustwin sori, can we do this with pocket cameras? i did tis thing once with my pocket cameras unexpectd, and now i forgot how to do it again..

[Lizzardman666]

I just need to know how do you make the light painter invisible and not see a blurry mess like in 0:25?

[pixiegirl13]

ahhhhhha thank you now i know how to impress my photography teacher hehehe (shhhhh he doesnt know i have this knowledge{that which you bistore onto me}) please pardon my spelling incapabilities

[thedariustwin]

@pixiegirl13 you're welcome :)

[12lucke12]

Hey, i have the same exact camera as you, and i was wondering what settings do I have to put and how do I toggle these settings?..anyone is free to answer please

[thedariustwin]

@12lucke12 Set the camera to manual, then you can adjust the shutter speed with the top right wheel, I'd try a 10-30" exposure.. you can adjust the f-stop by holding in the AV button (top center circle) and spinning the top left wheel. I recommend 5.6-7.1. you must use a tripod also, get a focus by setting up a light on the tripod and auto-focusing on the light from where your subject will be, then setting to manual after getting focus. There's your secrets! Good luck!

[Asatorizm]

@thedariustwin what bout ISO? ;)

[thedariustwin]

@Asatorizm iso at 100 or as low as it goes for clarity.. you can experiment w higher iso also, but at a certain point the light will get blown out (white).

[Asatorizm]

@thedariustwin thanks mate.

[LiveLovePhotography]

reallllly good. this is like the third one i see on explaining how to do flashlight photography and it was by far the best. thankyou.

[thedariustwin]

@LiveLovePhotography thanks for watching, maybe I'll do another

[dariokland]

Darius is not a Lithuanian name. It is quite common in other countries aswelll. The name origins from Persia and it means ''the strangler''

[Dragonovus]

cool i made a lot of nice pictures this evening thanks to you ;)

[dima9944]

yawn

[dopetotttallyrulezz]

can u be lithuanian by any chance? coz darius is a lithuanian name ;D

[thedariustwin]

@dopetotttallyrulezz yep, lithuanian on my mother's side

[dopetotttallyrulezz]

@thedariustwin sweet :))) so do u speak lithuanian? :)

[thedariustwin]

@dopetotttallyrulezz I've never tried

[jeanis3]

I loved it!! and he sooo cuutee!! :)

[GleeAus]

can you do a tut showing how to do one outside with people in it? :)

[thedariustwin]

@GleeAus sure

[TheGalFromKalamazoo]

Hi! I'd like to do something like this! It looks very cool. What kind of camera do you suggest, that I can get that is rather inexpensive? Right now I just have a point & shoot digital kodak camera.

[thedariustwin]

@TheGalFromKalamazoo you want a camera where you can manually adjust the shutter speed.. I'm not sure what's the best camera on the market for that right now.. It depends on your price range. You might want to look into getting a used canon rebel, that's what I used in this vid.

[daniellepimpin07]

@TheGalFromKalamazoo I have the kodak z981 is that what you have?

[thedariustwin]

@drteo1 I'm his son.. jk

[Natantkd2]

name the musica ??? very crazy ( brazil )

[thedariustwin]

@Natantkd2 it's by benu, you can look him up on myspace by typing in 'benuarts'

[valleystylez1]

do you go with F.6 so less light could come in your camera?

[thedariustwin]

@valleystylez1 yep

[MieKonaChow]

Your Very God Looking :o)

[Mie'Chow]

[kilerngbayan247]

oh thur........ i fixed the prob on my old camera(canon) and set the iso to the lowest.......my new camera(nikon) isnt as lightweight as my old camera........thank god it worked

[tcloudx3]

what if you want to take a picture of someone and light paint in the same picture , how do you make your subject visible if you're in the dark?

[thedariustwin]

@tcloudx3 flashlight on the person.. or use an off camera flash before/after doing the light painting.

[tinimissvn]

so you press the shoot button and it will take the pic while you're painting?

[thedariustwin]

@tinimissvn only if it's a long exposure. you gotta set that manually so that it's not a snapshot.

[westcoast133]

i just changed the ISO on my canon t1i to 200 and wrote my name and made shapes pretty well ...but what is this other setting you did? :O

[thedariustwin]

@westcoast133 basically, the lower your iso, the clearer your shot. For this one it was set to 100, but you can set it at whatever to make the image work better depending on how much light you have in the shot.

[westcoast133]

@thedariustwin how would one edit shutter speed? or is it fine with just a lower iso?

[thedariustwin]

@westcoast133 edit shutter speed by either using manual mode, and rolling the top wheel to the left, you should be able to set it to an exposure of up to 30".. Or you can use bulb mode, but you need a shutter release remote for that.. then you can expose the shot for as long as you want. iso is only good for adjusting to light, not timing of the shot.

[westcoast133]

@thedariustwin ohh alrighty, thanks a lot :D

[jmebabs]

wow you are so sexy lol

[DaniielTheBest]

Awesome!

[adrenalineamber]

you're so cute :D

[ash2092013]

NVM on the other comment i posted i just saw your other video on that you know how to do this in animation, But do you know how to do this but with some lighting in it on the person. just like in "light warfare"? i saw there tut but it doesnt seem to cover anything about that. and they wont answer questions : (

[thedariustwin]

@ash2092013 Yeah, it's actually just like you said "lighting in it on the person".. So after you do the light painting part, just flash the person standing in place holding the light painting.. or you could use a flashlight to paint the person.. Then do it again and again for the next frames. In light warfare they use a flash (probably a 580ex canon speedlite from the quality of it, but any off camera flash will do)

[ash2092013]

@thedariustwin oh ok, i just saw a big idea on how you said to do it. looks and sounds simple enough. i will try this out. thanx

[Narutosfan2009]

Thanks!

[HarryPotterFan2110]

Thanks Dude :D

[Loves6248]

hey i have a fuji s1800 and it dosent have a bulb mode what should i use instead ?

[thedariustwin]

@Loves6248 set it to manual and roll the shutter wheel as low as it goes. You want a slow shutter. I think your limit is 8sec from reading your camera's description.