DIY Web Video with White Background

http://www.yourstoryherehome.com/video_editing.html An elegant, effective web video often consists of a simple white background and an interesting speaker. Add one or two colorful props, your company logo, and you have a same-day, killer video.

So, how did we make this simple web video? Easy:

First, the white background is actually a painters' drop cloth you can buy from any paint store for around $10. The secret in this DIY web video is to make it as smooth as possible and to hit it with a good strong light (we used two).

Second, you will also need to light your subject - otherwise the poor guy will be just a shadow! We gave him one light either side at around 45 degree angles (less bright on the right side).

Third, and this happens in editing: you need to adjust your white levels so that the white in the background to the shot almost glows (the mids may need to come up too). This has the effect of reducing the grey shadows that might be lurking on your white background.

And the logo that you see on the top left in this simple DIY web video? It was just a screen grab from the client's website. Since it also had a white background - it appears to float. (Also, the blending/composite mode for the logo was set to "darken".)

Can you get a better web video with pro tools - using a green screen maybe? Probably. Boosting the whites and mid values way up does create some "noise" in the rest of the video image. (And if you know how to mask out any troublesome corners - that also helps.) But, as my old dad used to say: "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good!"

Have fun.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• web video white background
• DIY web video
• sample web video
• video production
• video editing