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New guitar. New amp. New camera. Same old crappy talent. But I'm getting close to posting my first video. As I'm sure your pulses are racing at the mere thought of that, let me calm you down by asking a technical question.

I was testing out the camera today, and shot a video of me playing the song I intend to post. When I replayed the video, it had a yellowish cast to it. I'm pretty sure it's due to the lighting I'm using, which mostly consists of a single, bare incandescent bulb. What's everyone else using? And why aren't your videos yellow? Maybe I'm just suffering from a liver disease.

- - Dennis (in Seattle)

Whoa Dennis looking at that Avatar you ARE yellow no doubt. Severe overbite as well!

I don't use any special lighting but I do shoot in a well lit room and in the daytime usually. I guess you could invest in a high wattage lamp placed behind the camera to improve the lighting. I must confess I don't worry too much as long as the sound is OK.

Beefy D, stop at ones with drinking hot stuff,,, take good sleep and do your next tape by daylight...........

Hi Dennis

Some camera,s menu gives options for lightning
e.g fluorescent, incandescent etc, guess you have checked
not sure what cam your using.
Always best with natural light though, also gives a less grainy video.

RicksPick

Incandescent bulbs will do that everytime. Check your camera and see if it has a setting for that type of ligting. Many cameras are adjustable for the kind of light you are shooting in.

Possible to edit in software also

What will you be using Dennis ?

RicksPick

Dennis, you ARE yellow. According to your (excellent) Avatar! So where's the problem? You know, I'm not pasty white as I look in my videos but that's because my webcam can't quite handle it. The walls here are all white... which is not all right for a video. If I had a darker background with normal light on me it would turn out better. You have to play around until you find something that works. Who has professional lighting at home... not even Al, I'm betting!

Well you learn something new every day Chris

But seriously We gust want to see it Dennis
Yellow or not

RickPick

Tovo: Yeah, I've got to do something about that overbite. The yellow pall I can live with. The room I've been using as my guitar room doesn't get any daylight. Maybe I'll try a different room. Of course, that requires that I have actual sunshine to work with -- never a certainty in Seattle.

Willem: By "hot stuff," do you mean coffee or alcohol? I'm pretty sure I can avoid either of them.

Ricks and Andy: I'll check to see if the camera can compensate for my yellow jaundice. It's one of those little Kodak Zi8 vid cameras -- very similar to a Flip.

Ricks: I'll be using iMovie on my Mac to import and edit the video. Of course, editing just means trimming the beginning and ending where I'm clearing my throat and vomiting from performance anxiety.

Chris: Everyone in Seattle has a pasty complexion.

- Dennis (in Seattle)

get yourself a couple of shop lights with clamps from your local home depot. Then get yourself a couple of grow light bulbs, or natural light bulbs. Step three get some heavy duty poster board and some clothes pins. Bend the posterboard around the outside of the lights, put in the bulbs, clamp them to something handy near you and let the light reflect back at you.

Voila..pro lighting.

Warning, Hang the lights so the posterboard is below the light, not above it and do not leave the lights on unattended with the posterboard clipped to them just to be safe.