Curtis Judd 11/27/23 Curtis Judd 11/27/23

New from Aputure: Amaran Spotlight SE!

In this episode we take a look at Amaran’s new Spotlight SE! This smaller version of the original Spotlight mount works with a variety of Aputure and Amaran lights up to 300 watts, is available with two different lens options, and comes with almost every gobo you could possibly need. In this episode we cover the Spotlight SE’s key features and demonstrate several ways in which you might use it most effectively. Let’s take a closer look!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX. for more info!

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Amaran Spotlight SE — Aputure, Amazon, B&H

- Aputure Spotlight Mount (original, larger, heavier, more expensive) — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 150c RGBWW Bowens mount light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 300c RGBWW Bowens mount light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 100d/S daylight Bowens mount light (daylight only lights put out more light, but cannot change color temperature) — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 100x/S bi-color Bowens mount light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 200d/S daylight Bowens mount light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 200x/S bi-color Bowens mount light (This is the light I use as my key light for talking head video 90% of the time. Incredible color quality and I only have to set the dimmer between 10 and 20% for most talking head shots) — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Sennheiser MKH 8050 Supercardioid Condenser Microphone — B&H, Amazon

- Sound Devices 888 Field Recorder/Mixer — B&H, Sweetwater

- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 200x S LED light — B&H, Amazon, Aputure

- Aputure Light Dome II soft box — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Curtis Judd 5/15/23 Curtis Judd 5/15/23

LED versus Tungsten Lighting in 2023

In this week’s episode, we dive into the nuances of LED lighting in 2023, particularly in terms of how modern LED lights compare to traditional tungsten fixtures. We discuss how color plays into lighting design, color quality and how it’s measured, and why color accuracy might matter in your video workflow. We also show you several sample shots and discuss the various LED lights with which they were lit. Let’s take a closer look!

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

- Amaran 200x S LED light — B&H, Amazon, Aputure

- Lowel Tota-Light Tungsten Flood Lamp — B&H

- Lupo Superpanel LED Panel Lights — B&H

- Nanlite Forza 60C Full Color LED Light — B&H, Amazon

- Sekonic C-800 Photo Spectrometer — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Light Dome II soft box — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

Curtis Judd 4/17/23 Curtis Judd 4/17/23

Amaran 150c & 300c | RGB Bowens Mount Lights for Video

In this week’s episode we try out the new Amaran 150 and 300c fixtures. These single-point RGBWW lights from Aputure’s budget line feature full color plus warm and cool white capabilities. They can be adjusted from tungsten to daylight color temperatures and beyond for great versatility as key lights, and also make great effects fixtures with their preloaded effect library. Let’s take a closer look!

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

- Amaran 150c single-point RGBWW LED light - B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 300c single-point RGBWW LED light — B&H, Amazon

- Amaran Pixel Tube Lights — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Aputure light dome II soft box — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Aputure power station — B&H, Amazon

- Westcott umbrella — Amazon

- Sennheiser MKH 8050 — B&H, Trew, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Trew Audio, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rycote PCS Microphone Quick-Release System — B&H

- Canon C70 cinema camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens — B&H, Amazon

- Schneider Radiant Soft 1 diffusion filter — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

Curtis Judd 3/20/23 Curtis Judd 3/20/23

Colorful Pixel Tube Lights | Aputure Amaran PT1c, 2c, and 4c

In this week’s episode, we have fun experimenting with the new Amaran PT1c, 2c, and 4c pixel tube lights from Aputure Lighting ! These cool lights can play a role in any lighting design with their RGBWW color spectrum, pre-programmed system and pixel FX, and long-lasting inbuilt batteries. In this video we overview the PT series’ feature set and demonstrate how you might creatively incorporate them into your lighting kit. Let’s take a closer look!

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

- Aputure amaran Pixel Tube Lights — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Trew Audio, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rycote PCS Microphone Quick-Release System — B&H

- Aputure LS 300X used for background light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 cinema camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens — B&H, Amazon

- Schneider Radiant Soft 1 diffusion filter — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

Curtis Judd 5/19/22 Curtis Judd 5/19/22

Aputure Amaran COB 60X and P60X LED Lights for Video Creators

In this episode, we have a look at the Aputure Amaran COB 60X and P60X LED lights for video. These little lights put out a good bit of light despite their size and their color quality is top notch. Let’s take a closer look!

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Aputure Amaran COB 60X single-point Bowens mount LED Light - Amazon

- Aputure Amaran P60X panel LED light - Amazon

- Umbrella for soft light - Amazon

- Impact soft box (the HUGE box I used for the key light) - B&H

- Cardelllini clamp to mount the soft box to a c-stand - B&H

- Aputure Amaran 100D - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Aputure Light Dome Mini II - Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo Cool Lavender creates the color pattern on the back wall - B&H

- Sound Devices MixPre series audio recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Sennheiser MKH8050 microphone - B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Curtis Judd 1/16/21 Curtis Judd 1/16/21

Amaran 100d & 200d LED Lights: Affordable Aputure Single Point Lights

Aputure makes some great LED lights for video and film production, but as time marches on, it seems like they’re offering more and more lights aimed at larger budget productions. That changes now with their new Amaran 100d and 200d lights. In today’s episode, we take a look at these new more affordable Aputure Amaran lights.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, Pictureline or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Amaran 100d LED Light - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Amarain 200d LED Light - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Aputure Light Dome SE - Aputure

- Aputure 120d mkII LED Light - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Aputure spotlight mount (used to make the pattern on the background) - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Aputure Nova P300C LED Panel Light - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Aputure Soft Box for Nova P300C - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Sigma 24-70 EF f/2.8 DG OS HSM Lens - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 cinema camera used for BTS shots - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L IS Lens - B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “For the Kids” by Utah. Get the best music for your videos at Musicbed.

Curtis Judd 6/3/17 Curtis Judd 6/3/17

Aputure Amaran Tri-8c LED Panel Light Review

Aputure has produced some very impressive panel and single point LED lights over the last couple of years and now thy have a new addition to their Amaran (entry level) LED panel lights: The Amaran Tri-8 series. This new series includes daylight and color tunable versions. The color quality scores nicely in our tests relative to a good old-fashioned tungsten light, we didn’t find any flicker (an issue with some LED panel lights) and found this to be a great little light to act as a fill, a hair light, an accent light, or even a key light.

Gear used to record this episode:

Aputure Amaran Tri-8 LED Panel Light

Aputure C120d (daylight hard light)

Aputure Light Storm LS1 Panel Light

Sound Devices MixPre-6 Audio Recorder & Mixer

DPA 4017b Shotgun Microphone (my pro-level outdoor mic)

Panasonic GH5 Camera

Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 Lens (1st Generation)

Lifecharge USB Battery (for powering the MixPre-6)