{"id":9178,"date":"2013-09-15T10:51:08","date_gmt":"2013-09-15T15:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.videoproductiontips.com\/?p=9178"},"modified":"2023-09-07T19:06:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T00:06:41","slug":"composite-video-editing-with-light-leaks-creates-easy-and-gorgeous-special-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.videoproductiontips.com\/composite-video-editing-with-light-leaks-creates-easy-and-gorgeous-special-effects\/","title":{"rendered":"Composite Video Editing with Light Leaks Creates Easy Special Effects"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"smiling<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

What Used to be a Mistake, Now Seen as Pretty Special Effect<\/h3>\n

There is a link at the bottom of the post to some FREE downloadable Light Leaks. <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Our goal on the VPT blog is to assist all video makers with easy-to-use tips for enhancing the quality of their productions.<\/p>\n

Today’s awesome post is from a guest author, Charles Duncombe, who offers a product called Light Leaks. Light Leaks are video editing tools. Blending Light Leaks into your video footage provides a unique look that can enhance the stylistic quality of your videos.<\/p>\n

Light Leaks are easy to use. Charles does a good job of explaining how to use them for two common video editing programs, FCP X and Adobe Premier Pro. They are compatible with many others. If you enjoy using Light Leaks, you might want to see how you can incorporate it with other elements found in the adobe products ecosystem (click here<\/a> to learn more) to improve the overall production value of your videos.<\/p>\n

To use a tool like Light Leaks, it takes a video editing program sophisticated enough to have a “composite” effect, which essentially blends two separate images into one.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

There are similar composite and overlay special effects video editing tools on the market, so his instructions will apply in a generic sense to composite video editing of any kind.<\/p>\n

I appreciate Charles creating this detailed gust post. Take it away, Charles.<\/p>\n

This is a detailed introduction to light leak overlay effects, how to use them, and why they can be a handy tool in every video editor’s arsenal.<\/h3>\n

What are light leaks?<\/h2>\n

The term “light leak” comes from the good old days when actual celluloid film<\/a> ruled, and was even used exclusively, since video<\/a> was not yet invented.\u00a0 It was a problem for early filmmakers, and they did not like light leaks!
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A light leak would occur when a tiny gap or hole in a camera body would cause light to spill into the normally light-tight chamber.<\/strong> This would expose the camera film with extra light. This “leaked light” would then diffuse across whatever footage the lens was actually shooting, resulting in an interesting looking image.<\/p>\n

\"\"A light leak in action<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This effect used to be the scourge of all filmmaking professionals. It was commonly seen as a mistake, and great measures were taken to avoid “light leaks” actually occurring. These days, however, there has been a polar shift in this mentality, with filmmakers actually seeking this look.<\/p>\n