{"id":2895,"date":"2021-07-16T08:30:33","date_gmt":"2021-07-16T08:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/?p=2895"},"modified":"2025-06-12T05:27:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T05:27:46","slug":"backlighting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/backlighting\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use backlighting to create cinematic videos"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Do you ever watch a movie and find yourself asking \u201cWhat is it that makes it look so cinematic? What trick do I need to pull when I\u2019m\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/lighting-youtube-videos-a-beginners-guide\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lighting my YouTube videos<\/a>\u00a0to create the same impact?\u201d If you do, we think that you might be interested in learning more about backlighting. It\u2019s often described as one of those techniques that make footage look \u201ccinematic\u201d and while it does have that effect and it will help to elevate your filmmaking, there\u2019s more to backlighting than \u201clooking cinematic\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2>What is backlighting?<\/h2>\n<p>The simple definition of backlighting is lighting that you position behind your subjects, illuminating them from the rear. A backlight is a standard element of the\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-3-point-lighting-setup\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">3-point lighting<\/a>\u00a0setup, but it can be used as a lighting technique in its own right.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the 3-point lighting setup, a backlight is usually positioned on the same side of the set as the key light, behind the subject and pointing toward the camera or balancing the fill light from an elevated position. These aren\u2019t hard and fast rules, though. You can, for example, have the backlight on the same side as the fill light or coming from a different angle. The important thing is that the light source is concealed from the camera. And, as we\u2019ll see, backlighting in film isn\u2019t just about 3-point lighting. Whatever\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/hard-light-vs-soft-light\/\&quot;">quality of light<\/a>\u00a0you choose for your scene, backlighting will help to bring the softness or accentuate the hardness you want.<\/p>\n<h2>Why do you\u00a0<em>need<\/em>\u00a0backlighting?<\/h2>\n<p>When you make a movie, you\u2019re creating a 2D recording of a 3D scene, which will be displayed on a flat screen. To help make it realistic, you need to ensure that you capture the depth in the scene, and this is where backlighting helps. Backlighting works to separate your subjects from the background, bringing them to the foreground and giving a sense of depth to the scene. In short: backlighting prevents your scene from looking flat and two-dimensional.<\/p>\n\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"186\" class=\"elementor elementor-186\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b6940b6 elementor-section-full_width cta-middle external elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b6940b6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ae3297b\" data-id=\"ae3297b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;gradient&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c76fe4 elementor-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon\" data-id=\"3c76fe4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon\">\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"45\" height=\"13\" viewBox=\"0 0 45 13\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M13.7128 4.45274C13.2137 4.45274 12.7223 4.56022 12.2694 4.75984C11.8701 4.93643 11.5477 5.25889 11.3634 5.65046V9.85017H9.58984V2.91719H11.2175V4.39899C11.3327 4.16866 11.4786 3.95368 11.6551 3.75406C11.8164 3.5698 12.0006 3.40089 12.2003 3.25501C12.3845 3.12449 12.5765 3.00933 12.7914 2.93255C12.9757 2.86345 13.1753 2.82506 13.3673 2.81738H13.5823C13.6283 2.81738 13.6744 2.82506 13.7205 2.83274L13.7128 4.45274Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M19.1865 9.48966C18.9024 9.6125 18.6106 9.71999 18.3112 9.80445C17.958 9.91193 17.5972 9.96568 17.2287 9.96568C16.9906 9.96568 16.7603 9.93497 16.53 9.87354C16.3227 9.8198 16.1307 9.71231 15.9618 9.57411C15.7929 9.42824 15.6624 9.25165 15.5703 9.04435C15.4628 8.79867 15.4167 8.52995 15.4244 8.26123V4.27649H14.5107V2.91754H15.4244V0.667969H17.1979V2.91754H18.6567V4.27649H17.1979V7.66236C17.1979 7.90805 17.2594 8.08464 17.3899 8.18445C17.5204 8.29194 17.6893 8.34568 17.8582 8.338C18.0425 8.338 18.2268 8.30729 18.4033 8.24587C18.5799 8.18445 18.7181 8.1307 18.8256 8.08464L19.1865 9.48966Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M19.9315 0.191406H21.7051V7.62343C21.7051 7.87679 21.7665 8.07642 21.8893 8.22229C22.0275 8.36817 22.2195 8.44495 22.4191 8.43727C22.5342 8.43727 22.6571 8.41424 22.7723 8.38352C22.8951 8.35281 23.0179 8.30675 23.1331 8.253L23.3711 9.60428C23.1024 9.72712 22.826 9.81926 22.5342 9.86532C22.2502 9.92674 21.9661 9.95745 21.6743 9.95745C21.1215 9.95745 20.6916 9.81158 20.3845 9.51215C20.0774 9.21272 19.9315 8.79812 19.9238 8.253L19.9315 0.191406Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M24.2998 9.84997V2.91699H26.0734V9.84997H24.2998Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M26.1887 1.08236C26.2041 1.35876 26.0966 1.6198 25.8893 1.80407C25.6973 1.98066 25.4516 2.08047 25.1906 2.07279C24.9296 2.08047 24.6685 1.98066 24.4766 1.80407C24.277 1.6198 24.1695 1.35108 24.1771 1.08236C24.1771 0.767578 24.277 0.521892 24.4766 0.345304C24.6685 0.168717 24.9296 0.0689069 25.1906 0.0765846C25.4516 0.0765846 25.6973 0.168717 25.8893 0.345304C26.0889 0.521892 26.1887 0.759901 26.1887 1.08236Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M30.1276 9.98085C29.5441 9.98085 28.9683 9.88872 28.4232 9.70446C27.9011 9.53555 27.4174 9.26683 26.9951 8.91365L27.6554 7.80038C28.0393 8.07678 28.4539 8.30711 28.8915 8.4837C29.2754 8.63725 29.6823 8.71403 30.0892 8.71403C30.4424 8.71403 30.7188 8.64493 30.9261 8.51441C31.1257 8.39157 31.2409 8.17659 31.2332 7.94626C31.2409 7.70825 31.095 7.49328 30.88 7.40114C30.5038 7.23991 30.1123 7.10939 29.713 7.0019C29.26 6.87906 28.8762 6.76389 28.5614 6.64873C28.285 6.55659 28.0316 6.42607 27.7936 6.25716C27.6093 6.12664 27.4635 5.95773 27.3713 5.75044C27.2792 5.53546 27.2331 5.30513 27.2408 5.06712C27.2331 4.73698 27.3022 4.41451 27.4481 4.11508C27.5863 3.83869 27.7782 3.58532 28.0239 3.39338C28.285 3.18608 28.5767 3.03253 28.8915 2.93272C29.237 2.82523 29.6055 2.77148 29.9664 2.77148C30.4578 2.77148 30.9568 2.84058 31.4252 2.99414C31.8858 3.14769 32.3158 3.39338 32.6766 3.72352L31.9626 4.7984C31.6478 4.56039 31.3023 4.36077 30.9338 4.21489C30.619 4.09205 30.2889 4.03063 29.951 4.03063C29.69 4.02295 29.429 4.08437 29.1986 4.21489C28.999 4.33774 28.8915 4.53736 28.8915 4.81375C28.8838 4.92124 28.9145 5.02873 28.9683 5.12086C29.0297 5.213 29.1065 5.2821 29.1986 5.33584C29.3291 5.41262 29.4673 5.46636 29.6132 5.51243C29.7821 5.56617 29.9971 5.62759 30.2581 5.68901C30.7342 5.81186 31.1411 5.9347 31.4789 6.05754C31.7783 6.15735 32.0547 6.30323 32.3158 6.47982C32.5154 6.61802 32.6766 6.80996 32.7918 7.03261C32.8993 7.26294 32.953 7.52399 32.9453 7.77735C32.9453 8.45299 32.692 8.99043 32.1929 9.38199C31.6708 9.78891 30.9952 9.98085 30.1276 9.98085Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path d=\"M38.0812 9.48966C37.7971 9.6125 37.5053 9.71999 37.2059 9.80445C36.8527 9.91193 36.4919 9.96568 36.1233 9.96568C35.8853 9.96568 35.655 9.93497 35.4323 9.87354C35.225 9.8198 35.0331 9.71231 34.8642 9.57411C34.6953 9.42824 34.5647 9.25165 34.4726 9.04435C34.3651 8.79867 34.3191 8.52995 34.3267 8.26123V4.27649H33.4131V2.91754H34.3267V0.667969H36.1003V2.91754H37.5591V4.27649H36.1003V7.66236C36.1003 7.90805 36.1617 8.08464 36.2922 8.18445C36.4228 8.29194 36.5917 8.34568 36.7606 8.338C36.9448 8.338 37.1291 8.30729 37.3057 8.24587C37.4823 8.18445 37.6205 8.1307 37.728 8.08464L38.0812 9.48966Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M3.43194 1.08203H5.20549L8.62975 8.48334V9.85765C7.24776 9.91907 5.80435 9.94979 4.31487 9.94979C2.8254 9.94979 1.38199 9.91907 0 9.85765V8.48334L3.43194 1.08203ZM1.90407 8.39121C2.71023 8.41424 3.51639 8.42192 4.31487 8.42192C5.12103 8.42192 5.92719 8.40657 6.72567 8.39121L4.31487 3.18572L1.90407 8.39121Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-509c078 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"509c078\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-b63c6db\" data-id=\"b63c6db\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-88ef02d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"88ef02d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Get unlimited royalty-free 4K footage<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-90a8615\" data-id=\"90a8615\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-476808b elementor-mobile-align-justify elementor-align-justify elementor-widget__width-initial external-link-event event-midpage-startfree elementor-widget-tablet__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"476808b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/start-now\&quot;">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Start  Free Now<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1816319 elementor-mobile-align-justify elementor-align-justify elementor-widget__width-initial external-link-event event-midpage-pricing elementor-widget-mobile__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"1816319\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/page\/pricing\/max\&quot;">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Pricing<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<h2>What effects can you create using backlighting?<\/h2>\n<p>Backlighting in film might be key to helping you create separation between your subject and the background, but where it really shines is in highlighting edges. Separation and definition are vital, but the interest is in the edges! With well-angled backlights, you can help maintain your shadows while highlighting the edges in your scene. This creates a sense of intrigue in your footage that can be anything from romantic to sinister to intense.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/CTaoy0A7p4ZCk1AK9B\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"384\" data-embed-width=\"800\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\">\n<div style=\"width: 1920px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-2895-1\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/289162_Boxer-Boxing-Boxing-Ring-Match_By_LACOFILMS_Artlist_HD.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/289162_Boxer-Boxing-Boxing-Ring-Match_By_LACOFILMS_Artlist_HD.mp4\&quot;">https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/289162_Boxer-Boxing-Boxing-Ring-Match_By_LACOFILMS_Artlist_HD.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/stock-footage\&quot;">Stock footage<\/a> inspiration by Artlist.<\/p>\n<p>By using just backlighting in a scene with very little by way of a key light or fill light, you can create an intense atmosphere that feels almost claustrophobic. When the audience is on the darker side of the scene, with the light coming from behind the subjects, it creates a pressing feeling, with the audience reaching toward the light.<\/p>\n<p>Rim lighting\u2013sometimes also called halo lighting or hair lights\u2013is very often the default backlight used in the 3-point lighting setup. Not only does it help to separate your subjects from the background, but it produces a glow of light around them that highlights their outline and edges, too. With the light positioned behind the subject creating a halo-like glow, you can see why it\u2019s sometimes called halo lighting. Depending on your story, you can use it menacingly or much more positively. It works both ways. And, of course, it doesn\u2019t have to be used just as a part of a 3-point lighting setup. Rim lighting can be used as a standalone backlighting technique, too.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/Igj8ndiVFJ75l2MOUG\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"240\" data-embed-width=\"360\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\"><\/div>\n<p>If silhouettes are your thing, then backlighting is essential. With all the light illuminating your background and nothing falling on your subject, your subject will show as a black outline against a beautifully lit background.<\/p>\n<h3>Silhouettes with artificial light<\/h3>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/E9GJK2IdlVUke6abKP\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"240\" data-embed-width=\"360\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\">\n<div style=\"width: 1920px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-2895-2\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/440822_Woman-Silhouette-Stage-Lights-Performance_By_Stockbusters_Artlist_HD.mp4?_=2\" \/><a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/440822_Woman-Silhouette-Stage-Lights-Performance_By_Stockbusters_Artlist_HD.mp4\&quot;">https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/440822_Woman-Silhouette-Stage-Lights-Performance_By_Stockbusters_Artlist_HD.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Silhouettes with natural light<\/h3>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/CH2zRjTotAZDwIwLif\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"384\" data-embed-width=\"800\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\">\n<div style=\"width: 1920px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-2895-3\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/588234_Smoke-Woods-Sunshine-Man_By_Wind_Collective_Artlist_HD.mp4?_=3\" \/><a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/588234_Smoke-Woods-Sunshine-Man_By_Wind_Collective_Artlist_HD.mp4\&quot;">https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/588234_Smoke-Woods-Sunshine-Man_By_Wind_Collective_Artlist_HD.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The great thing about backlighting is that you can create it with both artificial and\u00a0<a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/tips-for-shooting-videos-in-natural-light\/\&quot;" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">natural light<\/a>. So let\u2019s look at both ways.<\/p>\n<h2>Creating backlighting with artificial light<\/h2>\n<p>In a standard 3-point lighting setup, the backlight will balance against the key and fill lights to create separation between the subject and background. For a rim lighting effect, make sure that you have a backlight positioned directly behind your subject. The halo-like effect can be as pronounced as you want or need it to be, and if necessary, you can always combine a specific rim light with other backlights. Or you can go for just a rim light for a very dramatic effect.<\/p>\n<p>For that dramatic, backlight-only setup, you might need to bounce some light back into the scene so that it isn\u2019t too dark and shadowy. You might want to do this with reflectors, but you can also use props, such as sheets of paper if that works with your story. Practicals, for example, desk lamps, can also be used in this situation too.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/cohtaAaZMMHyaVAAN9\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"384\" data-embed-width=\"800\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\">\n<div style=\"width: 1920px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-2895-4\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/170982_Woman-talking-and-looking-at-a-smartphone-display_By_Omri_Ohana_Artlist_HD.mp4?_=4\" \/><a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/170982_Woman-talking-and-looking-at-a-smartphone-display_By_Omri_Ohana_Artlist_HD.mp4\&quot;">https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/170982_Woman-talking-and-looking-at-a-smartphone-display_By_Omri_Ohana_Artlist_HD.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Using Natural Light as Backlight<\/h3>\n<p>The sun makes an excellent backlight if you\u2019re working outside. Depending on the chosen angle, you choose, the sun can be used as a traditional backlight or rim light. Or you can use it as a more dramatic key or single light that\u2019s coming from behind. This will give you great highlights on the edges, but be careful to ensure that the sun isn\u2019t directly in the scene! It\u2019s also vital when you\u2019re using the sun like this to be absolutely sure where it will be and at what time. You need to make sure that you have your timings worked out to get the shoot right.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 1920px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-2895-5\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/44583_Smiling-women-looking-at-camera-with-sun-behind-her_By_Jakob_Owens_Artlist_HD.mp4?_=5\" \/><a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/44583_Smiling-women-looking-at-camera-with-sun-behind-her_By_Jakob_Owens_Artlist_HD.mp4\&quot;">https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/44583_Smiling-women-looking-at-camera-with-sun-behind-her_By_Jakob_Owens_Artlist_HD.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p>Sunset backlighting looks beautiful: you get contrast, you get edges, you get definition. Depending on the angles you use, and the look that you want, backlighting at sunset can produce the most beautiful rim light effect, a stunning silhouette, or just something that is sumptuous looking.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/VWYQYCDyZ7HRy4hEne\/giphy.gif\" data-embed-height=\"240\" data-embed-width=\"360\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\">\n<div style=\"width: 1920px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-2895-6\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/34567_Young-woman-deep-in-thought-at-edge-of-swimming-pool_By_Omri_Ohana_Artlist_HD.mp4?_=6\" \/><a href="\&quot;https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/34567_Young-woman-deep-in-thought-at-edge-of-swimming-pool_By_Omri_Ohana_Artlist_HD.mp4\&quot;">https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/34567_Young-woman-deep-in-thought-at-edge-of-swimming-pool_By_Omri_Ohana_Artlist_HD.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Even if you didn\u2019t know it, you were probably making use of backlighting one way or another. But when you really know what it is and how you can manipulate it, backlighting can bring something very special to your filmmaking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you ever watch a movie and find yourself asking \u201cWhat is it that makes it look so cinematic? What trick do I need to pull when I\u2019m\u00a0lighting my YouTube videos\u00a0to create the same impact?\u201d If you do, we think that you might be interested in learning more about backlighting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[15,167,14,265],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Make Cinematic Videos with Backlighting | Artlist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Backlighting is an important component of the 3-point lighting setup, but it\u2019s a useful technique in its own right, too. See what backlighting adds to your filmmaking.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Make Cinematic Videos with Backlighting | Artlist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Backlighting is an important component of the 3-point lighting setup, but it\u2019s a useful technique in its own right, too. See what backlighting adds to your filmmaking.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Artlist Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-07-16T08:30:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-12T05:27:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/a7aa461497bda662559fdc8b0707f0707b117336.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Daniela Bowker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmallAperture\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Daniela Bowker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/backlighting\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Daniela Bowker\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0482f62ddfb2bf09294104350c1c07eb\"},\"headline\":\"How to use backlighting to create cinematic videos\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-16T08:30:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-12T05:27:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/backlighting\/\"},\"wordCount\":1146,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"3-Point Lighting\",\"Backlight\",\"Lighting\",\"Natural Light\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Production &amp; Filmmaking\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/backlighting\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/\",\"name\":\"How to Make Cinematic Videos with Backlighting | Artlist\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-16T08:30:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-12T05:27:46+00:00\",\"description\":\"Backlighting is an important component of the 3-point lighting setup, but it\u2019s a useful technique in its own right, too. See what backlighting adds to your filmmaking.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Production &amp; Filmmaking\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/production-filmmaking\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"How to use backlighting to create cinematic videos\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Artlist Blog\",\"description\":\"Just artlist blog website\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Artlist Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/artlist-blog-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/artlist-blog-logo.svg\",\"width\":143,\"height\":28,\"caption\":\"Artlist Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0482f62ddfb2bf09294104350c1c07eb\",\"name\":\"Daniela Bowker\",\"description\":\"Daniela is a writer and editor based in the UK. Since 2010 she has focused on the photography sector. In this time, she has written three books and contributed to many more, served as the editor for two websites, written thousands of articles for numerous publications, both in print and online and runs the Photocritic Photography School.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/smallaperture\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmallAperture\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/author\/danielab\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Make Cinematic Videos with Backlighting | Artlist","description":"Backlighting is an important component of the 3-point lighting setup, but it\u2019s a useful technique in its own right, too. See what backlighting adds to your filmmaking.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Make Cinematic Videos with Backlighting | Artlist","og_description":"Backlighting is an important component of the 3-point lighting setup, but it\u2019s a useful technique in its own right, too. See what backlighting adds to your filmmaking.","og_url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/","og_site_name":"Artlist Blog","article_published_time":"2021-07-16T08:30:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-12T05:27:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":750,"url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/a7aa461497bda662559fdc8b0707f0707b117336.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Daniela Bowker","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmallAperture","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Daniela Bowker","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/backlighting\/"},"author":{"name":"Daniela Bowker","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0482f62ddfb2bf09294104350c1c07eb"},"headline":"How to use backlighting to create cinematic videos","datePublished":"2021-07-16T08:30:33+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-12T05:27:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/backlighting\/"},"wordCount":1146,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["3-Point Lighting","Backlight","Lighting","Natural Light"],"articleSection":["Production &amp; Filmmaking"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/backlighting\/","url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/","name":"How to Make Cinematic Videos with Backlighting | Artlist","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-07-16T08:30:33+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-12T05:27:46+00:00","description":"Backlighting is an important component of the 3-point lighting setup, but it\u2019s a useful technique in its own right, too. See what backlighting adds to your filmmaking.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog-backlighting\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Production &amp; Filmmaking","item":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/production-filmmaking\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How to use backlighting to create cinematic videos"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/","name":"Artlist Blog","description":"Just artlist blog website","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#organization","name":"Artlist Blog","url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/artlist-blog-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/artlist-blog-logo.svg","width":143,"height":28,"caption":"Artlist Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0482f62ddfb2bf09294104350c1c07eb","name":"Daniela Bowker","description":"Daniela is a writer and editor based in the UK. Since 2010 she has focused on the photography sector. In this time, she has written three books and contributed to many more, served as the editor for two websites, written thousands of articles for numerous publications, both in print and online and runs the Photocritic Photography School.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/smallaperture\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/SmallAperture"],"url":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/author\/danielab\/"}]}},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/a7aa461497bda662559fdc8b0707f0707b117336.jpg",1920,750,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/a7aa461497bda662559fdc8b0707f0707b117336-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/a7aa461497bda662559fdc8b0707f0707b117336-300x117.jpg",300,117,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/a7aa461497bda662559fdc8b0707f0707b117336-768x300.jpg",768,300,true],"large":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/a7aa461497bda662559fdc8b0707f0707b117336-1024x400.jpg",1024,400,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/a7aa461497bda662559fdc8b0707f0707b117336-1536x600.jpg",1536,600,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/a7aa461497bda662559fdc8b0707f0707b117336.jpg",1920,750,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Daniela Bowker","author_link":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/author\/danielab\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Do you ever watch a movie and find yourself asking \u201cWhat is it that makes it look so cinematic? What trick do I need to pull when I\u2019m\u00a0lighting my YouTube videos\u00a0to create the same impact?\u201d If you do, we think that you might be interested in learning more about backlighting.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2895"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2895"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45464,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2895\/revisions\/45464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}