Five DIY Video Light Diffusers You Already Own

DIY Light Diffusers definition featured image

Published: June 19, 2019 | Last Updated: June 27, 2024

Before we start: a note about heat and potential fire hazards.

Studio-level tungsten lights run hot. There’s no way around it. Keep this in mind when placing your diffusion. Some of the below-mentioned DIY options are not heat resistant and must be placed at a safe distance from your light to avoid catching fire or melting.

Harsh light has its uses. It heightens drama, creates sharp contrast, and works well for tonally dark films and genres like action, sci-fi, thriller, and horror. But, say you’re not shooting a bleak apocalyptic thriller or grungy futuristic action film; say you want some soft lighting.

In that case, you’ll need to get some diffusion to throw in front of your lights. While generally not wildly expensive to buy, if you’re looking for a truly DIY option, plenty of cheap household items you’ve most likely got lying around that work equally well.

A good solution to this problem is to use LED lights if you have any available. LED doesn’t generate much heat, so the diffusion distance to the light has little consequence. LED color temperature may not match tungsten’s, so adjust your camera accordingly.

With that out of the way, here are five DIY light diffusers that you probably already own:

Parchment Paper

Parchment paper diy video light diffuser
Heat resistant parchment paper a.k.a. grease proof bakery/baking paper is a great option for a DIY video light diffuser.

I’ve heard wax paper is the generally recommended DIY option, but in my opinion, it is too transparent and not heat-resistant. While wax paper may work for lights that don’t generate heat, it’s not universally usable, so why use it at all when there’s a better option?

Enter parchment paper. More opaque, it works better for diffusing light and is completely heat-resistant. It won’t melt or burn up all over your lights. Just clamp it onto the barn doors of your unit or, if you’ve got a bigger piece, slap it onto a c-stand and position it at will.

This should get you solid diffusion for no trouble at all.

Frosted Shower Curtain

Like parchment paper, but on a much larger scale, a frosted shower curtain should prove opaque and sizeable enough for diffusion on all but the biggest lights. Like the opaque parchment paper, make sure you get frosted and not clear.

The only downside to using this is that it is not heat-resistant like parchment paper, so be wary of attaching it directly to the barn doors of your light, as it may melt down and stick to them. Instead, consider clamping the curtain to two c-stands and placing it a few feet from the light.

In this way, you can also control the level of diffusion desired by moving the curtain farther or closer to the light without fear of burning.

Go with something with a high gauge number (>8) (the thickness of the curtain) and no chemicals.

White Garbage Bag

White plastic bag diy light diffuser
The white plastic bag is used in front of a LED bulb and left loose so any heat can escape. This reflector also has air vents for heat to escape.

Although less ideal than the first two options, a white garbage bag works well. Because a trash bag is less transparent, the diffusion level will be higher than that of a shower curtain or parchment paper. As long as you keep that in mind, you should be fine.

If necessary, you can cut the bag into squares large enough to cover your light and then layer them to achieve the desired diffusion level. Be aware that this will also reduce the light shining through the diffusion.

Garbage bags are flammable and susceptible to melting like a shower curtain, so keep them on a C-stand and away from direct contact with your light!

White T-Shirt

Now if by some wild chance you couldn’t dig up the first three options around the house, this one is guaranteed to be lying around your house somewhere. A white t-shirt will not be as transparent as what’s mentioned above, but the light will still pass through it.

Experiment with the shirt folded over or flat to see which diffusion level works for your desired shot.

Again, be aware of the material’s flammability. While T-shirts are unlikely to melt, they can burn. Cotton is a safer bet, with a higher heat resistance threshold than synthetics like polyester.

As a side note, you can also try different-colored T-shirts to adjust the color of your light, mimicking gels and diffusion. Darker colors will achieve better results, and you can kill two birds with one stone using this method.

Printer Paper

Paper 2

Have you ever traced an image placed underneath a piece of printer paper? You can see enough to follow the lines, thus proving it transparent enough to serve as diffusion in a pinch. So, crack open that 500-page ream and take… well, just one page.

This one is flammable, though (duh), so keep it away from any non-LED lights and place it on its stand.

Another thing to be conscious of with printer paper: The whiteness’s reflectivity will cut the light coming through slightly as well, so you may have to adjust the intensity of the light on your subject to keep the same exposure while still diffusing it to your liking.

Never Be Without Diffusion Again

When professional diffusion is scarce, or there’s no budget, remember these five items for a solid DIY setup yielding comparative results.

As a backup, I’d even recommend keeping a roll of parchment paper or a folded shower curtain in your gear bag because you never know when the need for it will arise. If not, any set you’re on will likely have at least one of the three other items available.

Conclusion

To recap: You can cut and shape these items as needed. You can attach them to the barn doors of your light as long as they are heat-resistant or you’re running LEDs. Always be conscious of the heat of your tungsten lights and the flammability of your diffusion.

Indie filmmaking is all about creatively getting the job done without the budget to buy your way out of a situation. It’s no less so here.

Do you know of any other items that pull double duty as diffusion? Let us know in the comments below!

Published
Categorized as Lighting

By Nikola Stojković

Nikola Stojković is a writer and filmmaker based out of Chicago. His short films have screened at festivals across the USA. When not shooting, he enjoys writing film reviews and playing his accordion, Fortunata.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.