Re: Set.a.light 3D STUDIO
Major Rowley
Now set.a.light 3D is also a cinematography simulator! The feedback from Cinematographers, Gaffers and DPs is incredible! Thank you! Previsualize (Previz) your film production and save a lot of money!
Several changes can be made directly at the flash inside the studio now. Just one click away, in the revised settings panel, you can change the light shaper, add a honeycomb grid or swap a flash head. With this small but powerful feature we can further optimize your workflow.
There are three views in set.a.light 3D from the start, one large where you work and do all your adjustments and two more for details. One of the other two shows you exactly what the camera see. And the last is a top-down and simplified view of your setup.
If you are a photographer working a lot with studio lights, or wanting to learn, I think this is a wise investment. For me, as a long-time Profoto user, I would love to have more specific equipment from Profoto, but as it is you have quite a few to chose from already.
The software may be installed and activated on 3 computers, but cannot be used at the same time. So you can install it on your main computer, a second copy on your notebook and for example on your computer in your studio.
set.a.light 3D primarily uses the capacity and memory of your graphics card in order to conduct the live-rendering process. For a smooth operation of the software, we recommend current graphics cards with a graphics memory of 1GB RAM or above. For more information check out the minimum system requirements.
If you are going to shoot a model, it is great to have an idea about the right lighting setup. Experimenting when the model is standing in front of your camera may not be the best time to do this. With the software set.a.light.3D, it is possible to simulate any possible lighting setup imaginable.
Pretty cool software, but I have mixed feelings about it. I'm a big fan of parabolic modifiers (I have a couple of Broncolor Para umbrellas) and reflective umbrellas in general. While "set.a.light" offers 2 sizes of small parabolic umbrellas - there is absolutely no option to focus a strobe within your umbrella. The focusing rod is the whole point why those umbrellas actually exist, and the focused vs flooded positions give completely different looks. The same idea is applicable to regular umbrellas - the light position matters a lot, but there is no way to adjust it.
The application renders the same picture (in terms of shadows) from a "direct" non-diffused parabolic and reversed non-diffused parabolic, the only difference is brightness which is nonsense... Good idea but needs some work. Worth $150+? Probably not.
With over 50 different light sources to choose from (from studio strobes to practicals), set.a.light 3D offers maximum flexibility in lighting.
Flexible Models & 3D Objects#text-3752911800 font-size: 1.2rem;Use flexible models, props and 3D objects to create an infinite variety of scenes, rooms or studio sets according to your ideas.
set.a.light 3D has become an indispensable tool in the pre-production of film and photo shoots and is the first choice for aspiring photographers and filmmakers. With its extensive possibilities, almost any idea can be pre-planned and visualized.
One way to learn light without going to great lengths is by 3D visualizing it. set.a.light 3D is a program for both Windows and Mac that does just that. However, does it live up to what it promises, and are the visualizations really accurate? I took the trial version of set.a.light 3D for a spin and found out.
The UI is quite complex and there are a lot of different features to pay attention to. However, there is a trove of YouTube videos that its developer, Elixxier, made that show how to setup up. With their help, after a few rounds, it becomes quite intuitive to use set.a.light 3D.
Given that wall colors can cause a tone shift in the whole photo, there is even the option to select different color walls in the studio space. Sure enough, a red ceiling will shift everything towards red. The ability to control small intricate details such as that is a huge benefit to photographers looking for accurate pre-visualizations of their light for a job
set.a.light is feature-packed and those features are very useful. They claim that radiation behavior is emulated from the real-light data that they developed. However, how well does set.a.light simulate what real-world results look like?
This test is a bit odd, mainly because there is no bare bulb option in set.a.light. This does come as a surprise to me, as bare-bulb flash is often used on location and in-studio when bouncing light for the soft quality.
The shadow edges are very well reproduced, with little differences between them. The major difference is however in shadow depth. Having used a white background, albeit mine is more reflective, I was still expecting some bounce back to the model. Instead, the shadows are pitch black on set.a.light. Naturally, when using a white background, there is color cast from it. Take this for example:
The thrown shadows are quite different, which leads me to believe that set.a.light is not too great in this single case. The penumbra(shadow edge) width is also considerably wider with set.a.light. Although one can claim that this is simply due to size differences, I would disagree.
set.a.light 3D is overall a great app that delivers mostly accurate results. I see myself using this for pre-visualization for certain commercial assignments. This also comes as a great teaching and coaching resource.
Often, when I converse with photographers on light, art, and more, I end up showing my work where instead I would prefer to show a real light setup, break it down and really dive deep into how it works. set.a.light is also for beginners, it allows to play around with different lights without taking too much effort or time.
Overall, I had a positive experience with set.a.light and this is something that I will be adding to my fleet of nifty photography apps. I suggest picking up the Studio version as it has more capability than the normal one. set.a.light clocks in at $183, making this a chunky but worthy investment.
a friend and I are in a studio club where 11 amateur photographers rent a studio. He showed me set.a.light 3D and asked if we would buy it together because you can use the license key on two machines. Yes you need to live in one household to use it but that is practically what we do in the studio I looked into it and tested it for a week now.
My impression is that the software is doing its job in reproducing my lighting results. I recreated some of my setups and the light was very close to my images. I started to experiment with gels in the software and I am very intrigued by it. If I am shooting a model normally I do my routine and rarely try new things. So that gives me some nice possibilities. I can also see the use for beginners to learn some studio lighting. I remember exactly how I felt when I first stepped into a studio. Nothing made any sense and when the model came on set I was a nervous wreck because I had all this numbers and ratios in my head
Elixxier set.a.light 3D is great for experimenting with different lighting scenarios and is an amazing learning tool for people who are just starting to understand studio lighting. As a bonus, Elixxier has an online community where photographers share lighting setups that can be downloaded, providing additional educational and inspirational opportunities.
The software offers paper backdrop colors from Savage and Colorama, making it easy to match the virtual backdrops in the live studio. Custom colors and sizes can be implemented, and wall colors, ambient lighting, and more can be selected as well. Need a more visually interesting background? Insert a photo of a balmy tropical setting or a cool, snowy mountain scene on the wall behind your subject.
Regardless of your level of lighting expertise, set.a.light 3D is an excellent addition to your tool kit. The software provides a solid background in creative and practical lighting for photographers just starting out in studio lighting, while those with advanced skills will appreciate being able to preplan and save lighting setups to ensure successful shoots. And, frankly, set.a.light 3D is fun to use for experimenting, too.
I recently stumbled upon version 2 of set.a.light 3D by elixxier Software, which completely changed the way I plan my photo shoots. It also opened the door to lots of new possibilities when it comes to experimenting and teaching lighting. Available for Mac and PC, set.a.light creates lighting diagrams that are a 3D rendering of a studio setup.
There are three different view modes, all of them visible on one screen. The first is the studio, where you build the lighting setup, rotate views and objects, zoom in and out, add lights, adjust the height of the lights, add a model and props, etc. The second is the camera view mode, where you can adjust such things as camera settings, lenses, f-stop, ISO, and white balance; this is where the light calculations take place. The third is a view of the studio from above.
After you finish creating a lighting setup, you can render it and save it as a JPEG. You can adjust the studio view, view dimensions between elements, add your logo, and pick different templates before you export it either as a JPEG or as a PDF.
Strangely enough, when I got started with photography, studio lighting was one of the areas in which I was most interested. Not the easiest place to start I can assure you, but it definitely does not need to be as awkwardly bemusing as it first appears. Now this article is not meant to be a full on detailed description of what lights or modifiers to buy or an in depth scientific analysis of the inverse square law complete with physics equations and Einstein like theorems. It is more of a reason of why to get started with studio lighting and to break through any mental barriers that might be in your way. I promise you, once you get your feet a little wet and wild in the studio, you will not only love it, but also find that you have a better eye for light even when you are out at the wee hours of the morning trying to capture that perfectly beautiful sunrise.
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