Neewer 3 Point Light Kit
This page will run you through using the Neewer, three-panel light kit, which includes everything you need to light a small scene.
Introduction:
We highly recommend watching the video below until about 4:10 to learn about both what the lights are capable of and how to operate them correctly. The rest of this guide is either a breakdown of what is in this video or an expansion of how to use the entire kit.
What's in the kit:
3 LED light panels
3 Light Stands
6 Batteries and Battery Chargers
3 Wall Power Blocks
2 Softboxes
Setting up the Lights
Inside the Neewer light kit, you will find three light panels and three light stands as well as the necessary cables and batteries. These three lights should be sufficient to light most scenes.
To begin using the lights, remove the light stands from the case and set them up approximately where you want your lights to be. If you need to learn how to set up a light stand, check out this video:
Now you are ready to attach your lights. Take your lights from the case and place them on top of the stand positioned towards your subject. Use the screw to securely fasten each light to its stands.
Next, take the cables from the case and plug them into the outlet nearest your lights. Plug the smaller end of your cable into the plug labeled "DC 12-15V".
For your final step, just open up the barn doors on the front of the lighting unit. Your lights should now be ready to turn on!
Optional: Battery Powered
The Neewer Light Kit comes with additional batteries as well as battery chargers that allow you to use the unit if you are outdoors or otherwise away from a power source. When using the batteries, just be aware that they have a finite running time and consider turning off the units when not actively using them. We would also recommend charging your batteries overnight if possible. Remember to switch the unit to battery-powered when using batteries!
Operating the Lights
Turn on the lights
just flip the switch on the back of the unit. There are two options, battery-powered or wall-powered. For most use cases, you will set it to wall-powered. The light should now be on!
Setting color temperature for White Light
First make sure your are in the CCT mode for white light, which is displayed in the upper left corner of the LCD panel. If you aren't, press the mode button until the panel reads CCT. You can now use the dials on the back of the lighting unit to adjust intensity and color temperature. The left dial (labeled HSI) controls color temp. The right dial (labeled BRR) controls brightness. Use the screen on the back of the unit to view your settings.
For a basic understanding of how to set your color temperature, check out this chart:
Feel free to move around the lighting units here, so they best suit your scene. For some basic tips on how best to position lights, check out our guide on three and two-point lighting at the bottom of this page! As a rule of thumb, the closer you position the light to your subject, the softer the light will be.
Using RGB Mode
To access RGB Mode, press the mode button the back panel until the LCD screen reads HSI on the top left. You can now rotate the left dial (labeled HSI) to change to color. Once you have the color selected you can press the dial in like a button to go into saturation mode. The knob on the right still controls brightness. Watch this snippet of video for a more detailed look into RGB mode.
Optional: Using the Softboxes
Take a look at the video below (set to start at 1:47) to learn how to install and use the softboxes. If you remove the barn doors to attach the softbox, you are expected to reinstall them before returning them to checkout
Packing up the Lights
To pack up the lighting units, just follow the steps you used to set up the lights in reverse. All of the items, including lights, stands, batteries, chargers and cables, should fit neatly back inside the case.
Three Point Lighting
This is a great tutorial on different ways to use a basic 3 light setup
You can also check out this tutorial on two-point lighting using the exact LED panels in the kit!:
As explained in the video, two common ways to utilize two-point lighting are with a key and fill setup and a key and back setup. In the key and fill setup, both lights are in front of the subject with one brighter unit acting as a "key" light and one dimmer unit acting as a "fill" light to help fill in the shadows. In the key and back setup, you keep the "key" light in front of the subject and place the second light behind the subject as a "back" light to separate them from the background.
While either setup can be used for any scene, here are some tips on how to choose which to use. Given its softer, more natural look, key and fill lighting may be better suited when you are trying to flatter your subject for more of a beauty look. Given its higher contrast look, key and back lighting may be better suited to a more dramatic, "cinematic" look.
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