Lastolite HiLite Help

Deron said:
This was one of my faves...


Roxannes 21st... by D3RON, on Flickr
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Nice shot, i like it, apart from the glove on her left hand, i'm not getting that.

Deron said:
Id be interested to try the 8x7 one, but wonder if that's too big for in house use.
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I've used the 8x7 in houses many times, obviously it depends on the size of the room you have, but i have managed in quite tight spaces.

markyboy.1967 said:
Could someone give details how to fix the white train in PS 4. I'm about to use my train for the first time tonight and wasn't sure whether to light it with another light or do it in post as everyone keeps saying how simple it is-- it may be simple if you know how..(y)
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It is possible to light the floor, however again space is the problem, if your in a large area, it can be done, in tight enclosed spaces i find very difficult, i use the method in Lightroom, that has already been mentioned in a previous post on here.
 
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TG. said:
Nice shot, i like it.

I've used the 8x7 in houses many times, obviously it depends on the size of the room you have, but i have managed in quite tight spaces.

It is possible to light the floor, however again space is the problem, if your in a large area, it can be done, in tight enclosed spaces i find very difficult, i use the method in Lightroom, that has already been mentioned in a previous post on here.
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I normally throw a bit of light on the train, but rarely do I get it right whereby it doesn't require any pp... I always do the fixing in Lightroom as well, so quick and easy using the adjustments brush. The tutorial on this has been covered several times on various threads. I used to fix it in PH, but find this method much quicker and more effective.
 
TG. said:
Nice shot, i like it, apart from the glove on her left hand, i'm not getting that.
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Theme of the party was, 'Black Tie - with a touch of punk'

Used it on Sunday night to do some passport pics.

Took some of my daughter messing around posing after. Really enjoy using the background...and folded it up first time!


Mia by D3RON, on Flickr
 
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I've thought of raising the Hilite off of the floor to get more height, that way a 5 x 7 becomes a 6 x 7 without the extra cost...etc.

I use white tile board for the floor and it flexes and ramps up to the hilite nicely...I use two 4' x 4' pieces so they are easier to transport.

By the way "noir dude"...I noticed that very early on in this thread you suggested that the hilite could be lit pretty evenly with only one light and it does work...I did it with a speedlight and I was amazed at how well it came out. I DID have to clean it up in post but not because it wasn't even...just because it wasn't "white" enough...the coverage was good though.

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One question for those who use gels...I used a gel on a speedlight in the HL and it worked pretty good if I lowered the exposure a few stops but it wasn't "great"..it took work in PP to look it's best.

I was considering getting the grey or black bottletop and lighting that with gels but I'm wondering if that introduces another set of problems that the HL solves...namely light is now being shot at a backdrop and will spill onto the subject and that necessitates the need to move the model further away...all the things that I bought the HL to avoid having to deal with!
 
rpavich said:
One question for those who use gels...I used a gel on a speedlight in the HL and it worked pretty good if I lowered the exposure a few stops but it wasn't "great"..it took work in PP to look it's best.

I was considering getting the grey or black bottletop and lighting that with gels but I'm wondering if that introduces another set of problems that the HL solves...namely light is now being shot at a backdrop and will spill onto the subject and that necessitates the need to move the model further away...all the things that I bought the HL to avoid having to deal with!
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Not so much because a black background will absorb a lot more light - A hilite on its own throws a lot of light towards your subject so attention in exposing the hilite itself needs care.

You would need to be throwing a hell of a lot of light onto a deep black bottletop to cause any issues. The main issue is getting the distance to be able to use the gels behind your subject. The issue you seem to have is not the fault of the hilite but your lack of space.
 
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Thats a good idea - using gel.
 
Hi! Any long-term use issues with white balance? I've seen some photographers complaining about the fact that the Hilite is a lot warmer than the rest of the softboxes (using the same lights)
 
Holy Thread Revival Batman...

in all honesty, you may be best off asking this as a stand alone question, as many of the forum members who participated in this thread 10 years ago when it was last active may well no longer be active on the forum...
 
xseven said:
Hi! Any long-term use issues with white balance? I've seen some photographers complaining about the fact that the Hilite is a lot warmer than the rest of the softboxes (using the same lights)
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We still use ours now and again, and I cant say I've noticed a difference, besides fixing a slight off WB is easy enough, you could just make a preset for LR or action for PS if it's an issue.
It's worth noting a lot of these are used out of the studio, in venues, or peoples houses ect. These can easily affect WB with reflected colour from walls or sofas or whatever, ok it might not be much, but if your shooting in a studio you'll probably notice the slight difference when editing, again easy to tweak.
 
swanseamale47 said:
ours now and again, and I cant say I've noticed a difference, besides fixing a slight off WB is easy enough, you could just make a preset for LR or action for PS if it's an issue.
It's worth noting a lot of these are used out of the studio, in venues, or peoples houses ect. These can easily affect WB with reflected colour from walls or sofas or whatever, ok it might not be much, but if your shooting in a studio you'll probably notice the sli
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The main problem is when you use it as a light source (not as a background) and combine it with other softboxes ...
 
I have six of them

The front material yellows with age and usage, like many softbox diffusers. Well known problem.

Easy fix is a very pale blue gel on the flashes you use to illuminate it.
 
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