Anyone try layering diffusion on Ultrabounce?

[gx42]

I had a weird idea to try, but don’t have immediate access to the textiles to test out myself. Figured I’d make it a discussion as a way to learn more about textile properties!

Let’s say I am using a 6×6 ultrabounce to lift the levels on a face, but the effect is too strong (or unnatural feeling) and there’s no room to back off the bounce.

How would it affect the bounce to sleeve a 6×6 1/4 grid cloth (or other light diff) directly on top of the ultrabounce? I assume I would still get some light bounce but it would dramatically reduce the bounce output?

In theory I was thinking this could possibly create a more subtle bounce effect, but I’m wondering if i’m missing something about the characteristics of these textiles together. Or is the real answer just get some muslin?

I know there are hundreds of ways to address the issue I initially proposed at the top, I was just curious if anyone has tried this method and if it would work. Hope this question makes sense!

Topic

[dmullenasc]

The softness of a light (i.e. the blurriness of the shadows created by the light) is determined by its size relative to the subject, that’s basically it.

What different bounce surfaces and diffusion materials control is the degree to which you can fill that surface evenly to maximize the size of the source, versus getting a hotter spot in the center for example, or some specular light mixed into the soft light (which is desirable sometimes to give the soft light some “texture”.)

So putting grid cloth over UltraBounce isn’t going to do much other than maybe give you a bit more of a hot spot in the center (or wherever your lamp is aimed) because grid cloth has a tiny bit more shine to it.  You could try putting bleached muslin over the UltraBounce, it’s maybe slightly more matte. But it’s not additive, you’re basically swapping an UltraBounce for a bleached muslin. With the grid cloth idea, it’s a bit more additive in the sense that bouncing off grid cloth alone is less light efficient since so much passes through the cloth, so adding an UltraBounce from behind will improve the amount of light you get off of the bounce.

But it’s not going to make the UltraBounce light “softer” and less sourcey. To do that you either need a larger UltraBounce (and be able to fill the larger surface) to create a larger bounce — or have the room to “book light” the bounce by passing it through another frame closer to the actor but then basically now the closer diffusion frame is the “source” in terms of the size determining the softness. But book-lighting would make it easier to fill that diffusion frame more evenly.

Now it’s possible that the reason the UltraBounce is not soft enough for you is that you aren’t filling it evenly, so it may help to hit it with multiple smaller units rather than one larger unit.

• This reply was modified 4 days, 7 hours ago by dmullenasc.

[gx42]

Thanks David, all good points and makes sense with some good ideas too!

This idea was more so to diffuse the bounce light instead of soften it. I was thinking the light would pass through the 1/4 grid, hit the ultrabounce, and come back through the grid cloth, creating a lower level of light.

Agree a book light would be much better and softer! In this case I was thinking of this as fill from the camera side, where there is already a key light. And I am just trying to bounce back a little bit of light to the shadow side.

Thanks again for the reply!

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