Photo Basics 402 uLite Video Lighting Kit Review

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(More customer reviews)You want to add interesting backgrounds to video interviews and photo portraits? Green screen allows you to do it without the expense of going to exotic locations.
Photo Basics has created an easy, well-designed kit that has just about everything you need to do green screen right.
Green screen basically takes advantage of the fact that several video and photo editing programs can cut out a specified range of color from a video clip or photo. Bright green works nicely, since it stands out and most people don't wear it (and you have to make sure they don't if you want it to work!). The key to doing it right is that the screen has to be uniformly lit, so that your photo or video editing software can cut it all out.
This kit comes with two lights on stands, a 9'x 10' green flannel screen, a simple instruction video, a CD with a few funky backgrounds (some you can see in my video) and a one-month trial of Adobe Premiere Elements (so you can try out the effect if you don't have anything else that will do Chroma Key). What you need, in addition, is a more permanent video editing solution, a video or still camera, and some way to mount the screen on a flat wall.
The screen is made of very nice quality fabric. It's a durable, wrinkle-resistant, felt type material with a reflective surface on one side and a fluffy surface on the other. There is a slot on one end of the screen that you can run a tube through if you have a frame, but there are also 3 brass eyelit rings on each side of the screen that you can use to hook your screen onto the wall, either with adhesive backed hooks or screw in hooks. I suppose you could also use tape.
The light stands are solid, and elevate to about 7 feet - they may not be professional strength but they seem durable and don't wobble, even at maximum height. The collapsible softboxes are also nicely built. You open them up like an umbrella and put in the included 500 watt bulbs, then put on the white diffusing cover to spread the light and eliminate glare.
This is a very nice kit, and you could do a lot with it. I shot this video quickly with my Canon VIXIA HF10, setting up the screen in my office where I didn't have a lot of room to back up and get a wider shot. I used Final Cut Express 4 to edit and eliminate the green. I used a few of the backgrounds that are included with the kit, and some other random footage I had on my camcorder from a local park. (I apologize for the foreground: I guess I could probably use a haircut).

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