Lux is the level of light falling on a subject. Although most industry-grade cameras are sophisticated enough to adjust to varied lighting, you want to achieve optimum results for your project. For example, shooting at night would offer you a measurement of 0.1 lux. An average living room has a lux measurement of 300 to 400. The typical office environment will have 500 to 700 lux. TV studios are normally lit to 1,000 lux. Consult your camera's light meter to determine the amount of light you need to add, if any, to capture the desired effect.
Light illuminating from a specific, direct source is referred to as hard lighting. In addition to casting sharply defined shadows, this lighting is often used to show detail, textures, writing and facial imperfections. The beam spot projector and ellipsoidal spotlight are commonly used tools.
Soft lighting--or flat lighting--offers many advantages in working with close-ups of subjects; it diminishes blemishes and wrinkles and provides a softer effect by showing less detail. Using an umbrella reflector creates a broad, even area of light. The soft lighting effect is the easiest to achieve because it requires very few additional light sources, less sophisticated setup and less equipment, making it a favorite among videographers.
Although it's not commonly used, ultra-soft lighting is sometimes necessary when objects shine or sparkle. With these types of objects it may be difficult to adjust brightness levels on video equipment. Lighting tents can be used to diffuse reflections--or light bouncing off the object--allowing it to be seen in greater detail.