How I Film Nail Art Videos

Hi! So yesterday I filmed another nail art video and while letting the layers of the polishes dry, I snapped some photos using my Canon 650d dslr, because I just bought a new one last Saturday, then I thought of posting a really quick blog on how I film nail art videos.

When I started being active online, I really wanted to cover every aspect of beauty. From make-up, fashion, hair, skin and beauty tips, diys, nails and everything! But as I kept going, I found myself doing more nail art videos.

(But I am still intending to upload makeup and fashion videos soon!!)

This is just going to be a quick post with some photos I took randomly. I hope the photo quality won't upset you guys...

Anyway, you may think that filming a nail art video is easy since it only lasts for around 3 minutes, but it's not. I must agree however that filming nail arts is easier than filming make up and fashion videos, but that's out of the context. hehe


Yesterday, I filmed this video:



The video is really quick and seems easy... But here's what transpired behind the lenses.

Here's how I set up my table. I have a foldable table that I only use to film nail arts.
I have the camera, a bright lamp, the nail polishes that I prepared before starting to film, a jotter pad where I draw the designs and of course nail polish remover just in case I need to redo a nail.

You can also see that the table is near the window. Aside from the lighting I get from the lamp, I also need some extra natural lighting.

I use my CANON IXUS 230 HS to film videos. This camera is really amazing because it films HD videos and it has smart auto focus.
I then put the camera on a mini tripod. My mom got this tripod for me at Daiso, a Japanese store, for Php 88 or $1. You can buy a mini tripod here.

I tilt the camera and it is facing against me. I do this so that when you view the video, the nails are actually upright which I think is good because viewers can see the details completely.

Natural lighting is good. I have tried filming outside the house with no lamp/spotlight here. But sometimes it takes a couple of hours to film and I film at night so I need a good light. I have this super old and shabby looking yet super dependable lamp!

My mom has tried to buy a new light for me but none of them was able to replace this old lamp. Some of them were too small and the amount of light wasn't enough. I think the fluorescent bulb on the lamp is really rare these days, so I'm keeping this.

So now, I start filming. You can see that I have a white paper which I use to put my fingers on. I find that if you film against a white background, it makes the color and the shapes pop so the viewers can see better what you are trying to create.

Since the camera is against me, I can't see what's going on the film. So, in some of my videos where I was out of focus, out of frame or messed up something, now you know why...

This is the raw image I snapped on the exact photo above. Since the space is too wide, I zoom the video until 4x to 7x to get most out of the frame and to give viewers a better view.

While I am filming, my things are everywhere!

I totally should not forget about this, another shabby -looking stuff yet super useful..

My nail polish tray/mixer. I f I need to create intricate details, I don't dip my tools directly in the nail polish bottle. I put some here and then I dip my brush or dotter. It could be a waste of polish though so just put a little drop on the tray. I put too much on mine, but I like how it turned out to be a really colorful paint splatter design! :)
I don't know what this thing is though, I think it used to store those cotton buds/Q-tips.


And now I am done filming!

I started at 4 pm. I finished at 6:30pm. It takes time because you can't paint your nails and then immediately paint another layer. You need to patiently wait for the layer to dry before applying another one because if you do so, you end up having really bumpy and messy looking nails.


After I was done, the area was a disaster. This is what it looks like...

My nail polishes were scattered on the floor.

So now its time to take photos of the nails. I always like to take photos of the nails outside because the quality of the photo is better as natural lighting is the best when taking photos of my nails because the colors appear better. But since I finished late, there's no other way to do it than to rely on my good old lamp. :)

Here's how I take photos:

I KNOW!! Not the best scene, right? That's what I always joke about to my friends. Blogging and YouTubing is only pretty when you read and when you watch, but watch I film and take photos, you'll see unflattering moments like these. haha!

So, the final step is to import photos on Photoshop or Picassa then ZOOM and CROP!!

Now I have fine looking image that is ready for upload on this blog.

* * *

I hope you like this quick post. I'm sorry if the pictures were not very detailed. As I've mentioned, I just randomly snapped some shots while I was on break.

I hope I was able to give you tips and ideas on how you could start filming your videos too or just simple painting your own nails.

Thank you for reading and please visit my YouTube channel to see videos that I made like this.

♥

Kristine