How to make a quality DIY video light using LED strips and a cake pan for only $40

There are many continuous light options out there these days for video that produce a fantastic quality of light. One such light that’s become very popular is the Aputure Light Storm COB 120D. But at $500, it’s not really an option for many newer filmmakers.

In this video, filmmaker Daniel Shiffer looks at making a $40 DIY alternative. For this project, Daniel wanted something large, circular and reflective, so he used  a 14″ cake pan along with some flexible LED strips, and a piece of diffusion material to produce some great results.

The materials list for this DIY light is short but important.

• 14″ aluminium cake pan
• 12v flexible daylight LED strip
• Neewer diffusion material
• 12v power adapter

You want a cake pan that’s large enough to give you a nice soft light source, and you want daylight balanced LEDs – not bicolour, warm white or RGB. Make sure it actually says “Daylight” on the packaging. The CRI won’t be as high as more expensive professional systems, but it will give you something closely resembling daylight and the most amount of power.

Constructing the light is fairly simple, with the LED strips being laid out around the wall of the cake pan. This allows the light to bounce around the inside of the cake pan before coming out of the diffusion material on the front. This is why a silver cake pan is needed. You want something highly reflective to let that light bounce before coming out of the front.

So, it might not be quite as versatile as an Aputure 120D, Spekular, or other professional LED lights that are out there, but it sure looks good for $40 and a bit of your time.