What Is AE Shift in Video Camera?

Have you ever heard of the term “AE Shift” while using a video camera? If you’re new to videography, this might be a new concept for you. AE Shift stands for “Auto Exposure Shift”, and it’s a feature that can help you take better videos.

What is Auto Exposure?

Before we dive into AE Shift, let’s understand what auto exposure is. Auto exposure is a camera feature that allows the camera to automatically adjust the exposure settings (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) based on the lighting conditions of the scene. The goal of auto exposure is to achieve a well-exposed image or video.

What is AE Shift?

AE shift allows you to manually adjust the exposure settings while still in auto-exposure mode. It’s an essential tool for videographers who want more control over their footage without having to switch to manual mode.

Using AE shift, you can either brighten or darken your footage. Here’s how it works – when you increase the AE shift value (+), your camera will increase the brightness of your footage by adjusting the aperture, shutter speed, or ISO. On the other hand, when you decrease the AE shift value (-), your camera will decrease the brightness of your footage by adjusting these same settings.

It’s important to note that changing one setting will affect others as well. For example, increasing aperture will lead to less light entering your camera resulting in a slower shutter speed or higher ISO.

When should I use AE Shift?

Now that you know what AE Shift is let’s talk about when to use it. There are several situations where using AE shift can be helpful:

1. When filming in low light conditions: Sometimes auto-exposure can get confused in low light conditions and make your footage too dark or too bright; this is where AE shift comes in handy.

2. When filming scenes with extreme lighting contrasts: If you’re filming a scene with high contrast lighting, such as a sunset or a bright sky, your camera might struggle to expose the image correctly. In this case, you can use AE shift to adjust the exposure settings manually.

3. When you want more artistic control over your footage: AE shift allows you to intentionally overexpose or underexpose your footage for creative purposes.

How to use AE Shift?

Using AE shift is simple. All you need to do is set your camera to auto-exposure mode and then find the AE shift option in your camera’s settings menu. From there, you can increase or decrease the value as needed.

Conclusion

AE Shift is an essential tool in a videographer’s arsenal that allows more control over the exposure of their footage without having to switch to manual mode. By using this feature, videographers can ensure that their footage is correctly exposed and can also add creative touches by intentionally overexposing or underexposing their video frames.