Introduction: Make a SoftBox Aka Light Diffuser - 5 Min $0

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About: Just imagine a fatso, with ears perpetually stuffed with earphones and who is always cracking jokes. That's the kind of first impression that I make. I like reading, listening to good music and photography. An…

This is a very easy, not very neat nor tidy but quick project to make a Soft Box or a Light Diffuser for use in Photography especially Macro photography. And it does not cost any money. So one can also call it a Recycle/Upcycle Project.

The basic concept is this. 1. A bulb would provide the light. 2. The said bulb would be inside a box - so that the light amount and direction can be controlled. 3. A small opening is made so the bulb can connect to power source. 4. An opening is made for the light to shine through and this opening is covered by white cloth or white paper.

Step 1: Intro...Introduction...Basic Layout of the Project

Step 1. Gather the materials. All the things you need for this project are already in your home/dorm. You'll need a bulb/LED/CFL. Then you'll need a small box. I used a small gift box that was just lying about in my home. Also you'll need some cello tape and a knife. If you have a stapler then that's a bonus.

Why the box - 1. It was available, 2. It was of sufficiently good quality and 3. It was of proper size.

Please remember that the size of the container, the box, determines the shape of the final project and the materials needed. And this is true for many, many projects.

Step 2: Cut the X

Step 2. Mark an X on your box and cut along the lines with your super smooth, slick, sharp knife. This is the opening from which your Bulb would protrude out of the box and would attach to the electricity source.

Step 3: Make Opening for the Light to Shine Through

Step 3. On the face of the box opposite to the X that you had cut out in the previous step mark a square shape along the edges but take care to leave enough space so that you can stick the cloth to the remaining portion. Then using your super slick, sharp knife and with steady hands cut the shape off of the box. The light would shine through this opening.

Step 4: Cut the Cloth

Step 4. Cut a white cloth into size a bit larger than the square hole you just cut out.

Step 5: Cover the Opening With Cloth

Step 5. Staple, glue, superglue or use whatever means to attach the cloth over the hole. Take care that there should be no creases in the cloth as those would leave shadows.

Step 6: Stick the Bulb Up Your....

Step 6. Introduce the bulb. Make it protrude (stick out) from the X shaped opening and then tape shut all the sides. Attach the bulb into the light source and angle it as per your needs to provide sufficient light to whatever it is that you are photographying.

Step 7: Ta..Da...That Is It.

All in all it took me around 10 min to figure out a rough layout of the idea and to make this thing. Now that you know the basic plan I'm sure you can do it in 5.
All this was just to see how the idea pans out. You can obviously make it more pretty and neater and maybe color it and stuff. Go sprinkle a bit of sparkles over the box and feel good that you just made something useful today.

I'm also attaching a video link of this DIY. It's a short 3 min video. Have a look...

https://youtu.be/okCf68UmpMc