Nowadays there are a lot of youtubers and streamers out there competing for more views. To stand out, you have to please the eye of your viewers with the right lighting setup (and content of course). In this blogpost we will cover the basics on how to position the lights and what benefits you will get out of it. Let’s dive in!
Simple techniques to improve your lighting
Having the right lighting setup can affect your look, feel, quality and emotion of your image. It doesn’t matter if you use the highest quality camera available or simply your mobile phone. Lighting can still drastically improve your image.
We recommend that you start with a blank canvas by turning off all lights. This way you know what effect each light adjustment brings. You don’t have to commit to buying an expensive lighting setup right away, though. You can easily get started with various lights you have hanging around, just make sure you use the lights properly like in the image shown below.
Key Light (main light)
The key light is the main light for your image, normally you place this light at a 45 degree angle from the subject. As a youtuber or streamer you are the subject. It is recommended to have a dimmable key light, so you don’t have to adjust the placement in order to increase or decrease the lighting.
People with glasses often suffer from glare when the key light is placed in front of them. This can be very distracting as a viewer, therefore we are going to fix this. As a spectacle wearer you want to place the key light on your side. This will eliminate the glare in your glasses. On top of that, this also creates a dimension to the shot by adding shadow to one side of your face. However, this big shadow gives you a cinematic look, which is not what you always want.
Fill Light
To resolve this shadow on one side of the face, we are going to use a so called fill light. This fill light will have a lower brightness level than the key light and will be placed at your shadow side. Position this light at the right angle so a little bit of shadow remains. Make sure the brightness of the fill light is not too high, otherwise the lighting on the subject will start to look flat and less interesting.
Rim Light
Now we are going to add some depth in your picture by using a rim light. This light will be positioned behind you to eliminate the edges around you. It’s called a rim light, because the light creates a rim around the head and shoulders. This helps with seperating the subject from the background, giving you more depth in your video.
Practical light (background lighting)
The only light source left to mentioned are the practicals. The light sources appear in the frame of your image. These light sources are typically being used to light a dark corner or to add some ambience to the video. It’s also a great way to make the camera view more interesting with vibrant colors. A lot of streamers are using the RGB corner lamps to achieve this background ambience. Another popular product is the RGB led strip on the top of your wall in the ledge.
Color temperature
In addition to having the right brightness, the color temperature is also enormously important. Therefore, we advise you to look for a key light that can adjust the brightness and color temperature. A lot of high-end ring/studio lights offer these features. You don’t want the key light be too orange, but you certainly don’t want it to be too white either. You have to find the right balance yourself, this depends on several factors like your camera, the light from outside, etc.
There’s a lot more to discuss on the topic of lighting, but now you know the basics. It’s a matter of trial and error to create the perfect lighting setup that suits your stream, but this information should help you get started!