Great content deserves great presentation. A dull or unclear stream can drive viewers away within seconds. Proper video lighting improves your on-screen presence and keeps your audience hooked.
Based on late‑2024 Statista data, live streaming ranks third by weekly usage reach at ~27.7%. Given live streaming’s popularity, optimizing your stream with clear visuals and proper lighting is more important than ever. This ensures your stream stands out professionally and keeps viewers engaged.
If you’re new to live streaming or still struggling with your lighting setup, there’s a lot to manage. This guide will help you set up the right lighting, apply practical tips, and pick the right equipment to create professional-looking live streams.
- Live streams need optimum lighting to deliver clear, professional visuals.
- Choose lights by type, brightness, softness, and color, then fine-tune for your setup.
- Ring lights, LED panels, and softboxes are light options for streamers.
- Proper setups like 3-point or loop lighting create balanced streams.
- Use OneStream Live with the proper lighting setup for better performance.
Why Do Creators Need Good Video Lighting?
Audiences already have a short attention span, and if your stream lacks proper lighting, they’ll quickly tune out. Therefore, every video requires a suitable lighting setup for streaming. Many newbies make the mistake of thinking that the natural light they have is enough. It’s enough for the naked eye, but on camera, it won’t reflect that way.
Good lighting is significant for video production. The following benefits highlight how lighting can improve the quality of your live broadcast.
- Visibility: A great light setup for streaming makes everything visible in frame. This helps the audience see all the important details without straining their eyes.
- Better quality: Proper lighting gives a professional and polished look to your stream.
- Mood Setting: A specific light setup can impact the mood and tone of your stream. For example, for a Halloween-themed stream, you can use LED strips, fairy lights, or neon signs in green/purple/orange.
- Focus: Lights can bring attention to specific subjects within your frame.
- Visual Appeal: Bright, well-lit videos are more attractive and visually engaging. This helps in capturing and holding your audience’s attention.
How to Choose the Lights for Video Production?
Selecting lights for video production becomes simpler with practice. Test different setups, keep what works, and refine until the lighting matches your style.
To make sure you have the optimum lighting streams, you’ll need to consider a few video lighting tips:
Light Source
Check the lighting source that you already have. Natural lighting can be variable, so try to understand how it fluctuates throughout the day in your location. When picking resources for video lighting, avoid overhead lights as these throw shadows that you won’t want. Also, remember that larger lights are softer than smaller ones.
Intensity
Light intensity matters equally, shaping how gentle or strong the lighting appears on your subject. The lights should be arranged in a way that it should light up your face without being too intense or causing annoying glares.
‘The more intense a light is, the brighter it is,’ says blogger Darien Hardcastle, from Boom Essays.’ ‘This gives you more intense light, but if you need to soften it, you can use a diffuser.’
Soft and Hard Light
Hard light or soft light? The choice changes the angle, shadows, and feel of your video.
Soft light comes from a large light source placed close to your subject. This softly frames the subject, creating a natural and flattering effect.
If you want to increase your light softness, you can adjust the angle between your subject and your light source. Most streamers prefer soft lighting for creating a professional and appealing look on camera.
Hard light comes from a smaller source placed farther away. It casts sharper and more defined shadows. Mostly streamers use it sparingly to complement soft lighting. In this way, you create a natural and professional look without unwanted shadows.
Color Temperature
You’ve encountered color temperatures more times than you realize. Think about the last time you stepped into a boutique or a stylish store. You probably noticed the bright, white lighting. This is a classic example of “cool” light. Now, compare that to the warm light of a reading lamp or a fireplace at home. This warmer light feels cozier than the white lights used in public spaces.
While setting up the lighting for streaming, consider the color temperature. You can choose warm or cool lighting according to the context of your stream.
However, make sure that all the lights used in the setup have the same color temperature. Mixing color temperatures will result in poor lighting quality.
Pro Tip: The temperature is measured in kelvins. Lower kelvin numbers mean warm light, and higher kelvin numbers mean cool light.
Physical Requirements
You must cater to some specific needs when it comes to the practicalities of your lights. For example, do you need something easy to carry around? How tall does the light source need to be? Which accessories can help you achieve professional lighting in your streams?
The size of your light source and its related accessories affect how your camera captures light. For example, the width of the beam from your light source determines whether it will deliver soft or hard lighting.
Similarly, if you plan to move during streaming, consider the size and mobility of your lighting sources. Choose lighting kits that are adjustable and flexible. This allows you to position and modify the lights easily, resulting in consistent and professional results.
Read More: Live Streaming Checklist for Professional Streams
What Are the Best Lights for Video Production?
You’ve got lots of different options when it comes to choosing lights for streaming. Here are some of the most popular types of light that you can use:
Ring Light
A ring light streaming setup is used by the majority of content creators. These are shaped like a ring and light up everything around evenly.
It’s an excellent choice for beginners, as it’s so easy to set up and use. Ring lights also banish shadows, so they’re great for things like makeup tutorials.
Key Light
This will be your primary light source, typically an LED light. Using it with a diffuser will provide the right amount of light to brighten your video stream.
You’ll need a diffuser with a stand to properly use a key light. For the best results, set up the key light in front of your subject.
Pro Tip: The Elgato Key Light is considered one of the best key lights for streaming.
Fill Light
These lights will fill in any areas that your crucial light doesn’t reach and expel any shadows. Umbrella and softbox lights are the best options for creating soft lighting in your live streams.
Back Light
Backlight can be used in combination with key and fill lights, as they work to eliminate the remaining shadows. As the name suggests, it sits behind you and shines on you either from above, to the side, or directly behind you as needed.
How to Set Up Lighting for Streaming?
Once you have your lights, you need to set them up in the correct configuration. Here are some ways you can configure your lighting for the best results:
Setting Natural Light
Struggling with setting natural light while filming outside? No doubt, natural lighting isn’t easy to control or predict, but you can use the following techniques to reap the maximum benefit from sunlight:
- Use a neutral density filter on the camera lens. It would reduce brightness while maintaining your exposure.
- You can film under a tree or in a shaded area to diffuse and soften sunlight.
- A reflector helps diffuse sunlight and redirect it, giving you control over where the light falls in your frame.
You’ve several options when it comes to setting up artificial lights for live streaming.
3 Point Lighting
If you have a key, back, and fill light, then this is how you’ll want to set them up. The key and fill lights sit to either side of the camera, lighting the subject, while the backlight sits to the side behind them. 3-point lighting for live streaming is a promising solution for optimal live streams.
One Light for Live Streaming
If you can afford one, we recommend buying a quality ring light. Place it behind the camera to get the most optimal results.
Loop Lighting
You can get a professional look with a combination of key and fill light. Place the key light on one side of the camera, slightly above eye level, and the fill light on the opposite side to prevent shadows.
Read More: Video Bitrate: A Complete Guide
What are the Top Video Lighting Options For Every Budget?
If you are a new content creator and don’t have the budget for a professional light setup, natural light can provide good lighting for videos.
However, your videos may not be fully professional at first. With consistent practice, you’ll learn to handle natural light, resulting in improved production quality.
Natural light alone isn’t sufficient for indoor shooting, so here are some lighting options customized for different budgets.
Budget-Friendly Lighting for Beginners
If you’re just starting out and want to keep costs low, focus on simple, reliable lights that still give you control. You can buy Xinbaohong Clip-On ringlight. It is lightweight and offers multiple temperature settings and continuous dimmer capability.
It clips directly to the phone, like a chip clip. Above all, it is affordable for content creators with a tight budget.
Mid-Range Lighting for Growing Creators
If your budget allows a bit more flexibility, the Interfit F5 Three-Head Fluorescent Lighting Kit can be a smart choice. This is the advanced light setup for streaming. This kit comes with three lights, including one with a boom arm that works perfectly as an overhead backlight.
All lights and stands are adjustable, allowing you to easily find the perfect lighting balance and angles for your face or scene. This setup gives you more control and versatility as you start producing higher-quality streams.
High-End Lighting for Professionals
For creators seeking complete control and flexibility, the Aputure Light Storm LS C120D II 3-Light Kit provides professional studio lighting for video production. It includes three powerful LED lights with adjustable brightness and color temperature.
The kit also comes with softboxes and barn doors to shape and diffuse light exactly as you want. Sturdy stands and full accessories allow you to experiment with advanced techniques. This lighting ensures professional-grade results for your live streams.
Conclusion: Why Video Lighting Matters
When creating the perfect live setup for streaming, lighting is generally overlooked. While there are many important factors to consider in your live streaming setup, lighting remains a vital element.
Now that you have all the essential information on optimal lighting for recording videos, it’s time to put it into practice. Apply these techniques to your setup. Become confident and professional in creating consistent, high-quality live streams.
Upgrade your live streams today. Choose the proper lighting setup and sign up for OneStream Live to deliver professional-quality videos every time.
FAQs About Video Lighting
Lighting enhances video quality by ensuring clear visuals, reducing shadows, and maintaining a professional appearance.
LED ring lights and softboxes are popular lights for YouTube videos. They also work perfectly for Twitch, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and other video platforms.
Use soft lights, and position them at a 45-degree angle to your face to minimize harsh shadows and create a flattering look.
While natural light for streamers can work well, it’s inconsistent, so using artificial lighting offers more control over your setup.
Use background lights or color-changing LEDs to create contrast and depth, making your environment more engaging.
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