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☀️ Lighting? Make sure your face is clearly seen... don't be backlit.

4:09 Video (18 MB) HD Video (66 MB) Audio (4 MB)
Lighting for a video is important. I don't think it's as important as audio. So let's set things in the proper order. You should work on your audio. Before you work on your lighting.
Okay? Because, yeah, people usually especially if you're doing talking head videos, people just wanna hear the message more than, why can't you're gorgeous today? That obviously helps. But the best lighting from what I've noticed is daylight if possible. I'm facing a large window.
And so that, in my opinion, well, I'm gonna I'm so proud of my my my background, my my window here. Can I just show you? I can show you mine. I can show you what I'm looking at. Oh, sorry.
It's it's blurred because I don't auto focus is not on right now, but It's my backyard. So lighting, if you can face a large window, that's probably the best lighting. Especially if you can face a large window with a curtain. So if it's like really bright, you can at least put the curtain over and it won't be like super washed out and super bright and like blinding people. The other thing you could try to do is If you buy an external webcam, there are there's software like Logitech.
A lot of people a lot of you have Logitech external webcams. Well, there's a software that I'm using right now called Logitune. And I'm gonna pull up pull up my my my Logitune, and I'll I'll show you what's it's pausing the video. Okay. Now now it's so I can, like, change my change my brightness and things like that.
You see? So lighting can be adjusted just with Like, I'm facing daytime right now, and I could still look really dark, right, with with with the benefit of, again, the the software is free. To download, maybe have a Logitech camera. I think even if you have a different camera, it should still work, Logitech, Logitech, Logitech, tune. You could just Google it and find it.
Let me go ahead and adjust my my my camera lighting a little bit just based on what's Okay. Now the autofocus is not let me see if I can make it make it work again. There you go. Okay. So lighting is important.
If you can't face a large window or a small window or whatever, then you might have to get lighting and below this video, I've given you my recommended lighting equipment, and I'm sure a lot of you have opinions about that as well. Please go ahead and comment below what your favorite lighting piece is. It doesn't have to be expensive. I the thing I recommend is something like 30 to $40 on Amazon as of this recording, maybe even lower. And it's it's it's worked well for my nighttime lighting for years.
And for no. For 14 for more than a decade, the same piece of equipment, without even changing the light bulb okay, comes to 2 light bulbs. I haven't even used the other light bulb yet for 10 years, because I don't do that many evening evening things. But anyway, what I I'm gonna What I'm gonna talk people out of, if possible, is using a ring light. And now some of you are like, what?
That's what I bought. Everyone then recommends a ring light. Here's why I don't recommend a ring light. You will notice, in some people who use ring lights, you will notice the aesaron in their eyes. The ring light will reflect in their eyeballs and looks makes them look like the the dark lord from the Lord of Rings.
Know, the the evil eye does ring light in your eye does not does not does not look flattering. It just makes you look evil. I'm sorry. So that's why I don't recommend a ring light now. That's not true for everybody.
I I have some people who use ring lights who don't have the ISR in effect, and that's great. Depends on the back I mean, it depends on a lot of lighting factors. But as long as you don't have the ISR and Saron effect, I just gave someone feedback. I looked at their Instagram. Look at their video.
I'm like, woah. My god. Your eyes look look evil. They have a ring light. So just be aware, again, it's not true that you might be able to position your ring light in a way that doesn't have doesn't reflect that back in your eye in your eyes.
So That's all I wanna say about ring lights. But look below this video, I've got some links for you if you wanna take that take a look at that. Or go and face a a window and daylight is usually the most flattering.

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0:00
Lighting for a video is important. I don't think it's as important as audio. If you can face a large window, that's probably the best lighting. I the thing I recommend is something like 30 to $40 on Amazon as of this recording, maybe even lower.
3:31
That's not true for everybody. I I have some people who use ring lights who don't have the ISR in effect, and that's great. Depends on the back I mean, it depends on a lot of lighting factors.

Soft natural daylight is best – I face a large window in my office which is where I make most of my videos. The main point is to try not to have your face in the dark.

When natural light is not possible, I recommend an Umbrella Lighting Kit (approx $40) -- that single lighting kit will suffice for home video recording.  Here is an example and another example using this lighting kit.

Alternative: a softbox lighting kit.

You do need about 2.5 feet (0.75 meters) of clearance for this lighting kit, placed behind the camera, facing you.

The key is: don't be backlit.

Last updated 30 Jan 2024.