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Lighting
How to light yourself on camera and what to buy for it, from one window to a three-light kit, for creators filming at home on any budget.
Light is the cheapest upgrade the viewer can see. Most talking-head setups are a soft key about 45 degrees off the lens and just above eye level, a fill or white bounce opposite, and a back light to lift you off the wall. A bigger, closer source looks softer; matched color temperatures keep skin natural.
Start with how to light a talking-head video with one light, or with the window you already have: how to use window light for video at home shows where to sit and how to bounce in fill. Three-point lighting at home adds the fill and back light in a small room, and ring light vs softbox vs LED panel helps you choose the first light to buy. If you wear glasses, how to avoid glare on glasses on camera says where to raise and move the light.
Guides in Lighting
7 guides · Newest first
Portrait Lighting Setup Explained: Roles and Patterns
A portrait lighting setup uses three light roles to build four classic patterns, with budget LEDs you can position at a desk or window and adjust easily.
What Is Low Key Lighting Film and How Does It Actually Work?
Low key lighting film creates tense scenes with controlled shadows. Learn light ratios, avoid setup mistakes, and recreate the look in a bedroom or home office.
How to avoid glare on glasses on camera
Keep lights, windows and the monitor out of your glasses on video: where to raise and move the light, a two-minute test to find glare, and what lenses can do.
How to light a talking-head video with one light
One soft light in the right place beats three in the wrong ones: where it goes, how high and how close, a white bounce for fill, and camera settings to match.
How to use window light for video at home
Where to sit by your window, how far and at what angle, how to bounce in fill, handle sun and clouds, and keep one color on your face when lamps are on too.
Ring light vs softbox vs LED panel for video
A ring light, a COB light in a softbox or a desk LED panel: how each looks on your face, the room it takes, what it does in glasses, and which to buy first.
Three-point lighting at home: key, fill and back light
Where the key, fill and back light go in a 10-by-12-ft room, in feet and degrees, how bright each one should be, and which to leave out when space is short.
