The Best Expert Lighting for Your YouTube Videos
Whether you're making tutorials, gaming streams, entertainment clips, or product reviews, Good lighting is one of the most important aspects of creating high quality YouTube videos - the right lighting can make a huge difference for your final product.
Proper lighting enhances video quality, lets you experiment with special lighting effects, and gives your content a more professional appearance, which can improve your YouTube viewership and engagement. Let’s dig into lighting setups and equipment for YouTube, to make sure that your videos are presented in their best light (literally)!
Why Lighting Is Important
It Impacts Video Quality
Good lighting on your YouTube videos is, first and foremost, essential for clear, sharp video quality. Poor lighting can cause grainy footage, reducing the clarity of the image and potentially making it hard for viewers to see details; bad lighting also puts across an amateur vibe. With the right lighting, you can achieve crisp, vibrant visuals that capture attention, show off your content, and keep viewers engaged.
It Adds Visual Appeal
Proper lighting not only improves video quality but also enhances the look of your YouTube videos. It helps balance skin tones, minimizes unflattering shadows, and makes the subject look more professional. By using the right light sources, like key lights and softboxes, you can make your content appear more polished, which is crucial for growing your channel and brand on YouTube. Learning about how to use lighting to create different moods or special effects can also help your videos really stand out.
It Helps Set the Right Tone
Lighting is a big part of setting the tone and vibe for your videos, which in turn influences the mood of your viewing audience. For example, soft, diffused light sets a calm, inviting atmosphere for vlogs, cooking demos, or tutorials; colorful, dynamic lighting can create an energetic feel for live streams or gaming content; and artistic lighting can work beautifully for music or dramatic performances.
What Kind of Lighting Should I Choose?
The best lighting for your YouTube videos depends on the style of video content you’re creating. Lighting setups will vary based on your video style and the look you're aiming for; don’t be afraid to combine lighting components to get the look you want!
Ring Lights
Ring lights are a favorite among YouTubers due to their simplicity, portability (you can even get battery-powered versions), and ability to create even, natural lighting. A ring light eliminates shadows and provides uniform light on the face, making it perfect for beauty, fashion, entertainment, and vlogging videos. They’re especially great for close up shots, with their soft, flattering look.
Softbox Lighting
Softbox lighting is ideal for creators looking for a more diffused, professional lighting effect. Softboxes provide a soft, uniform light that helps reduce harsh shadows, so they’re great for indoor and studio setups. They’re a good multipurpose light, used for photo shoots; film and music videos; YouTubers who shoot tutorial or interview-style content; and live streaming.
Umbrella Lights
Umbrella lights are another form of diffused lighting that helps soften light for a flattering effect. These lights are the more affordable cousin of softboxes, and provide a similar softening of the light, making them a great option for budget-conscious YouTubers. They’re commonly used in photo and video shoots, and work well for lighting larger areas.
LED Lighting
LED lights are energy-efficient and versatile, providing excellent lighting for video production. You can get them in various sizes, from very small, portable units to medium-sized panels to large light fixtures, and they’re highly adjustable in brightness and color temperature. LED lights are most often used in combination with other lighting types, which can create a more dynamic setting for your YouTube videos.
Natural Lighting (with Reflectors)
Using natural light is an easy and cost-effective way to illuminate your videos. If you don’t quite have the budget to purchase lights yet, positioning yourself near windows can provide soft, flattering light. To better control natural lighting and minimize shadows, you can use disc-shaped folding light reflectors - you can generally purchase a large one or a set of small ones for under $20 - to bounce the light back onto your subject.
How to Choose the Right Lighting for You
When selecting your lighting setup for your YouTube videos, there are several factors to consider to ensure that you get the best setup for your content and your brand:
Budget Considerations
A lighting budget is where we all start! Lighting can vary greatly in price, from affordable ring lights (starting at $15-20) to LED panels and professional-grade softboxes. Begin by determining how much you’re willing to invest in lights, and then choose the best lighting that both meets your video needs and your budget.
Content and Space
The type of video content you create and the spaces in which you’ll be filming will also influence your lighting choices. For example, if you're filming in a small space, you may want to opt for compact ring lights or medium-sized LED panels. If you have more room to work with, a set of softboxes or umbrella lights is better for lighting a larger area. You’ll also want to keep in mind the visuals you’re filming - do you want a brighter, more professional look, or are you aiming for a more creative vibe, with more shadows, angles, and effects?
Ease of Use
You want lighting equipment that is easy to set up, move around, and adjust. Some lighting kits come with adjustable stands, dimmers, and remote controls, making it easier and more efficient to control your lighting during a shoot. Other lights, like Elgato Key Lights, also include an app you can use right on your desktop computer or phone to adjust settings like brightness and color temperature.
10 Great Lighting Options for Your YouTube Videos
From least to most expensive, here are a range of YouTube video lighting options to suit the lighting needs of nearly any style of YouTuber! (All prices USD, accurate at time of publication.)
1. UBeesize Ring Light ($25.72)
The UBeesize Ring Light is a solid affordable option for beginner YouTubers. It includes a tripod tabletop stand with a build in holder for your mobile phone plus a wireless remote control that lets you control your phone camera from up to 30 feet away. It also offers adjustable light settings from cool white to daylight and warm white, making it another versatile choice.
Pros: Affordable, good for beginners, easy to use.
Cons: May not offer enough power for professional setups.
2. Godox Litemons RGB Pocket LED Video Light ($29.00)
The Godox Litemons RGB is a mini LED light (around 3”x3”) that delivers unexpectedly bright lighting and a range of white color temperature options plus color choices; it also runs on a rechargeable battery for up to 10 hours. For YouTubers who create IRL content or who need a quick lighting source to be available at all times, this is a useful and portable pick.
Pros: Bright, reliable, great for travel or impromptu video creation.
Cons: Very small size generally won’t work for larger setups or spaces.
3. Torjim Softbox Lighting Kit ($49.99)
Torjim’s Softbox Lighting Kit offers an inexpensive solution for creators looking for soft, diffused lighting. The kit includes one 16” x 16” softbox with an adjustable stand, LED bulb, remote control, and soft diffuser, making it perfect for a starter-level professional looking setup.
Pros: Soft, flattering light, perfect for portrait and tutorial videos.
Cons: Bulky, not ideal for small spaces; only contains one light.
4. Logitech Litra Glow LD Streaming Light ($59.99)
With its own “TrueSoft” technology, color temperature and brightness controls, and frameless diffuser, Logitech’s Litra Glow LD Streaming Light is an appealing option for streamers looking for an efficient and user-friendly light. While it doesn’t include a standalone stand, it does include a 3-way monitor mount, so it’s all ready for gamers or those who primarily sit in front of their camera and monitor to create their content.
Pros: Affordable, sleek, and easy to use.
Cons: Primarily a monitor-based light, so wouldn’t work as a full-space lighting option.
5. Viltrox LED Light Panel (starting at $74.79)
The Viltrox LED Light Panel is a versatile option that can be adjusted for both brightness and color temperature, and also has “barn doors” to better focus the light onto your subject. This panel is great for YouTubers looking to create a variety of lighting effects for their videos, and also includes a wireless remote control (stand sold separately.)
Pros: Adjustable, portable, good for creative lighting effects.
Cons: Smaller light; may require multiple panels for larger setups.
6. Neewer Ring Light Kit ($139.99)
The Neewer Ring Light Kit is a popular choice for YouTubers due to its affordability and quality. The 18-inch ring light provides a soft, even glow and is great for portrait-style videos. The kit includes a light stand, diffuser filters, a carry bag, and a bluetooth shutter release for ease of use.
Pros: Affordable, easy to set up and use, soft lighting for beauty and vlogs.
Cons: May not provide enough light for larger setups.
7. Elgato Key Light (starts at $159.99)
Elgato’s well-known Key Light is a premium option designed for creators who need adjustable, smooth, high quality lighting. The modern-looking light panel has customizable brightness and color temperature from cold to warm white; can be set horizontally or vertically; and it’s also Wi-Fi enabled so can be controlled from your PC, Mac, phone, or via remote or Stream Deck.
Pros: High quality build, thin and lightweight panel, easily adjustable settings.
Cons: Higher price point; accessories like the remote or additional mounts are an extra cost.
8. Neewer 660 LED Video Light Kit ($239.99)
Neewer’s 660 LED Video Light Kit is a good basic choice for lighting large spaces, offering both cool white and warm white options. It includes light stands, barn doors, dual power choices (battery and power adapter), and cases for both lights, and can be used in combination with other lights for a more dynamic setup. Adding light gels gives you even more color options.
Pros: Bright, adjustable, ideal for large spaces.
Cons: May require additional accessories for optimal use.
9. Lume Cube Studio Panel Lighting Kit ($349.99)
Lume Cube’s Studio Panel Lighting Kit features two edge-lit LED panel lights, and is perfect for YouTubers who want a portable, comprehensive lighting solution that’s easy to set up. It includes the 2 adjustable LED lights that are great for on-the-go filming, as well as 2 tilt mounts and stands, 2 sets of barn doors, a remote control, a battery option, and a travel bag.
Pros: Portable, plenty of adjustable settings, easy to set up and use.
Cons: Limited lighting range for larger setups; battery option only lasts up to 90 minutes.
10. GVM LED Video Light ($699.99)
GVM’s Flexible LED Video Light is a new kind of cloth LED lighting panel that’s flexible and foldable, making it a unique and versatile option for more experienced creators. This light goes well beyond white light mode with a range of color options and pre-programmed lighting scenes, allowing for a wide range of special lighting effects, all controlled by a dedicated app.
Pros: Adjustable colors, large area light coverage that can also be molded to smaller spaces, great for light effects.
Cons: Expensive; requires purchase of a separate stand.
Setting Up Your YouTube Video Lighting
Achieve the best results for your YouTube videos by setting up your lights correctly! Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started with a three or four-point lighting setup:
- Position the Key Light: A “key light,” usually white, is simply the main light that illuminates your setup and your main subject. Place your key light in front of you (or your subject) at a 45-degree angle. This will provide the main source of illumination for your face or the item you’re filming.
- Add Fill Light: Fill lights, also generally white, are used to eliminate harsh shadows, reduce contrast and bring out detail in a shot. If you’re looking for that smoothly-lit look, you can use a fill light on the opposite side of your key light to soften shadows; but make sure it’s less bright than the key light to avoid overexposing your subject.
- Set Up Background Lighting: This one’s optional, but setting up a background light behind you creates nice depth in the shot, which will help separate you from the background and add visual interest to the frame. You can use any color for this light as long as it works with the other components in your shoot.
- Adjust Lighting Angles: Experiment with the distance, spacing, and angles of your lights until you find the perfect balance of brightness and shadow. You don’t want your subjects to look “flat” or washed-out by too much light; but you also don’t want harsh shadows or unflattering light contouring on faces or objects.
- Testing 1-2-3! Before you start filming your content, make sure to quickly record a short test video to see how the lighting looks on camera; it’s often different through the camera lens than what your eyes perceive. Make adjustments as needed, paying attention to how shadows and highlights fall on your face and surroundings; that the lighting temperature isn’t too cold; and that any colored lights complement the rest of your setup.
Light Up Your Content Creation with Fourthwall!
After you perfect your lighting setup, it’s time to take your YouTube channel to the next level with Fourthwall. Fourthwall offers a range of tools that help content creators welcome in their YouTube fans and build their brand, from socials connections to your own mobile phone app and more.
From your customizable Fourthwall storefront, you can create and sell branded merchandise directly to your audience (even via YouTube Shopping!), providing a seamless way to monetize your YouTube content. And Fourthwall’s additional monetization options, like memberships and exclusive content, let you offer special perks like preview videos and behind the scenes peeks to your fans.
Sell custom-branded products, engage with your YouTube followers, and build a stronger connection all of your fans via Fourthwall! Fourthwall provides all the tools needed to elevate your brand and bring even more success to your YouTube channel into a successful platform, so get started now!