You begin your Best Lighting for Video Conferencing. On the screen, a mysterious, shadowy figure appears. It's difficult to tell who they are.
"Yikes, sorry, gotta fix my lighting," you say to your colleagues as you fumble to turn on another lamp and adjust the angle of your webcam.
Is this scenario familiar to you?
We've all been in situations where our lighting wasn't ideal.
A few too many shadows, a little too harsh light, or that bothersome backlighting from your otherwise wonderful window in your home office.
Even if you're generally happy with your lighting setup when working from home, there may be one or two tricks you could try to look more polished and professional.
We scoured the internet and spoke with our own creative director, who has worked on hundreds of professional video shoots, to bring you the ultimate guide to upgrading your video conferencing lighting.
We'll go over quick tips for easily optimising your space on a budget, as well as suggestions for those who want to get really technical and invest in all the gear.
Let's get started—or use the table of contents above to skip to the sections that interest you the most.
What is the best video conferencing lighting?
Home office lighting setup for video conferencing is shown above.
The best lighting for video meetings is determined by your objectives. If you're a news anchor broadcasting from home, a professional YouTuber, or someone who gives a lot of high-profile presentations, a glossier, studio-quality lighting setup might make sense.
Most professionals, on the other hand, simply require a setup that will help them look good on calls and enhance, rather than distract from, what they're saying.
We're trying to remove all of the distractions, all of the things that get in the way of you and I talking face to face." Improving your lighting and the space around you as much as possible is one of those elements that helps." — Josh Gillick, Webex Creative Director
And, with research indicating that using video during meetings is an important component of successful remote or hybrid collaboration, it's worth taking the time to look professional.
Following the establishment of your goals and budget, there are two primary questions you must answer when determining the best lighting situation for you:
For a video call, where should the light be?
Consider the lighting in your home workspace, whether it's a desk in a corner of the living room or a dedicated home office.
Where do the light sources in that room come from?
Take into account any windows, overhead lights, and lamps in the room.
Backlighting should be avoided.
If the room has a window or another source of natural light, make sure it is not directly behind your desk.
"Avoid bright rear lights," Gillick advised, noting that they will either lower the quality of your image or blow out your background.
As a result, as much as you want that big, beautiful window in the background of your video meetings, resist placing your desk directly in front of it.
"Open your shades and let the natural light in, but don't let all that light hit your back," Becca Farsace, Video Director at The Verge, advised in her excellent piece on the subject.
"The first rule of natural light is don't have it behind you," says Michael Hession, Wirecutter's head of photography and video. If you're backlit like this, your face will appear too dark or your background will appear too bright."
Backlighting in action—and more tips on how to avoid it—can be seen in Hession's helpful demo.
Place the brightest light source directly in front of you (or at a 45-degree angle).
Experts advise placing your main light source directly in front of you or at a 45-degree angle to you.
"It's wonderful if you have a large window in front of you where you work. "The majority of the work is done for you," Hession explained. "You have this lovely large, lovely light source that will brighten your face right up."
Hession suggests turning at a 45-degree angle to the window to add interest to the frame. "This will cast a shadow on one side of your face." It's a little bit more flattering, de-emphasizes your blemishes, and has a cinematic feel to it."
And what if you don't have a window or it's dark outside?
Locate the most powerful light source in your room—perhaps a lamp—and position it optimally, following the same guidelines as for the window.
If you don't want to fuss with angles, remember TechCrunch editor Darrell Etherington's lighting guide's simple rule of thumb:
"Ideally, you should position yourself so that the brightest source of light is behind your camera (and, if possible, above it)."
Use caution when using overhead lighting.
When arranging your lights, keep overhead lighting in mind, such as the main light fixture on your ceiling.
According to cinematographer Katherine Castro, who has worked on films such as "The Equalizer," "Detroit," "Ted 2," and "Spotlight," lamps and natural light produce better results.
Experiment with two and three-point lighting.
Once you've mastered the fundamentals, consider a two-point or three-point lighting arrangement if you want to take things a step further.
What exactly is two-point lighting?
Gillick has adopted a two-point lighting scheme in his own office.
"Right next to where I'm sitting is a large window. "It's casting light on one side of my face, shaping my appearance," Gillick explained. "I also have a lamp with a nice big lampshade." I switch to the other side and shape the other side of my face."
These two lights, known as the key light and fill light, work together to keep either side of his face from being too shadowed while also adding dimension.
Etherington recommends placing the lights behind or parallel to your webcam, angled toward your face, if you go this two-point route. Make one of the lights brighter than the other.
"This will add subtle shadow and depth to the lighting on your face, resulting in a more pleasing and professional appearance," Etherington explained.
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