Lighting is an important part of any streamer’s setup. Whether you’re streaming your favorite game, creating a tutorial video for YouTube, or streaming on Twitch, the quality of light can make all the difference in how people perceive your work.
The problem is that there are so many different types of lighting available on the market today and it can be difficult to know which one will best suit your needs.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of some of the best lighting for streaming to help you find what works best for you!
How We Chose The Best Streaming Lights:
With over 15 years of gaming knowledge, and experience using and reviewing streaming products.
We have researched 30 different streaming lights to produce the best possible list for our readers that are looking into improving their own streaming room ambiance while also having some fun with color shifting or even animation effects!
We focused on each product’s lighting power as well as pricing so you can find something perfect without spending a fortune.
1. The Elgato Key Light
The Elgato Key Light is an LED light specially designed for streaming. It offers a wide extendable pole mount that is flush against the wall. In its 2800-lumen capacity, the unit’s cooling air conditioning system keeps heat lower and prevents people from sweating during the action.
The Elgato Key Light design is made of opal glass to give glare-proof dispersibility. The color temperature range is even fully adjustable. All lights brightness and temperatures can be adjusted manually using the smartphones controlled center app.
Check Best Price2. Neewer Ring Light Kit
The Neewer 18′′ 55W, 5500K ring light kit is a must-have if you prefer the slim design of a ring lighting rather than a Soft Box. The outer shell contains about 120 individual LEDs. It has a dimmer range of 9%-100% to provide complete transparency.
Unfortunately, the color temperature is less easily adjustable, and instead contains two plastic color filters (often orange and white) that require manually changing. This Ring light does the necessary setup but has a camera mount which may be a troublesome compromise when you’re filming with a DSLR or a mirrorless camera.
Check Best Price3. Neewer 700W Professional Photography Softbox Kit
The Neewer 700W Softbox lighting kit comes with two hard boxes. It’s a necessity when using one behind your desk. It is lightweight, so you can safely archive the video once you’ve finished using it for later use.
Overall the lighting kit is an amazing choice for streaming enthusiasts who demand an optimal lighting installation at a decent price. It’s comparable to many high-end photographic studio Softboxes without the price tag. With the softbox lighting kit at either end of which minimizes the shadowy effect, it is possible to place one side of your desk.
It’s a great source for soft, professional lighting and you can readily set up lighting levels.
Check Best Price4. Philips Hue LED Smart Bulb
Philips Hue is the smart lighting system that helps you set the right ambiance for any moment and any room, with just a tap of your finger. Enjoy warm white to cool daylight color temperature, millions of shades between, and light temperatures from soft to bright.
Dim to brighten lights or groups of lights together. Control your lights remotely using your smartphone or tablet. And set timers for your convenience so you never have to remember to turn off the lights again!
Check Best PriceRead also: Best Budget Gaming PC’s
5. AceTaken Webcam Ring Light For Logitech
A light may be installed inside any Logitech Webcams C920x C912 or BRIO computers. In theory, it saves the office lot of space and disappears completely unnoticed. It has 3 lighting settings and temperature modes so that you adjust the brightness level and illumination to your liking.
With a 360-degree rotation, the light can rotate any amount that your body needs! It would give you an incredibly good light perfect for streaming. It will be mounted on all of Logitech’s most frequently used and highly recommended C920 and C9 22X webcams.
The lighting can be adjusted depending on the temperature and your needs.
Check Best Price6. StudioFX Studio Lighting Kit
In addition to softbox performance, StudioFX lighting kit softboxes reduce glare while eliminating omission and hot spots. It’s easy to install and easily the closest to fully studio high-performance equipment for under $150.00. Investing in a high-quality ring light can still provide you with great lighting for streaming and generally at a lower price than most softboxes.
This is space-saving! When you don’t want enormous lamps put in the surrounding area it can be a good idea to go with just a desktop light. It’s still an idea to invest in high-quality rings.
Check Best Price7. Neewer Dimmable Bi-Color LED
The Neewer dimmable LED lights are a lightbox aimed at Twitch. LED strips contrast well with the light that comes to the monitor or overhead. It’s easy to purchase considering the quality of the lights.
The d-Fuse Camera is made with an LED light panel and provides a very strong diffusing process with a softbox so that all visible light is natural-looking. The box has an adjustable lighting and color temperature setting which one can play with to achieve correct lighting.
It’s a good space-saving solution for the Twitch Stream Studio but you should perhaps diffuse light to get this natural look.
Check Best Price8. Lume Cube Video Conference Lighting Kit
The Lume Cube iPhone light is the perfect lighting solution for your video and photography needs. It’s a super bright, ultra-portable, professional-grade LED light that fits right on your iPhone! The Lume Cube gives you the flexibility to soften your light and enhance your professional glow that’s great for streaming from home, zoom meetings, virtual classes, or video conferences.
With its built-in frosted lens and additional white diffuser, you can tone down the brightness of the light or create a soft glow around you.
Check Best PriceRead also: Best Streaming Headphones
Most Popular Twitch Lighting Setup: Key and Fill Light
Twitch streamers have two lights pointed at them; a key light that provides the main light and a fill light that fills the shadows to be released by the main light. A typical Twitch streamer will have two lights positioned behind its screen.
You can also use a ring light or boom arm to fill the main lighting to create shadows. This will also help reduce noise for a more efficient broadcast.
Different Types Of Lighting For Streaming
Softbox lighting saves money and helps the space in smaller buildings. Softboxes are now made from lightweight materials and can be purchased in various sizes. Softbox lighting is used to snap a photo.
Desktop lighting is easy to put onto the desk like an illuminated ring light or anchored on a webcam. If you’re working within a small area, installing softbox lights is a good way to save money and space. Softboxes don’t emit sharp shadows and are ideal for filling lights because they are lighter and don’t take much time to do so much work.
If you want to use softer boxes you can use the desk light for intensive light.
LED Lights
LED lights are perhaps the lightest and most versatile solution for a streaming configuration. This light is generally located in 2 to 3 light settings as an attempt to make you emerge from the shadows. Popular key lights are the Elgato key light and Air lights.
Then we will consider some cheaper alternatives to keylight as well. We’re going to look at cheap alternatives to the Elgato key light. We look at using these lights in a stream deck with the stream deck and app for full customization and integration with the streaming.
Fill Light
The fill light is less powerful than the key light and can be placed at the opposing end of the subject. Its job involves canceling the shadows created by the main source light.
Key light
It’s direct and has the biggest influence over the scene. The key light can be attached to any side of the camera to illuminate the subject at an angle. We recommend the Elgato Key Light.
Backlight
Backlights are to be used in combination with key lamps. If you have a beautiful background or a nice collection, you can illuminate the region for a wonderful live broadcast. Some streamers also use color temperature lighting for interesting backgrounds.
Softbox Light
Softboxes are bulky studio lights armed with a light rack for easy operation. They can provide a reasonable budget and are much more versatile than an LED ring light. Softboxes can be used with streamers, but they’re not well placed in your home.
For example, if you are into photography and videography the Softbox is a good choice for you. Softboxes are not made for Streaming setups, but they can be good lighting sources for some.
Softbox lights are more versatile than a LED ring light and are the ideal solution when you need to budget your photography. Softboxes are not ideal for streamers.
Loop Lighting
For novices, this is a simple solution typically created to achieve a flattering look professionally. The key light is positioned slightly above eye level and is located only on the front of the camera head. This will be necessary for preventing shadows.
Best Lighting For Streaming FAQ:
How Do I Get Good Lighting For Streaming?
The “Three Point Lighting” technique is the standard method used for lighting an object. It uses three primary light sources: the main light, the fill light, and the backlight. This flexible technique can produce just the right amount of light for the stream.
Do You Need Lights For Streaming?
Most professional game streaming setups will use lights in the background.
A good light setup will not only look good on stream but can provide additional benefits like easy visibility when doing certain tasks or moving around your place.
What Type Of Light Is Best For Streaming?
Your streaming should ideally be in either bright, natural light or electronic daylighting.
The key to optimizing for bright, natural light is ensuring that it is placed at a 90-degree angle to the camera’s lens. Windows are your friends here if you don’t have enough space.
Furthermore, if possible the camera should be positioned on an elevated platform away from any obstructions, such as lamps or plants. When set up this way the room looks clean and professional rather than cluttered with cheesy equipment lining every available surface.
Where Do You Put Lights For Streaming?
The best placement for lighting is to use at least one light source behind the camera. This will ensure that there are no shadows on your face during your stream. The next consideration is where should you put lights around you?
For instance, oftentimes people who find they have a green or yellow hue in their faces or under-eye circles may want to try having lights facing them from behind with an amber-tinted bulb to reduce washout and create more flattering angles for everyone’s face.
What Lights Do Most Streamers Use?
In addition to the Elgato Key Light, the most popular streaming light is undoubtedly the Philips Hue. This sleek, elegant, and easy-to-use device has everything you need to make your home more visually interesting at no reasonable cost.
Not only can these lamps be customized with a number of different colors and brightness levels through their software, but they also come programmed with one hundred scenes that can set the ambiance for any particular mood or occasion.
Why Do Streamers Use Ring Lights?
There are a number of reasons, but one is that it fills out skin imperfections. Many people working on camera have blemishes or areas where their skin is too light or too dark – the ring light will balance things out more accurately giving you perfect-looking, healthy-looking skin.
Another reason might be to offer an “airbrushed” appearance which is popular with some audiences, especially for women who are hosting women’s empowerment style content. It also offers a more flattering quality because there’s no harsh contrast between strong areas of light and dark shadows.
How Do I Light A Green Screen For Streaming?
It must be perfect, and with appropriate lighting to create a successful green screen. To achieve this location two softboxes facing the greenscreen at angles – a key and fill light – enclosed the film camera with an auxiliary ring light from the front to illuminate the subject.
This approach will remove all shadows in your background and the streamer. In some cases, the background is better lit because the darker dark and patchy “distorted” effects in chroma key software may show.
Another tip in creating a better viewing point is to check the source is not near the green screen or directly towards it. This will have a green light coming through you and stop you from creating a uniform outline around your body.
Read also: Best Green Screens For Streaming
How Do I Set Up 3 Point Lighting For Streaming?
Setting up the lights around you is quite simple. You can use either of the previously mentioned light method (softbox, ring light, or dimmer LED ring light) as indicated by the fills/keys lights. A 3rd light is ideal for a background.
If the light is too intense by the increasing angle or by drawing the light out of white objects such as walls or curtains to diffuse it even more. If you don’t then you might be able to save money by putting on a desk lamp with a diffuser underneath.
Read also: Best Webcam For Streaming
Final Words
With these tips, you can make your Twitch streaming experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible. What’s more important is that the lighting on-screen should match what we see in our environment; if it doesn’t, we may feel confused or disoriented.
The best way to use light for an optimal viewing experience is by using a front light that emits evenly across the screen from below and behind you with no glare. The Eglato Key Light does this perfectly making it our top pick for streaming lighting. This will provide enough contrast between yourself and your surroundings so viewers don’t get distracted when they’re watching streams of their favorite gamers playing games!
