Good lighting is a necessary a part of any streaming or content material creator setup.
You want devoted lighting gear with a view to guarantee very good video high quality that viewers will stick round for, whether or not you are seeking to present your face or a product – or each – in an interesting approach.
There isn’t any level in spending your hard-earned money on a fancy camera and other streaming gear, in case your lighting is surprising, in any case.
Stable high quality lighting ensures a constant webcam feed out of your stream, or pure and correct colors to your b-roll.
No matter your funds, we’re right here to assist discover the proper lighting resolution only for you.
Best Streaming Lights: Our Top Picks
Razer Key Light Chroma
1. Best overall
The Razer Key Light Chroma is superbly bright and capable with loads of tweakable settings. It’s also highly adjustable and easy to use.
- Enormous key lighting solution
- Incredibly bright
- Massively height adjustable
- Easy to position
If large, bright and highly adjustable lighting appeals, then the Razer Key Light Chroma is a brilliant option.
This is a large key light which a solid and easily adjustable desk clamp. It comes with a long, height-adjustable pole which you can get into all sorts of positions with ease. The ball head means it’s easy to adjust and manipulate too.
It’s bright and colour adjustable, with 2800 Lumens of brightness and a colour temp from 3,000 to 7,000K. Unlike other lights, this one also has RGB lighting. It’s compatible with Razer Chroma so you can sync it with your favourite Razer peripherals or just bathe yourself with a colourful hue if the mood suits.
All this is controllable via Razer’s Synapse software or an app on your phone. So it’s perfect for streaming but also works wonderfully for capturing b-roll.
Zhiyun Molus G60
2. Powerful and versatile
This amazing little unit kicks out some serious light and is compatible with a plethora of fantastic diffusion options. If you want to step up your lighting game, look no further.
- Extremely bright 60W output
- Loads of diffusion options
- Compact and stylish design
- Can be powered by USB-C PD
- You’ll need to source your own mount
The Zhiyun Molus G60 is the smallest 60W cob light we’ve ever seen, which makes it perfect to mount as part of a streaming setup.
It’s an extremely versatile bit of kit, and it’s one of the brightest options on our list, which is great if you need to illuminate a larger space or compete with strong natural backlighting.
It can either be powered from the mains, with its included adapter, or it can be powered by a 100W USB-C power bank, if you want to use it out in the field.
Zhiyun has a wide range of diffusion options to choose from, including softboxes and domes, but if you want to take things to the next level, it can also be adapted to use a professional Bowens mount for larger softboxes.
Since this is such a powerful and compact light, it packs a fan to keep things cool, but rest assured it’s very quiet and if you’re running it at a lower output, it won’t kick in at all.
It can be adjusted to match colour temperatures between 2700K and 6500K and has a CRI of 96+, so you can be confident that you’re getting the most accurate colour rendition.
It’s a bit of an investment, but with such a powerful output in a compact and versatile chassis, we think it’s worth every penny.
Elgato Key Light Mini
3. Compact option
The Elgato Key Light Mini is brilliantly portable but also incredibly useful. It offers powerful lighting whenever you need it and in a tiny form factor.
- Tiny and portable
- Lots of battery life
- Easy on the eye
- Lacks any included stand or mount
If space is at a premium or you just need something portable and pocketable then the Elgato Key Light Mini is a great option.
This is a battery-powered light that has surprisingly good battery life and great controls both via an accompanying app and hardware buttons too.
It’s tiny, but also bright at up to 800 lumens. You can also adjust the colour range between 2,900 and 7,000K which is ideal for footage capture.
It’s magnetic, so will stick to surfaces, but with a standard thread mount, you can also mount it on a camera, tripod or another system to position it where you need it.
The Key Light Mini is brilliantly handy, especially if you just need a small portable light for adding some extra light to a scene, a product shoot or to light up your face as you talk to the camera.
It’s multi-purpose and a great option for the money.
Elgato Key Light Air
4. Excellent option
This light gives you superbly diffused lighting that you can tweak quickly via software or from your phone. It’s not too big, so ideal for streamers.
- Bright and easily adjustable lighting
- Nicely diffused and easy on the eye
- Solid stand system
- You need two for best results
Elgato’s Key Light Air LED panels are a great solution for streamers. These are snazzy little light panels that can top out at 1400 lumens and manage a cool to warm-colour range from 2,900 to 7000K.
Better still you can control these lights from software on your PC, an app on your phone or an Elgato Stream Deck.
They’re easy to arrange, straightforward to handle and adjustable too – with a tiltable head and peak adjustable pole that helps you simply get them into the proper place, it doesn’t matter what you are doing.
The very best factor about these key lights is that they’re filtered via a number of layers of diffusers, which means you’ve a delicate and mild gentle in your face that is not painfully blinding you when you play.
Logitech Litra Glow
5. For small areas
We love this one for its compact design and the actual fact it might probably run merely off a USB port. It is easy to make use of and does not break the financial institution, in order that’s a bonus too.
- Small and simple to make use of
- Powered by USB and does not want mains energy
- Simply tweakable lighting
- The stand does not sit properly on curved displays
For those who’re on the lookout for one thing extra reasonably priced however nonetheless in a position to ship nice subtle lighting then Logitech’s Litra Glow is a superb providing.
This can be a compact, monitor-mountable subtle lighting resolution geared toward creators. Particularly these seeking to begin upping their streaming high quality however with a restricted funds and house.
It consists of “True Mushy” know-how that provides you radiant, however easy-on-the-eye lighting that is flattering and simple to tweak. You possibly can simply change brightness ranges and color temps from the sunshine itself or from the Logitech G Hub software program and this gentle plugs straight into your PC making life a lot simpler as there is not any want for an additional wall socket.
Elgato Ring Mild
6. Flattering gentle
Ring lights are available in all sizes and shapes however typically lack high quality. Elgato’s possibility is high-quality and has much more to supply than most too.
- Complimentary lighting
- Extremely adjustable mount
- Could be fiddly to get into the proper place
Ring lights are nice for content material creators who want close-up and private lighting that is flattering and satisfying.
Elgato’s Ring Mild is nice for plenty of causes. Firstly it is provided with a sturdy desk stand, height-adjustable pole and ball head system. Secondly, it additionally has a digicam mount proper within the center, so you possibly can simply place your digicam the place it is most helpful.
This ring gentle is very adjustable by way of the Elgato Management Middle app and from buttons on the ring itself. Extra importantly, it additionally has an edge-lit design so it isn’t harsh in your eyes.
Massive, strong and durable it is an important lighting resolution for many who must be on-camera often and wish to look nice doing it.
How to decide on a lighting resolution
There are clearly a number of issues when buying a lighting resolution to your recording setup. Lighting is an enormous a part of creating good-quality video content material. So it’s value investing sum of money in high-quality merchandise. The very last thing you need is to purchase an inexpensive lighting package solely to seek out that there is a number of LED flicker or different issues picked up by your digicam.
Why diffusion issues
When buying a key gentle to your recording setup it is necessary to purchase one with good diffusion. With out ample diffusion, you may discover that there are a number of reflections in your video footage or that the lighting is simply too harsh and overexposes the shot.
For key lights and ring lights the place you may be utilizing the lights to focus on your face, you want diffusion to cease the sunshine from hurting your eyes. Particularly if you are going to be in entrance of the digicam for lengthy intervals of time. Mild diffusion can even assist stop harsh shadows from spoiling your footage.
Color temperature adjustment
One other factor to look out for when shopping for a lighting resolution is the color temperature adjustment choices. To get the perfect outcomes it is typically helpful to match your digicam’s white stability to the settings of your lighting and vice versa. Completely different color temperatures can even give a special look to your footage. This can assist with the way you look on digicam or how the scene appears and feels.
If the sunshine you purchase has restricted color choices or no choices in any respect then this may actually restrict how efficient it’s. So it is value looking for lights with adjustable color temperatures and checking the vary to verify it matches your digicam’s settings.
Lighting controls
The opposite factor to be careful for is lighting controls. It is useful to have an app or distant management to have the ability to alter your lighting settings on the fly. That is necessary should you’re a streamer or content material creator and also you’re happening digicam for hours, when pure gentle begins to fail and the sunshine round you modifications. Having the ability to push a button on an Elgato Stream Deck, faucet a management on an app or use an included distant management may be actually helpful.
How a lot room do you’ve?
The costlier and premium lighting rigs can take up a number of house. Skilled lights want giant stands and enormous diffusion containers to assist benefit from your lighting. In addition they take up a number of house although. If house is proscribed then flat panel LED lighting options may be preferable. These are sometimes mounted to your desk with a clamp however are nonetheless straightforward to regulate and reposition when you should.
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