🎯 Look your best: easy lighting tips for better streams
Great lighting can instantly make your stream look more professional — and help you earn more. With the right setup, you’ll avoid pixelation, strange colors, or shadows that distract Members or make your video look low quality.
🛠️ General lighting principles
- Use balanced, even lighting across your entire room.
- Avoid shadows, natural light, and yellow tones.
- Always verify lighting by checking your video feed, not just the room.
- A camera requires more light than the human eye.
✅ Recommended
LED bulbs with a 5500K daylight color temperature.
- Rooms with white or light-colored walls to reflect light better.
- LEDs instead of CFLs — LEDs are more efficient and modern.
- Do not place lights behind you.
⛔ Avoid
- Natural daylight — it changes constantly and ruins consistency.
- Yellow bulbs / halogen lights — they distort skin tones.
- Ring lights — too harsh and flat for live video.
- Colored LED strips — they flicker and reduce stream quality.
- Spotlights — too intense, create hot spots and deep shadows.
💡 Lighting Setup Options
Budget lighting setups
Table + ceiling light setup (low-cost option)
An easy starting point using household lights. Use the same type of LED bulb in all lamps to maintain color consistency.
🔧 Setup examples:
2 table lamps + 1 ceiling light
Table lamps on opposite corners, aimed slightly at you and the background. Ceiling light above and in front.- 3 table lamps + 1 ceiling light
Add a third lamp directly above your monitor. - 4 table lamps + 1 ceiling light
Add two side lamps on nightstands or nearby furniture. All lights should face you and fill the room evenly.
💡 Use LED bulbs with at least 800 lumens per bulb for small rooms. Larger spaces may require bulbs rated at 1600–2600 lumens for full coverage.
Medium lighting setups
Umbrella + ceiling lights (recommended for most Models)
A more flexible setup that offers professional results for streaming and content creation.
- Use white (diffusion) or silver (reflective) umbrella lights.
- Choose lights with 1–5 sockets based on room size.
- Use LED bulbs with 800–2600 lumens per socket.
- Adjust light distance, angle, and height to avoid shadows or glare.
🔧 Setup examples:
1 umbrella + 1 ceiling light
Umbrella in front of you. Ceiling light above and in front.- 1 umbrella + 1 table lamp + 1 ceiling light
Table lamp on one side, umbrella on the other. Both facing you and the background. - 2 umbrellas + 1 ceiling light
Umbrellas on the left and right sides. Ceiling light centered above. - 3 umbrellas + 1 ceiling light
Two umbrellas at the sides, one in front. Ceiling light used only if necessary.
High-end setup (studio quality)
Softbox lighting (advanced option)
Best for razor-sharp streams and professional video production.
- Recommended only if you have experience or external help (e.g., a photographer).
- Often combined with a hair light for depth.
- Ideal for My Content or Contest video creation.
⚠️ Examples — what to avoid
Type | Reason to Avoid |
|---|---|
| Yellow halogen / Edison bulbs | Create unnatural tones. |
| Spotlights | Too narrow. Not designed for ambient streaming light. |
| Ring light | Meant for photography only. Not suitable for streaming. |
| Natural light | Uncontrollable and inconsistent. Causes dullness or graininess. |
| Colored LED strips | Can cause flickering and image degradation. |
🌒 Managing shadows
Shadows distract viewers and hide your best angles.
To avoid them:
- Sit or stand farther from the background so light can hit you evenly
- Avoid ceiling lights directly above your head (they cause glare)
- Tilt your lamps slightly to fill in dark areas, not just blast light forward
🧠 Why it matters: A clean, shadow-free setup keeps all eyes on you — and increases time spent in your room.
