1. Consider setting up Ambient lighting
Ambient lighting creates a soothing effect and makes your video more effective visually. Try to attain a combination of lights including ceiling lights, lamps, etc. to create a balanced tone that is neither too yellow nor too white. Having an optimum level of luminance is essential for impactful video conferencing and hence this should be taken into account. The best ambient lighting is created by the natural daylight coming from your windows or doors. So, open those curtains and place your laptop or workstation near a window or balcony door, if possible, to have the best lighting at free of cost. But also consider that the light is directly falling on your face or else your image would be too bright causing distractions for the attendees.
2. Align your workstation facing towards the source of light
If you are sitting with the window or your light source at your back, it would darken your image. It would also create problems for your camera to focus on yourself and might distort the quality of the video. So always make it a point to sit at a position and align your workstation as such that you are facing the source of light, which can be a lamp, windows, or even a ring light. This would create a well-lit and illuminated silhouette and your video would be crisp and clear. This trick would be really helpful if your camera isn’t of very good quality as good lighting would bring out a much better video quality.
3. Using soft light is always a better choice
Bulbs and bright tube lights would never create a good lighting effect for your video conferencing. Instead of choosing these, try choosing a lamp or a diffuser that would provide softer light and diminish the harsh shadows in your room to bring about a great video. You must attain a balance between the various sources of lighting available to you and create a mixture of yellow and white lights for a pleasing environment. It is believed that the farther you are to the light source, the greater amount of shadow it creates. However, it has been seen that if you move closer to the light source, it would be better for the image quality. The exposure of your laptop or system’s camera can be improved by keeping a lamp close by as it would throw light right at your face and enhance your video conferencing experience.
4. Use the Three-Point lighting technique
This technique works like a clock where you would need to adjust your positioning as per the time of a clock. For instance, if you face towards noon, the lighting should be at 11 & 2, along with an overhead source that completes the three-point angle of this technique. This is a very famous photography technique that is used by prominent photographers and videographers all around the world for their portraits.
5. Pay special attention to the position of your device
The main thing to keep in mind here is that the camera must be at eye level. This can be done by putting a few books or empty cartons underneath your laptop or system to raise its angle and bring it up to your eye level. You would not want the other attendees to see your face as a humongous ball with special focus on your chin and mouth at a very weird angle. Lighting is also to be taken into account here as the quality of your video depends a lot upon the lighting as good lighting brings out better quality. But also keep in mind to restrict yourself from too much light during the golden hour. Overexposure can make your image too bright where you would not be seen properly.
6. Understand the importance of the background
The type of background of your video conference decides a lot about the focus of the attendees. Distracting backgrounds can create an unpleasant conferencing experience. Be sure to have your background well-settled, for instance, if you are conducting the conference from your bedroom, make sure that the bed is properly set and there aren’t any clothes lying around. Avoid using walls with posters as background for your video conference to keep the focus on what you are presenting, instead of diverting it upon your favorite movie or band!
7. Consider using a Ring Light
Ring lights have been gaining a lot of popularity these days due to the fact that everyone is operating online through video conferencing. It is also a professional-level solution to all your lighting problems. They have an adjustment for different scenes ranging from pale to white. Ring lights are a great choice because they spread the light evenly on your face because of their design and are portable enough to be taken to any room or even outside. Plus, it can add a great style and look to your workstation and make it look more attractive.
8. Choosing the right color temperature should also be considered
The webcam’s setting should be adjusted accordingly to match the color temperature of all your sources to create a pleasing silhouette. Keep it at 2700K if you need warm white lights that are best suited for warm skin toned people, keeping it at 3000K would create a more realistic warm white tone without washing your actual complexion out. If you like a bluish tone then keep it at 4000K to have a neutral white color.
9. Consider the clothes that you are wearing
Even though the conference is being held online and there is no one to watch what you are wearing or judge you for not getting ready, yet, you should never forget that it is very important to pay attention to your clothes to create a good impression and help to improve focus. Apart from this, the way your clothes pay with light should also be taken into consideration. If you wear light colors, the light from the various sources that you are using would reflect upon your face and confuse your camera. But if you wear darker shades, they would not reflect the light but rather absorb it creating a pleasing and neutralized effect for all your video calls.
10. How to choose the right temperature
It completely depends on your choice. Consider how you would like to see the other person’s video on your device. The temperature that you prefer also depends upon your geographical existence, for instance, people living in sunny areas like white colors more than warm shades, as against those who live in cooler countries and go for warmer tones. It also depends upon the mood that you are trying to create while you’re conferencing. If you are delivering a finance-related presentation, you would prefer bright light with cool temperatures. However, if you are presenting a recipe for baking bread or cookies, you would like to set the tone to a warmer, yellowish shade.
If you like a yellowish and warm tinge for your video, choose warm lights (2700-3000K) that are usually set up at homes. For a cleaner and bright look, choose a lamp with a cool undertone (4000K+) to add that bluish-white tinge to your video.
11. Try to stay away from glares
Glares are a huge turn off when it comes to video conferencing. It distracts the attendees and interrupts them while they are trying to focus on the presentation. If you are someone who wears glasses, make sure to stay a little away from direct and hard lights to avoid glares on your glasses, especially when you are using a ring light. To fix this issue, keep the light source a little away from your face to avoid a direct impression. Another way is to keep the light at a higher level than your camera so it doesn’t get reflected. Ask someone to assist you in this by altering the position of the light source until you reach a point where it is just perfect!
12. Keep a check on the Internet Connection
Internet is the most important thing when it comes to video conferencing because without an interrupted internet connection, you cannot conduct the conference. All of the above tricks would fail if there is a lag in your Wi-Fi. Always have an ethernet cable ready for cases of technical errors making it difficult for you to connect to the Wi-Fi through wireless. If this isn’t an option that you can consider, google and learn ways to improve your Wi-Fi connection and speed. If you are facing some speed issues, check if no one else is using the Wi-Fi for Netflix or downloading.
And if everything fails, try contacting your audience through a phone call as it would be your only option to avoid the errs of video conferencing.
Video conferencing is like an art, and you can perfect this art by following these few easy steps to get the perfect lighting for video conferencing.
