

Photo Credit: BVC Co.Īdding a key light into your setup will immediately allow your current camera or webcam to perform better. It’s one of the reasons why your camera usually looks grainy without any light.

With this in mind, even good webcams won’t work well without light. The more light that can be placed on someone by the camera, the sharper the image you get overall. A traditional camera takes in all of the available light in an area, bends it, and redirects it to the subject. That seems weird, but there’s a reason behind it.Īlong with crop factors, zooming, and more, a camera relies on lighting to help sharpen an image. Key Lights make a good camera, great.Ī key light is a critical piece in creating a high quality stream, even before a good camera.

Having good lighting doesn’t just help brighten you up on camera, it has a lot of huge uses and ways that it helps current and new equipment work even better. If you are using an Elgato Key Light (or ones with webhooks that work with IFTTT), you can even integrate them directly with stream controllers for even more control. High-end key lights usually allow you to change color temperature ranges, brightness, and more for additional scene adjustments. The key light’s main job is to provide a direct light source to you and separate you from the background. Key lights help brighten up and bring attention to the subject. This can be a lamp, ring light, or even an LED panel that is pointing light directly at the streamer.
#Ring light vs led panel for streaming upgrade#
While you have your green screens, webcams, and stream controllers, a lot of creators overlook the value of quality lighting, specifically key lights.īut what is a key light and why should you upgrade this piece of equipment before getting a DSLR camera or buying a pricey stream controller? Luckily for you, we have all of those answers and more! Take a look! What is a Key Light?Ī key light is the primary light source in your streaming setup. It’s why streamers spend thousands of dollars on equipment to achieve just that. As a streamer, you want to make sure you look your best, especially on camera.
