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The short version
Large, genuinely soft, and controllable from the computer instead of by reaching for it.
See at Amazon — Elgato Key Light (opens in a new tab)A large panel with a stand for a fraction of the price, if you add your own diffusion.
See at Amazon — Neewer 660 LED Panel (opens in a new tab)Small, battery-powered and portable, at the cost of the softness a bigger panel gives.
See at Amazon — Elgato Key Light Mini (opens in a new tab)Lighting is the cheapest large improvement available to anyone on camera, and the one most people address last.
Size is softness
A large light source produces soft light with gradual shadow edges. A small one produces hard light with sharp edges, which on a face means every texture and line is emphasised.
This is why a big diffused panel looks flattering and a bright bare bulb does not, and it is why brightness is the wrong specification to shop on. What you want is a large emitting surface, close to you, diffused.
That is what the Elgato Key Light (at Amazon, opens in a new tab) is out of the box, and the Key Light review weighs whether that is worth the price. It is what the Neewer 660 LED Panel (at Amazon, opens in a new tab) becomes once you add diffusion. The Elgato Key Light Mini (at Amazon, opens in a new tab) is the small one, and pays for its size with harder shadows.
Position
In front, slightly to one side, above eye level and angled down, as the lighting guide sets out. That gives some shadow on the far side of your face, which is what makes a face look three-dimensional rather than flat.
Directly in front and level with your eyes is the flat, slightly surveillance look that ring lights produce.
Consistency
Match your sources. One warm lamp and one cool window in the same shot gives you two differently coloured halves of a face and no white balance that fixes both, whichever webcam is looking at it.
How we chose
No lights were measured or photographed under for this guide. It rests on published output, panel size and diffusion, colour temperature range and control options, and on the optics of soft versus hard light.
The picks
(opens Amazon in a new tab) - Band
- $$$ Upper-mid tier
Elgato Key Light
Large, genuinely soft, and controllable from the computer instead of by reaching for it.
- Large diffused surface produces soft, flattering light
- Full software control of brightness and colour
- Desk clamp keeps it off the surface entirely
- Expensive for what is fundamentally a lamp
- The clamp needs a suitable desk edge
(opens Amazon in a new tab) - Band
- $ Budget tier
Neewer 660 LED Panel
A large panel with a stand for a fraction of the price, if you add your own diffusion.
- Very large light output for the money
- Adjustable colour temperature
- Comes with a stand rather than needing one
- Bare panel is harsh without added diffusion
- Physical controls only, no software
(opens Amazon in a new tab) - Band
- $$ Mid tier
Elgato Key Light Mini
Small, battery-powered and portable, at the cost of the softness a bigger panel gives.
- Battery power means no cable at all
- Small enough for a crowded desk
- Same software control as its larger sibling
- Small surface produces harder shadows
- Limited output for a bright room
Questions people ask
How many lights do I need?
One, positioned properly, gets you most of the way, and it is the light people most often skip. Place it in front of you and slightly to one side, above eye level and angled down. A second light on the opposite side at lower brightness softens the shadow the first one casts, and a third behind you separates you from the background. But a single well-placed soft light is the difference between looking lit and looking like a security camera.
Does colour temperature matter?
It matters mainly for consistency rather than for any correct value. Mixing a warm lamp with cool daylight from a window produces a picture where one side of your face is orange and the other is blue, and no white balance setting fixes both at once. Choose a temperature, match every source in shot to it as closely as you can, and set the camera white balance manually so it stops hunting between them.
Can I just use a ring light?
You can, and it is a compromise worth understanding. Ring lights produce flat, even illumination with almost no shadow, which removes the modelling that makes a face look three-dimensional, and they leave a distinctive circular reflection in glasses. They were designed for close-up work where flatness is desirable. For a person at a desk, a rectangular panel to one side generally looks more natural and deals better with spectacles.
Elgato Key Light
Large, genuinely soft, and controllable from the computer instead of by reaching for it.