Screen Lighting for Video Calls
A second screen makes a serviceable soft light. These pages fill a display with tuned white light so a webcam has something to work with.
Using a screen as a light
A monitor is a large, diffuse, dimmable light source that you already own. That is most of what a softbox is. It will not match a real key light for output, but for a video call in a badly lit room it is the difference between a silhouette and a face.
Put the lit screen slightly above eye level and off to one side, not directly behind your webcam — light straight on flattens everything. Then set the colour temperature to roughly match the room, or the shadows on your face will go blue against a warm lamp.
A tablet or a phone propped up beside the camera works well for this, and is easier to position than a monitor. Turn the device's own brightness all the way up first; the page can only control what colour the pixels are, not how bright the backlight behind them runs.
Questions
Can I use my screen as a ring light?
Yes, and it works better than people expect. A monitor is a large, diffuse, dimmable light source you already own, which is most of what a softbox is. It will not match a real key light for raw output, but in a badly lit room it is the difference between a silhouette and a face.
Where should I put the lit screen?
Slightly above eye level and off to one side, not directly behind the webcam. Light straight on flattens everything out. Forty-five degrees to one side gives you some shape, and if the room has a window, put the screen on the opposite side to fill the shadow it leaves.
What colour temperature should I use?
Match the room. If you are lit by warm domestic bulbs, a cold white screen makes your face go blue on one side and orange on the other, which looks worse than no light at all. Start around 5000K in daylight and drop towards 3000K under warm lamps, then adjust until the two sides of your face agree.
Why is the light not very bright?
The page can only choose what colour the pixels are, not how hard the backlight behind them runs. Turn the device's own brightness all the way up first, and turn off any automatic or adaptive brightness — otherwise the operating system will quietly dim the screen back down while you are on the call.
Does this work on a phone or tablet?
Very well. A tablet propped beside the camera is easier to position than a monitor and is often brighter per square inch. Set it to never sleep before the call starts, or it will dim halfway through.
Will it work with Zoom, Teams or Google Meet?
Yes. This is a light, not a virtual background or a camera filter — it lights the real you, so it works identically in every video app, in a recording, and on a live stream. Nothing needs to be installed or granted camera access.
Does it help on camera in a dark room?
It helps most there. Webcams have small sensors, and in low light they compensate by raising gain, which is what produces the grainy, smeared look of a bad video call. Giving the camera more light lets it drop the gain, and the picture gets sharper as well as brighter.