Why a screen makes a decent light
A monitor is a large, even, dimmable light source you already own, which is most of what a softbox is. It will not match a real key light for output, but for a call in a badly lit room it is the difference between a silhouette and a face.
Size is what makes it soft. A large source wraps light around a face and produces gentle shadow edges; a small bright one produces hard shadows and a shine on the forehead. A 27 inch monitor at arm’s length is, in lighting terms, a large source.
- Video calls in a room lit only from behind
- Early morning or evening calls with no daylight
- Filling in shadow on the dark side of a face
- Any call where the camera is currently making you a shape
Where to put it and what temperature to use
Slightly above eye level and off to one side, not directly behind the camera. Light straight on flattens a face; light from about 30 to 45 degrees to one side gives it shape. If the result is too contrasty, a second dimmer source on the other side fills the shadow.
Match the room. 5600K is daylight and is right if there is a window; around 3000K matches most domestic bulbs and is right in the evening. Getting this wrong is what makes people look blue against a warm room, and it is more noticeable on camera than in person.
Setting it up before a call
Open this on a second monitor, a tablet or a phone, press F for fullscreen, and turn that device’s own brightness to maximum. Then look at your camera preview and adjust the temperature until skin looks right rather than blue or orange.
The settings go into the address bar, so the configuration that works at your desk is a bookmark you can open a minute before the call.