Many of us record video content from home, rather than in a dedicated studio. Available light from a window in your home office might add a key light to one side of your face, but the other side could lack detail due to harsh shadows. If the window is behind you, then your face could be in silhouette. Daylight also fluctuates in intensity and colour due to the time of day and the weather, causing your YouTube presentations to look inconsistent if you record them throughout the day. Artificial light from an overhead bulb can add unflattering shadows to your face and emphasise ‘baggy’ eyes. You need a third-party light source to help you look better on camera!
In a ‘real’ studio, you might mount a soft box onto a COB (Chip On Board) LED to create a diffuse spread of light that fills in shadows and creates a more flattering look. However, soft box attachments can be rather large, and in a home studio, you may not have the space to fit them in. I’ve tested and reviewed many studio COB LEDs, such as the Neewer AS600B 600W Bi-colour LED video light, and they are just too large and powerful for home use (and expensive too!)
