Professional Lighting for YouTube or Podcast Sets in 4 Easy Steps

Pye Jirsa

video lighting for youtube or podcast sets feature main 01

If you’re thinking about starting up a video podcast or YouTube channel, you’re going to want to learn how to make your set (shooting space) look its best.  A big part of that will have to do with lighting.  The best part about this is that it doesn’t have the break the bank and you can get creative and find lots of DIY alternatives.  In this video, we’ll show you how to master video lighting for YouTube or podcast sets in four simple steps.

Video: Master Video Lighting for YouTube or Podcast Sets in 4 Steps

I recently launched a new podcast called 12-Week Relationships, a place where better relationships are made stupid-simple.  In this passion project, I’ve partnered with a Doctor of Psychology and University professor, Dr. Glen Hong, to discuss happiness, fulfillment, and connection.  You can listen and connect in the following places:

The podcast has little to do with photography or cinematography beyond gaining a better understanding of people and psychology. But it does offer the chance to create and study how to light a set for video and film-making. I mean, what better way to explore the topic of lighting a set than with a real-world case study?

C.A.M.P. Framework

If you’ve watched any of our previous videos, you may already be familiar with our C.A.M.P. Framework.

  • Composition
  • Ambient Light
  • Modify/Add Light
  • Photograph/Press Record

We will put this same 4-step framework that we use to light photography sets to work to light our video set. This process works equally well for lighting a set for cinema (whether it’s for YouTube, documentary films, or a home-podcast set). Follow these steps to get a great look, right in your camera.

Let’s get into it.

Gear Used in Video Lighting for YouTube or Podcast Sets

You can find the gear used for this video/article in the links below or neatly gathered in one place in our SLR Lounge Studio Build Store on B&H.

Lights

Light Modifiers

Light Cases

Light Stands

Light Stand Accessories

Budget Options

Step 0: Building the Set

Before we can light our set, we’ll need to build and/or design it. And before we do that, we need to consider the theme of our production. The new podcast, 12-Week Relationships, focuses on relationships (obviously) and the psychology behind them. As such, we wanted the look of the set to reflect a comfortable environment in which to discuss these matters, like a household living room.

plain office space

As you can see in the image above, the set location is a typical office space that doesn’t really lend itself to the vibe we wanted to create. To remedy this, we put up some simple wallpaper, added a couple of pieces of furniture, some sofas, and that’s pretty much it.

basic furniture on set

This gave the space the look of a home setting, but the overhead office lighting still didn’t create the right ambiance. So with the set design in place, let’s get into the process of lighting it.

Step 1: Composition

I always like to start with a rough idea of my composition. We placed a Canon C200 with a 24-70mm lens up on a tripod and started with a basic wide shot that framed the sofas and microphones. Keep in mind that you don’t have to perfect your composition right away, we just want a place to start so we can start placing lights in the right places.  Exposing for ambient light, this is what the scene looks like without any added lighting.

ambient light on set

Step 2: Ambient Light

Step two is ambient light, but we haven’t yet placed any lights to create an ambiance. So this is where I like to place “practical lights” for environmental effect. Practicals are lights used on set that are both in the shot, but also add light to the scene.  You can see the three lights in the picture below.

video lighting for youtube or podcast sets design details practical lighting 01

With these lights on, we can now dial in the camera’s ambient light exposure. This is where you’re setting the “intention” of the scene. If you want a more dramatic look and feel, go with a darker ambient exposure. On the flip side, a brighter ambient exposure will have a more light and natural vibe.

I wanted to aim for a darker evening sort of feel with a bit of warmth to the scene. So for this set, we started with ISO 1600, a shutter speed of 1/30, and an aperture of f/4. This felt like an appropriate starting place, although we knew we were going to make adjustments to better capture the vibe we were trying to create.

video lighting for youtube or podcast sets design details practicals 02
Notice the change in shutter speed and ISO to dial down the ambient exposure and better establish the mood

With the ambient exposure mostly dialed in, I like to check if we need any additional light sources to balance out the scene. In the picture above, I noticed the painting behind Anthony was a bit dark, so we added a 1×1 on the ground to light it up a bit as you see below.

video lighting for youtube or podcast sets luxli added light for ambience

The first light we added was a Luxli Timpani 1×1, just behind the chair on camera right. Our first priority with adding this light is to simply place the light and make sure it’s lighting the scene the way we want it. Then, when the light is positioned correctly, we can dial in the colors and other details.

video lighting for YouTube or podcast sets luxli app

One of my favorite features of this light is that Luxli has a “Composer” app with 150 digital filters that allow me to control all of the lighting adjustments from my phone, including the light color, intensity, and so on. It allows me to see the adjustments in real-time, which streamlines the process.

With the ambient light exposure set, this is where you have a clear picture of how to Modify/Add light to finish out lighting our subjects on the set.

Step 3: Modify/Add Light

Now, with our ambient light fully dialed in we can see the light that’s necessary for our subjects. In this case, we’ll be sitting on the sofas during the podcast, so that’s the place where we need to add light. When adding light for a photograph or video, it’s important to only add one light at a time. This keeps the process simple as you’re only controlling one variable with each change.

video lighting for youtube or podcast sets luxli added light for subject 01

We started with a Luxli Taiko 1×2 in a corresponding softbox, and placed it on an Impact C-Stand. These lights might not fit within your budget, and that’s okay. You can also consider options like those we’ve included in our studio lighting guide at B&H. Luxli lights, which work with the app I mentioned earlier, make this lighting setup very convenient and easy to use if you have room in the budget to pick one up.

Grids

video lighting for youtube and podcast sets grid 01

The added light looks great, but I found that too much light was spilling onto the background and affecting the overall ambiance of the room. The quick solution for this is to place a grid on the softbox.

video lighting for YouTube or podcast sets grid vs no grid

A grid will help funnel the light directly onto the chair and minimize light spill. At the same time, however, grids also impact the intensity of the light.

video lighting for youtube or podcast sets after grid
Adding a grid will reduce light output (left), so expect to bump the power to get the exposure where you want it (right)

This means we’ll have to bump the power a bit to get the exposure up to where we want it (see the images above). A way to save time here is to place the grid on the softbox before you start adjusting the light intensity. A good rule of thumb when it comes to the brightness of your main light is to light your subject so they are a little brighter than your background as you see above.

Because we’re focusing on video lighting for YouTube or podcast sets, this time featuring a two-subject set design, we will duplicate what we’ve done above and set up another light in a similar fashion for the second subject.

Accent Light

rim light

Remember, we’re still in the Modify/Add step. After setting up our main lights, I decided I wanted to add an accent light to serve as a sort of rim light for the subjects in the scene. For this purpose, I brought in a Genaray SSL-36 strip light, which is an LED light that includes features like white balance control. I placed the light just over and behind the subject.

before and after with rim light

One of the reasons I love using LED lights is that they’re generally lighter and smaller in size, and they produce much less heat than other light sources. You can dial in the rim lighting to taste or avoid it altogether if you don’t feel it’s needed.

Also, it’s worth remembering to be mindful of the angle of your light source. You’ll want to angle it onto your subject to minimize light spill (which the grid will help with), but you don’t want to use too extreme of an angle, such as a top-down angle like midday sun that can cause issues with shadows for people with deeper inset eyes.

Step 4: Photograph…or Press Record

With everything in place, this is the time to fine-tune your setup! If you need to perfect your composition or make some adjustments to the lighting setup, this is the time to do it. When you’re done, the last step in the C.A.M.P. Framework is to pose and photograph, or in this instance, press record.

To fully illustrate the impact of these four steps on video lighting for YouTube or podcast sets, here’s a look at the before and after for the 12-Week Relationships Podcast.

no light on set
Before adding light…
video lighting for youtube or podcast sets final shot after 01
…and after adding lights.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed these four steps for mastering video lighting for YouTube or podcast sets. Remember, if you use the C.A.M.P. Framework when setting up your lights, you can get similar results, regardless of the actual gear you’re using. Be sure to check out our SLR Lounge Studio Build Store on B&H for the lighting gear we mentioned above as well as a host of other budget-friendly options. And, for more A-to-Z photography education, check out SLR Lounge Premium.

RELATED POSTS

profoto b10x or b10x plus in ocf octa 3' on location

Profoto Announces Special Holiday Offers on Profoto B10X or B10X Plus + Duo Kits

November 08, 2024

Profoto has announced a special holiday offer on the Profoto B10X and B10X Plus...

fall-foliage-photography-tips-3

Fall Leaves Photography Tips and Ideas

November 07, 2024

That cozy time of the year is right around the corner, with...

Pictorem ChromaLuxe High Definition Metal Prints Review

November 07, 2024

As you’ll discover in the following review, print is not only alive...

fall foreground cassario

Fall Photoshoot Ideas and Inspiration from Award Winning Photographers

November 05, 2024

As the leaves start to change color and the weather starts to...