Why does my lighting suck on stream? How to fix it
Bad stream lighting is usually one light in the wrong place. Put your main light about 45 degrees to one side of your camera and slightly above eye level, add a dimmer light on the other side, and keep the background a bit darker than your face.
Here's the usual setup. A monitor glowing in front of you, a harsh ceiling light overhead, maybe a window somewhere. Your face ends up dark, shadowed, or a strange colour, and your webcam does its best with what it's given. It's often not the webcam. It's where the light is coming from.
Fix it in six steps
- Work out what's wrong. Is your face dark, is one side much darker than the other, or does it look too yellow or too blue? Each one has a different fix in the steps below.
- Place your main light. This is your key light. Put it about 45 degrees to one side of the camera and slightly above eye level, angled down towards your face. A softbox is ideal. Without one, bounce the light off a white wall. Webcams need more light than you'd expect, so go brighter than feels natural.
- Add a fill on the other side. Put a second, dimmer light on the opposite side of the camera, at roughly the same angle. Keep it at about half the key light's strength. A white foam board or a folded sheet of white cardboard about 50 to 60 cm from your face works if you don't have a second light.
- Turn off the harsh overhead light. A harsh ceiling light is one of the most common mistakes, and it can throw shadows across your face. Use your own lights instead.
- Match the colour of your lights. Mixing warm and cool lights makes your skin look odd. Use the same colour temperature for every light you point at your face.
- Set your webcam by hand in OBS. Auto settings can shift as the picture changes, which shows up as flicker or brightness jumps. Add a Video Capture Device, click Configure Video, and look for two tabs. Video Proc Amp has white balance, and Camera Control has exposure. Untick Auto on each and set values yourself.
Starting values for your webcam
These are starting points only, so adjust them while you watch the preview.
- White balance. One setup guide suggests 4000 to 4500K for fluorescent office lighting and 2700 to 3200K for warm incandescent rooms.
- Exposure. The same guide suggests a negative value, with minus 6 to minus 8 as a starting point for fluorescent office lighting.
If you don't see those controls, your webcam may not expose them to OBS. Some webcams with their own drivers don't, and their maker's software may offer them.
Common mistakes
- Light directly in front of you. It flattens your face. Put it off to one side.
- Fill as bright as the key. Equal brightness flattens the face too. Keep the fill dimmer.
- Background brighter than your face. The eye goes to the brightest thing. Make sure that's you.
- A pitch black background. It looks flat. A small lamp or LED strip behind you adds depth.
- Mixed colours. Warm and cool lights together make skin look strange.
Wearing glasses?
Raise your lights higher and angle them more steeply towards the floor, widen the placement past 45 degrees, and keep any ring light off to the side, so reflections don't land in your lenses.
What's in it for your clips
Good lighting makes your face the clearest thing in the frame. It pays off most when your face is on a small screen, on top of a vertical clip.
TCG Machine has a facecam split layout, with 35% camera on top and 65% gameplay below, and it exports in 9:16 vertical for Shorts and Reels. It finds your highlights from your MKV and MP4 recordings, and you review, change what you want, and approve before anything goes out.
You focus on the creative part, we bring it to life. It's in free beta now, so see how it works, check what it costs, or join the beta to get a key and the download.
Related: sort your background and put your face on top and gameplay below.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my stream lighting look bad?
Usually the light is in the wrong place, such as a monitor glowing in front of you or a harsh ceiling light overhead. Move your main light to one side and slightly above eye level.
How do I fix bad lighting on my webcam?
Put a key light about 45 degrees to one side of the camera and slightly above eye level, add a dimmer fill on the other side, and set your webcam to manual in OBS.
Where should I put my streaming light?
About 45 degrees to one side of your camera, slightly above eye level, angled down towards your face.
How bright should my fill light be?
About half the strength of your key light. Equal brightness flattens your face.
Do I need two lights?
Two is better, but not essential. A white foam board or folded white cardboard about 50 to 60 cm from your face can act as the fill.
Do I need a softbox?
It helps, because it softens the light. Without one, you can bounce the light off a white wall.
Should I use a ring light?
It can work, but it sits in front of you, which removes side shadows and flattens your face. It can also leave a circular reflection in glasses.
Why does my face look dark on stream?
There probably isn't enough light on your face, and your webcam is exposing for something brighter. Add light on your face and set exposure by hand in OBS.
Why does my webcam look yellow or blue?
Your white balance is off, or you're mixing lights of different colours. Use one colour temperature across your lights and set white balance manually.
How do I set white balance in OBS?
Add a Video Capture Device, click Configure Video, open the Video Proc Amp tab, untick Auto next to White Balance, and enter a Kelvin value.
How do I change my webcam exposure in OBS?
Click Configure Video, open the Camera Control tab, untick Auto next to Exposure, and set a value yourself. Negative values darken the image.
Why can't I see exposure settings in OBS?
Your webcam may not expose them. Some webcams with their own drivers don't, and the maker's software may offer the controls instead.
Should my background be darker than my face?
Yes. The eye goes to the brightest part of the frame, so keep the background slightly darker than your face, but not pitch black.
How do I light my face if I wear glasses?
Raise your lights, angle them more steeply towards the floor, widen them past 45 degrees, and keep any ring light off to the side.
Is overhead lighting bad for streaming?
A harsh overhead light is a common mistake, because it can throw shadows across your face. Turn it off and use your own lights.
Does my lighting matter for clips?
Yes. Your face is small in a vertical clip, so clear, even light helps it read on a phone screen.
Is TCG Machine out yet?
Yes, as a free beta, and it's open now: join the beta, confirm your email, and you'll get a key and the download link while places last.