The 7 Best Lights for Streaming
You want to elevate your streams, right? Sure, entertaining content is one thing, but production value is just as important, whether you’re popular or otherwise. And what better way to do that than with dedicated lighting?
Just like a good webcam, adequate lighting is enough to uplift streams from amateur hour to professional status. Even a simple lamp is enough to prevent your stream from looking like you’re gaming in a dungeon.
Here are the best lights for streaming available today.
1. Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels
Branding is just as important to streaming as the equipment you use. It doesn’t necessarily mean having a logo, but rather an overall aesthetic. If it’s visual flair and colors you’re after, the Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels are an excellent choice for capturing the attention of your viewers.
For starters, the Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels don’t limit you to a single color. In fact, with the help of the companion app, each panel can have its own color and even group panels together to create, say, your very own logo, in addition to enabling lighting effects like breathing. Without the app, you can also control them through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
Lastly, installing the Govee Glide Hexa Light panels doesn’t require a single nail. The panels come packaged with adhesive strips, and each panel only takes a minute or so to install. With the assistance of a leveling tool and bracket inside, the panels are kept tidy and level.
2. Logitech Litra Glow Premium LED Streaming Light
The Logitech Litra Glow is among the best and easiest ways of improving the production value of your stream, especially if your webcam is a bit on the cheaper side.
Thanks to the ingenious mount, the Logitech Litra Glow can be placed anywhere at the top of your monitors—no clipping, adhesive, or screws required—or, alternatively, on a tripod via its 1/4-inch screw thread. More importantly, you can make adjustments to the height, tilt, and rotation so as to find the best results.
Once adjusted and powered by USB-C, the Logitech Litra Glow provides up to 250 lumens and a temperature range between 2700K and 6500K, which you may adjust on the fly using the buttons at the back or with G Hub software. Best of all, the natural tones of your skin stay intact thanks to Logitech’s TrueSoft technology.
3. Philips Hue Smart Lightstrip
Who doesn’t love a little pizazz? With the Philips Hue Smart Lightstip, not only are you getting a series of lights that can add a bit of creativity to your stream, but add a surprising level of functionality.
With all lights working in unison, the Philips Hue Smart Lightstrip outputs 1650 lumens, which is more than enough to be a functional source of light, one that doesn’t require a tripod or permanent place atop your desk. Using the Hue app, you could then adjust the strength of the light as well as the hue to best serve the scene.
If it’s color you want, the Philips Hue Smart Lightstrip doubles as RGB lighting, giving you access to a variety of preset colors or, alternatively, pick your own from the in-app color wheel. Given how easy it is to set up, the strip is a quick and easy way of adding a splash of color to the background of your stream.
4. Razer Ring Light
As a streamer, you run the risk of collecting one too many devices that either serve a very niche function and rarely get used or serve a single function and that’s that. With the Razer Ring Light at your disposal, you not only get a great source of light but a functional tripod, too.
The Razer Ring Light has 192 LEDs that pass through a white diffuser. What this means in practice is that the light spreads nice and even. Combined with the shape of the light, any and all harsh shadows are banished for good.
Just as important as the light is the tripod that the Razer Ring Light is attached to. Thanks to the 1/4-inch tripod ball mount, the tripod can accommodate a variety of cameras, like DSLRs, as well as compatible webcams. It’s a two-in-one deal that provides an excellent source of light and a place for your camera!
5. Cozylady LED Light Strip
When you need a lot of light strips for a big project, you can count on the Cozylady LED Light Strip to do the job, and then some.
For starters, the Cozylady LED Light Strip offers a variety of sizes from 25 feet to a whopping 164 feet or somewhere in the middle like 65.6 feet. Either way, you’re getting plenty of lights at one time to transform your boring, poorly lit room into a bastion of gaming bliss.
Best of all, the Cozylady LED Light Strip makes the entire room, well, pretty cozy. You can opt for function and stick to white or yellow hues or add a barrage of colors by setting individual sets of lights to different colors using the companion app. It even comes with smart home functionality in the way of voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
6. Elgato Key Light Mini
In the world of streaming, having a versatile device on hand is a godsend and ultimately lessens the need for niche pieces of equipment. The Elgato Key Light Mini is a premium example of that design philosophy.
For starters, the Elgato Key Light Mini features two mounting options: a 1/4-inch thread and a magnetic back panel. This means you can go with a more traditional setup and attach it to a base or stick it to any nearby metal surfaces.
Most importantly, you don’t have to worry about the Elgato Key Light Mini adding yet another cable to your PC thanks to its 4000mAh rechargeable battery. It’s a respectable battery, too, providing up to four hours of battery life if you set it to 50% brightness. That cuts the lumens from 800 to 400, but that’s still plenty to drastically improve the production value of your stream.
7. Emart 60 LED Lighting Kit
What’s better than one good light source? Why, two good light sources! When one light isn’t enough, you may always opt for a more complete package like the Emart 60 LED Lighting Kit.
With the Emart 60 LED Lighting Kit, you bypass the issue of harsh shadows altogether thanks to a set of two powerful, 15W LED light panels that provide up to 1400 lumens of illumination. That alone is enough to graduate to a loop lighting setup for better coverage, and considering the panel lights are small, compact, and have 180 degrees of rotation, it’s easy to find a permanent location for them.
Packaged inside are four colored gel filters: red, blue, orange, and white, which you can swap in and out as needed. It’s admittedly a cheap way of emulating RGB lighting, but the filters are sturdy, and you even get back up filters for a total of eight. If you’re on a tight budget, the Emart 60 LED Lighting Kit is a tempting option, one you won’t be disappointed with.
