Lighting can make or break viewer engagement on your videos! Don't Believe Me?

Do I need to explain further? If your audience has to squint at their screen, it’s not going to be long before they swipe or click away.

Luckily for you, there are many different lights you can buy to suit your needs. Let’s review some.

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Box Lights

The “gold standard” for professional shoots.

A box light, sometimes called a softlight, is a bulb surrounded by a reflective…box, if you will. The opening of the box is covered with a translucent fabric that diffuses the light.

The diffused light is spread more evenly, prevents harsh shadows and glare, and has a more natural feel.

Here are some good box light recommendations, from me to you:

Neewer softbox lighting kit (name brand)

Skytex softbox lighting kit (with 3 color bulbs)

LED Lights

An LED light is a panel light that functions very much like a box light, but without a diffuser. I prefer a box light, because of the softer light it gives off, but an LED light is still a very popular option for filming.

You can always buy a separate cloth or film of some kind to put over the LED for a softer light.

Here are some good LED light recommendations:

Neewer LED light panel (name brand)

Neewer LED light panel (2-pack w/tripods)

NiceVeedi LED light panels w/tripods (budget friendly)

The Neewer lights are nice because they come with a cold shoe mount, meaning you can mount them on top of most cameras.

If you have an LED light already, and want a tripod for your shoots:

EMART 7’ (213cm) Light Stands (2)

Ring Lights

If you’re a big fan of makeup tutorials or GRWM videos, you’ll recognize ring lights (aka halo lights) right away. These lights are very useful for close up shots, because the ring shape prevents a camera in the middle from casting a shadow on your face.

If you’re not shooting the kinds of videos/photos where you need close up shots, I find the box/LED lights above more preferable.

Here are some good ring light recommendations:

UBeesize 12” Ring Light w/tripod

Neewer 18” Ring Light w/tripod

Selfie Lights

Finally, we have the smallest and most travel-friendly kind of light. Selfie lights are basically small LED lights that can attach to a phone or small camera. These are super useful in today’s content landscape, especially if you shoot on the go often (e.g. you’re a food or travel influencer).

Here are some good selfie light recommendations:

Neewer Portable, Magnetic Selfie LED Light

Happy filming! I hope this article helped you gain a basic understanding of the different lighting setups you can buy. If you’re just starting your content journey, don’t overthink the options - pick one and roll with it!

Check out our other articles for more content creation tips.