Be as rich as the most popular YouTuber’s are by doing ONE thing. Every proper YouTuber has the best YouTube lighting kit they can afford. At the start, that means buying a very cheap YouTube lighting kit.
But, if you have the budget for the best YouTube lighting kit on the market for you then we can help you too.
Still, the appeal of YouTube is the fact that anyone can post their videos to it. So if you’re after a cheap or top of the range setup, you’ll find both here with plenty of options in-between.
We’ve also given you a selection of kits aimed at specific styles of YouTube content such as vlogging for example.
6 Of The Best YouTube Lighting Kits For 2022
Below you’ll find a table with our top choices for the best YouTube lighting kits. The features that we’ve decided to focus on are the number of lights and ‘best use’. The best use may be the use intended by the manufacturer, but it will be the best use as decided by us.
That way, you can cut through the marketing and see the potential of each product as tested by our experts.
From the table, you can see that there is no pattern to price or type. Each of our picks for the best YouTube lighting kit for 2022 is quite different, with only a couple of exceptions.
How will we choose one for our final Conclusion? You’ll see.
For now, here are the individual reviews for each of these products.
| Lighting Kit | Number of Lights | Battery Powered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neewer Ring Light Kit | 1 | Yes | |
| StudioPRO Fovitec 2x Video Lights | 2 | No | |
| FancierStudio 3x Lighting Kit (Editor's Pick!) | 3 | No | |
| LimoStudio Video Backdrop | 0 | Unpowered | |
| Fancierstudio 1000 Watt Softbox Light | 1 | No | |
| NEEWER 160 LED Light Panel | 1 | Yes |
Neewer Ring Light Kit – Best light kit for Vlogging and Tutorials
It may turn out that all you need for your videos is a ring light kit. Ring lights exist to make the human face look good. Well, not good. They Illuminate in the most flattering and evenly-lit way possible. But, here’s a professional tip.
It’s also amazing for lighting up objects such as products. And things you’ve made. Or anything you could ever want to make a video of. So this ring light is amazing for both people and items. If you want to make videos only involving a single person at a time then a ring light is perfect.
The only downfall to this is that you have to record each person on their own. The ring light won’t illuminate two people very well at the same time. This would not be a great choice if your YouTube channel is going to be you sat at a desk interviewing a guest.
For everything else this is perfect. Especially makeup videos or videos where you’re talking to the camera. It’s definitely a popular choice with product videographers and product reviewers, too.
What We Liked
- Flattering light
- No dark shadows on face
- Great for product reviews and close up video
What We Didn’t Like
- Only lights one person at a time
- Delicate and quite fragile
- Won’t light a whole room
StudioPRO Fovitec 2x Video Lights
If one light isn’t enough for you, then consider the two light setup of StudioPRO’s Fovitech lights. Professionals know this as the two light setup, which includes your main (or key) light and your fill light. The idea is to light your subject or scene with the main light.
Then, you bring in your fill light to ‘fill in’ the shadows cast by your main light. That way, your scene, and subjects have shadows, but they’re not too dark. You can move the lights around in this pairing to highlight certain features and to create depth.
You can achieve some great lighting if you know what you’re doing or are willing to experiment until you do. You will not have incredible results straight from the box. Once you practice, you’ll` have pretty great results. The best results come after you learn how to use this YouTube lighting kit to the best of its abilities.
What separates this kit from buying two standard lamps is the output of the bulbs and the design of the ‘softboxes’. Softboxes are the black and white covers that fit around the light bulb to contain the light. The inside of the black parts foils to reflect all the light out of one side of the softbox, the white side.
The white side is the transparent cover that covers the only side of the softbox with no foil or panel. Light shines through this semi-transparent sheet and diffuses. Which, in simple terms, means it softens it. In short, skin looks better and people look better because the shadows are softer.
So this kit is one of the best YouTube light kits with two lights. Two lights for lighting both a scene and a person. Such as when making a vlog with a bit more production value. Or, a video where a group of people might be on the screen at once.
Still, if you’re going to be lighting groups then more lights will be better for you, and far more convenient.
What We Liked
- Many light setups
- Two soft boxes
- Easy to set up
What We Didn’t Like
- Not so portable
- Time consuming to set up
FancierStudio 3x Lighting Kit – Best Studio Videolight
The next step up from a two-light kit is a three-light kit. But why 3 lights? The third one acts as a ‘hairlight’ which is a light whose purpose is to separate the subject from the background. Whether that’s by backlighting the hair or lighting up the background, or a bit of both, is up to you.
Use it for a two-person setup, with a central (or ‘key’) light for each person. The third light can then fill the shadows or highlight an item between the two people. It’s still not the perfect multiple-person setup. It isn’t going to provide the portability that a Go-Pro lover is going to want.
It might also be a bit overkill for the casual makeup or grooming tutorials. If set up with a bit of patience and knowledge, this can be the best kit for anything. Especially where the faces of people are the focus of the video.
Such as in fashion, makeup, vlogging, etc.
Using the three-light-setup is to use the same setup as many of the world’s best studio photographers. Painters, too, know the value of a three-point light kit. It can transform into so many positions that you can achieve almost any light you could wish for.
For the budding YouTuber or even a Veteran Content Maker, this is the best three light kit available.
What We Liked
- Classic 3 point light kit
- Almost any light set up
- Looks very professional
What We Didn’t Like
- Very timely to set up
- Not convenient to travel with
LimoStudio Video Backdrop – Best YouTube Backdrop
You might start out trying to find a blank wall in your home. You might give up and include your home in the background of your YouTube videos. LimoStudios’s video backdrop lets you control the space behind you. It comes with 2 muslin backdrops but you can put whatever you like over the sturdy rails.
You will definitely need to invest in some clips to hold it in place, and some strong bulldog clips. Then you can use bedsheets, or colorful rugs, or anything. You have the ability to change the background in your videos without change where you are.
You can use spaces like your back garden for your videography. You can use the sun as your light. Or, combine it with the other lights on this list have the best studio setup ever (that you paid almost nothing for).
No matter what light you choose on our list of best YouTube lighting kits, add a video backdrop to your kit.
We’ve included it here because it adds almost as much to your video is the lights themselves. It’s a MUST.
What We Liked
- Control your background
- Hang anything on it
- Strong and portable
What We Didn’t Like
- Still not quick to set up
- Bulldog clips not included
- Sandbags needed for heavy backdrops
Fancierstudio 1000 Watt Softbox Light – Best YouTube Softbox Light
If you’re looking at all these complex light setups unconvinced, then here’s something for you. Here’s a YouTube lighting kit that IS portable. It’s the bare-bones method of lighting that is part of a tradition going back to renaissance painters. The single point light kit setup.
Back when the master painters were making works of art, they were using a window to light their subjects. Windows light. To make immortal works of art. A single, south-facing window that could be used to light all manner of subjects from people to bowls of fruit.
Now, we can do it with electricity instead. We don’t need to make a window because we carry one with us now.
And this is a pretty portable option. You still need to plug it into the wall. But it’s far better having a single light rather than trying to travel around with three of them.
Still, it’s the same time-consuming setup process as the other lights. It’s that you only have to set up one now.
This 1000 watt YouTube lighting kit makes an incredible amount of light. Especially when considering that household bulbs are around 65 watts.
That’s 1000 watt vs 65 watts. Oh yes. Now that’s some powerful lighting.
Why do you want a dominant light? Why not more lights? Well, because the strong the light the further you can move it away from your subject and still have it light it.
That means you can light a very large area, or you can light a single subject a lot. All done by moving the light closer. With a weak light, you can’t hold it close to a subject, so the harsh glow and hard shadows will appear.
With a strong light, you can move it away to soften the light on the skin without losing too much brightness.
What We Liked
- Powerful lighting capability
- Portable kit
- Great for outdoor shoots where power is available
What We Didn’t Like
- Still needs power
- Fragile bulb to transport
- Too bright for some
NEEWER 160 LED Light Panel – Best LED Light for YouTube
If portable is what you want, then LED YouTube lighting is what you want. The best LED light for YouTube videos depends on what you need. If you want an LED with everything, and you have the investment to cover it, then wait for the next item.
This NEEWER 160 LED light panel is one of the most affordable YouTube video light kits out there. The benefits of LED lights for YouTube content are the ultra-portability of them. As well as the battery-powered nature of them. Which, again, makes them ultraportable.
The downfall of LED lighting is the fact that it’s a lot more ‘efficient’ meaning it’s a lot darker than normal bulbs. Well actually, that used to be their downfall but LED technology is booming and far brighter than it used to be. It’s also a lot more reliable.
Another great feature is the compact nature of it. You could include this in your kit and not notice the additional weight. For run and gunners, it’s ideal. Even vloggers who don’t care about a harsh light can use this as their sole light source for their videos.
You don’t need to buy extra batteries, but with extra batteries, this LED video light could go all day long.
What We Liked
- Lightweight, small, portable
- Affordable price
- Always ready
What We Didn’t Like
- Far darker than standard lights
- Much harsher light than soft-box lamps
How To Find The Best YouTube Lighting Kit For You
Buying the best YouTube lighting kit is as easy as asking yourself “will I be able to always record near a power source?” and “do I need to pack it up and travel with it often?” Asking those two questions will provide you with your answer. Your budget will take care of narrowing that choice down. We’ll help you get the most bang for your buck with some tips.
Portability
To buy the best YouTube lighting kit possible you need to factor in what you’ll do with it all the time you’re not using it. If you have to pack it away after each use then you do not want to have to go through a long process when packing it up. Most YouTube studio lighting kits will need a good amount of preparation beforehand. But once they’re up they’re a fabulous spot for video. Switch them on and go. That is unless you need to pack them away after each use. Better luck next time if that’s the case. We’d recommended the more lightweight options for you.
LCD vs Traditional Light Bulbs
LCD lighting was, until recently, pretty poor. It was the sole domain of wedding DJ’s and children’s toys. But nowadays that’s not the case. LEDs are an ever-growing industry of professional light sources and it’s no wonder why.
At the flick of a switch, you can fill a whole landscape with light. Well, a small landscape. Your garden for example.
And for a small amount of time but long enough to shoot most things.
Harsh or Soft Light
Do you want a harsh or soft light? If you don’t know the answer to that question then we’ll help you out. The rule is as follows. If you need to make the subject look charming, then you want soft light. If it doesn’t matter how the subject looks then the harsh light will be fine.
Harsh light will also bring out hard edges and angles. So it might be better for people with handsome features such as strong jaws and muscular builds. For people with softer faces, or those worried about skin blemishes, then a soft light is what you want.
Bulb Color Temperature
Color temperature has nothing to do with the heat given off a bulb. Color temperature is the tint of the bulbs which measure in Kelvin. Daylight bulbs are around 5500k and are quite common to find these days.
It used to be difficult to find lighting that wasn’t too orange or too green or too blue. But now, daylight bulbs come with almost every YouTube lighting kit. You shouldn’t have much of a problem. But still, sometimes you need to buy your own bulbs with these kits. If so, then make sure you choose daylight balanced bulbs.
Conclusion
By reading our best YouTube lighting kit reviews above, you can imagine that we have a top favorite.
Which we do!
In our opinion, the best YouTube lighting kit is the FancierStudio 3x Lighting Kit. It’s the least portable setup but that is fine.
It’s the setup that you’ll use the most out of. If you’re serious about getting good looking video footage for YouTube videos then you need to have a lighting kit. Once you begin experimenting with a kit like this, it’s difficult to go back to gadgets like the LED light.
The other choices, like the LED light, are critical for certain types of YouTube video makers. If you’re someone who is always on the move while making videos, then LED is the only option that you have.
