I guess in the last year we’ve all learned how to make a reasonably good impression in video calls and live streams. Now we’re in 2021 and we want to expand our skills a little.
Basics
Let’s take the simplest case: you have your laptop and need to join a video call without any additional equipment. So you’re using the built-in video cam and the built-in mics. This setup is not bad, but you can always and everywhere improve it with three simple measures:
Improvement 1: Raise Camera Height
A stack of books, a bag, or a cardboard box can help tremendously. Ideally, bring the camera to about nose level. Every centimeter of height helps to reduce the double chin.
Improvement 2: Use Headphones and Mic
The built-in mics are usually quite decent. However, due to the distance from your mouth to the mic, the whole room inevitably mixes in and this creates echo.
It’s better if you use a mic that you’re pretty sure you always have with you: the smartphone headset. Conveniently, you’ll also have headphones on, which eliminates feedback and unpleasant whistling in the video call.
Improvement 3: Optimize Lighting
When image and sound are right, we can do something for the overall picture: Sit in front of a window and use daylight. This literally makes you appear in a good light and is usually available. Avoid windows behind you (backlight) or on the side (harsh shadows).
Oh, and mind your posture, it makes you look slim and dynamic 🙂
Advanced
If you’re always in the same place for video calls, it’s worth optimizing it. The video call situation will last a bit longer, so we might as well invest a little in new hardware.
For optimization, we focus on the same three areas as above:
Image: Buy a Webcam!
An external webcam almost always has better image quality than built-in cameras. I can recommend, for example, the Brio from Logitech, even though it’s rather difficult to get at the moment.
If you don’t want to buy an extra camera, then use your smartphone.
Sound Recommendation: USB Desktop Microphone
A good desktop microphone doesn’t cost too much and solves several problems at once:
- The sound quality is significantly improved
- it’s visually much more unobtrusive than a headset
- it’s very easy to connect via USB.
For mics, I can generally recommend the devices from Rode, for example this one.
Light Recommendation: Ring Light
Good lighting greatly improves your appearance in video calls. If you don’t have a window available, often need to video call in the evenings, or want to better control the light, then I recommend starting with a single device: a ring light.
Such a light illuminates your face softly and optimally from the front and can be easily mounted together with the camera on a small tripod.
Need a recommendation? Voilà, Elgato has a perfect device on offer. It costs a bit, but it’s solid, long-lasting, and offers great light out of the box.
Professional
If you go a step further, a workspace can quickly look like this.
Let’s start again with the image: Although I have an external webcam on the screen, I often use my DSLR camera. This is connected to the Mac via HDMI and a Camlink adapter and offers excellent resolution. With different lenses and settings, I can position myself optimally in the frame.
For good sound, after a long search, I discovered the VideoMic NTG from Rode. I’ve tried many mics and with the NTG, Rode has practically created the ultimate all-in-one solution. Connectable via jack and USB, with excellent sound properties and perfect dimensions, it’s my constant companion. I have it suspended on a boom arm which – as an improvement over the desktop microphone – absorbs any keyboard and table noises.
And then there’s the lighting: If I already recommend the ring light from Elgato, this recommendation applies even more to their bigger brothers, the Keylights. Super soft yet intense light, very sturdily built and precisely controllable. I use it indirectly by reflecting the lights off the white wall.
Oh, and here’s a tip for a controllable lighting situation: IKEA offers fairly inexpensive roller blinds that can be lowered or raised at the push of a button.
For the Perfectionist
In the picture below the large monitor, you can see a Streamdeck. This clever little device allows me to pull all sorts of tricks in a video call at the push of a button. I can launch apps, switch cameras, mute my mic, and control the lighting.
In the picture, you can also see another (now black) monitor. This isn’t part of the standard equipment. I use it as a control monitor when working with multiple camera sources simultaneously.
Not visible in the picture is a teleprompter that I like to use in video calls. Not to read my text, but rather to mirror my Zoom window onto the prompter so I can look more directly into the eyes of other video call participants.
Also not shown in the picture is a green screen, which, in combination with the right software, opens up entirely new possibilities. But more about the software in the follow-up post.
Oh, by the way: I’m not sponsored by either Elgato or Rode. I bought this equipment myself and recommend it because I find it good.
