How to Look Good on Camera
Are you struggling to look good on camera without pro-level gear? It can be challenging to create high-quality videos that capture your audience’s attention, but the good news is that you don’t need to spend a fortune to achieve a professional look! In this blog post, we’ll discuss six habits that can help you up-level your on-camera presence and instantly gain the trust of your audience, no matter what platform you’re using.
Watch: Look Good on Camera without Spending More Money on Gear
Let’s cover practical tips like prioritizing your lighting, adjusting the angle of your camera, and investing in good audio. We’ll also introduce you to Descript, a video editing tool that can help make your editing process faster, easier, and more precise. By the end of this article, you’ll have all the tools and knowledge you need to create high-quality videos that your viewers will love. So, let’s get started!
Pro Habit #1: Prioritize Your Lighting
The first habit I want to talk about is prioritizing your lighting. To look good on camera, good lighting is essential! You don’t need to invest in a whole bunch of gear, though. Try nice light flooding your face, especially for a talking head video. You can achieve this by standing or sitting in front of a window with nice ambient light coming in from as many sides as possible, but definitely more towards the front. This will help reduce weird shadows and help you stand out from your background.
Related: Save Time When Creating Videos
Pro Habit #2: Adjust the Angle of Your Camera
The next thing I want you to look at is the angle of your camera. If you take a webcam and make it so that you are in front of your window, your webcam is going to have so much great light to really light you up. If you can angle your camera so that it’s coming down at you just a little bit, just a little bit higher than your eye level, you will naturally reduce even more shadowing happening in your face. It might be a personal preference, but I think you look good on camera when your camera is angled down at you.
Pro Habit #3: Move Away from Your Background
Another trick to up-level the look of your videos, even if you’re using a webcam or your phone, is to move as far away from your background as you can. You want to separate yourself from your background as much as possible. Be as far away from it as you can while also prioritizing your lighting and angles. This will help your viewers focus on you, not your background.
Related: Save Time When Creating Videos
Pro Habit #4: Frame Yourself Properly
The way that you frame yourself in your camera is also important. It’s a way of making the image or the video feel balanced. If you visualize breaking your frame up into thirds, let your eyes be pretty much even with that top third of your video. You can use your camera angles and your distance to the camera to adjust how much of the rest of your body you want to have in your frame. Just keep in mind that you want to keep your eyes on that top third.
Pro Habit #5: Lean into the Camera
Looking good on camera can come down to simple posture habits! Another little habit that helps make your videos feel easier to watch and more natural is if you lean into the camera instead of away from the camera. This is a simple posture habit that can make a big difference in how you come across to your viewers.
Pro Habit #6: Invest in Good Audio
Having decent audio goes a really long way in creating videos that look and feel professional to the viewer. If you want to up-level the look, the sound, and the feel of your videos, I would say start with audio. You can get a mic just like this one, which is only around $100 and plugs into your computer via USB. If you’re using a program like Descript, it can filter out background noise and make your whole audio setup sound a lot more professional.
Why Use Descript for Video Editing?
Descript is a video editing tool that uses AI to make editing your videos faster, easier, and more precise. Here are some reasons why I love using Descript for my video editing:
- Transcription: Descript transcribes your audio and creates a text-based version of your video. This makes it easy to find specific parts of your video, edit your audio, and even create captions for your videos.
- Editing Tools: Descript has a variety of editing tools that make it easy to cut, paste, and rearrange your audio and video. You can also add music, sound effects, and transitions to your videos.
- Collaboration: Descript makes it easy to collaborate with others on your videos. You can share your video project with others and allow them to edit and comment on your video.
- Exporting: Descript makes it easy to export your video in a variety of formats, including MP4, MOV, and GIF. You can also export your audio separately, which makes it easy to upload to podcasting platforms.
Related: Video Editing with Descript
Overall, Descript is a great tool for video editing, especially if you’re new to video editing or want to speed up your editing process.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these are some of the habits that I recommend for up-leveling the look and sound of your videos. By prioritizing your lighting, adjusting the angle of your camera, moving away from your background, framing yourself properly, leaning into the camera, and investing in good audio, you can make your videos look and sound more professional. Additionally, using a tool like Descript can help make your video editing process faster, easier, and more precise. With these tips and tools, you’ll be on your way to creating high-quality videos that your viewers will love.