Tips for Setting up a Simple Web Video Studio

Camera (Webcam) : While most notebooks have webcams built-in, most of them are low quality. We recommend using a webcam that’s capable of shooting in HD.

Check out the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 for Windows 

 and the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910 for Mac

Microphone : Like webcams, most microphones built into notebook computers are of poor quality. You have several options for improvement here:

• Many higher quality webcams, like the Logitech models we recommend above, can also capture decent sound.

• USB microphones exponentially improve your sound quality. We likeBlue Microphone’s Snowball as it offers great sound for price, or you can upgrade to their Yeti for even higher quality sound.

• Headsets or lavalier (lapel) mics can also capture high quality sound, however they will likely appear in your shot and can be more difficult to configure for Skype than the examples mentioned above.

Background and Setting : You’ve got to select a private space with as little background noise and other distractions as possible. Access to filtered, natural light can also benefit your picture quality. You also want to consider what will be behind you on-camera.

Lighting : Bright, even lighting is your primary objective. As these samples below demonstrate, relying on room light alone results in footage that is under lit (top). The picture becomes muddy, the colours dull, and there are strong shadows on the figure’s face. We use two small desk lamps with copy paper diffusers to light our foreground, and a three-piece lighting kit to light our backdrop. Also, dim your monitor as much as possible. Light off the computer screen doesn’t photograph well.