External LED Lights For Content Creators (Ultimate Guide) Want your videos to look crisp, vibrant, and professional—without blowing the budget? In this video I break down external LED lighting for creators: key light vs fill vs hair light, colour temperature vs CRI/TLCI, softboxes vs bare lights, and how to build a simple 1-, 2-, or 3-point setup for YouTube, shorts, interviews, and product shots. What you’ll learn How to choose the right LED (panel, COB, tube, ring) for your space Brightness, beam angle, CRI/TLCI, lux—what actually matters Soft light vs hard light (and when to use each) Affordable lighting setups for small rooms & desk studios Cinematic colour with practicals, gels, and RGB accents My exact settings for skin tones and product shine My lighting setups shown Budget desk setup (single soft key) Two-light YouTube setup (key + fill) Three-point interview setup (key + fill + hair/rim) Product b-roll mini-stage (macro highlights + RGB background) Gear used in this video (swap with your own models) Key light: 60–120W COB + 60cm softbox Fill: Bi-colour LED panel with diffusion Hair/rim: Small RGB tube light Practical: Warm Edison bulb lamp (background) Light stands, C-clamps, grid/eggcrate, ND gel, black/white bounce Lighting tips you can steal today Keep your key at ~45° off-axis and slightly above eye level for natural shadows. Match colour temps (e.g., 5600K) to avoid weird skin tones. Use a grid/flag to control spill and add depth with a rim light. Kill overhead room lights—control your own light instead. Add a warm practical in the background for instant separation. Have questions? Drop them in the comments! If you want a custom lighting plan for your room, tell me your room size, wall colour, and budget—I’ll reply with a tailored setup.