Webcam Recording Tips

You don’t need to be a video expert to look good on your webcam. Whether you’re recording a class, creating a tutorial video, or having a Zoom meeting, making sure your video looks and sounds good is the best way to engage your audience and make your presentation or recording look professional. Follow these tips from Lassonde Studio, and you’ll be up and running in no time.

Choose the Right Location

Location matters. Try to find a location that has lots of light and is quiet enough for you to record. A room with a large window or outside in open shade are both good starting points. Try to avoid dark, echoey, and noisy spaces, and make sure to position yourself in the room in a way that’s comfortable and looks good on camera.

Lighting

Lighting is the most important aspect of capturing high-quality video. Make sure to light yourself properly, you should be the brightest object on camera. If using a window, make sure your webcam is facing away from the window, not towards it. If using artificial light, try to position the lights or webcam so that you are being properly lit. One quick tip is to display a pure white image on your computer to light yourself if you don’t need to read off the screen.

Keep the Camera at Eye Level

Try to get your webcam at eye level. If you’re using a laptop, you can achieve this by stacking books underneath until your camera is at the proper height. Avoid having the camera too low or high, as this will make you look strange on the video. 

Frame Yourself in the Camera

Center yourself horizontally in the middle of the camera frame, and make sure to leave just a bit of room above the top of your head. A common mistake in webcam videos is to put yourself too low in the frame, which looks awkward. 

Clean Up Your Background

Make sure to remove clutter from the background! Anything including chairs, drinks, books, or papers can be distracting to your audience, and pull attention away from the content. 

Use Ethernet

If you’re delivering this video live over Zoom, Teams, or Echo360, make sure to connect to the internet with an ethernet cable. WiFi can drop in and out, and cause your recording or live presentation to be laggy. Using an ethernet cable is the easiest way to ensure your connection is smooth.

Sound Matters

Audio is just as important as video. Poor quality sound can be difficult for the audience to understand, and distracting for listeners. Try to find a quiet room with low background noise and good acoustics. If you have a USB microphone, headset, or lav mic, using it will increase the quality of your voice. 

Test, Test, Test!

Make sure to do a test recording before you start! This will let you see what your video looks and sounds like before you go live or start your recording. Go through this tip list while watching the recording to check on things like lighting, sound, framing, and background. If you see anything you want to change, change it, and test again!

If you have any questions about recording, reach out to Lassonde Studio at ask2lit@lassonde.yorku.ca