Why You Look Washed Out on Zoom & How To Fix Your Lighting

The workforce has significantly changed in recent years, and many who worked in offices have moved offsite. This increase in remote work has led to technological changes, including videoconferencing software. If you spend a lot of time on Zoom calls, you understand that videoconferencing software doesn’t always make you look great. You need the best lighting for Zoom calls. This is what you should know.

Importance of Good Lighting on Zoom Calls

Light is essential to everyday life. It impacts how you feel, appear, and see things. Like the cameras they use to create movies or the camera you use to take photos, your Zoom camera needs proper lighting. These cameras have small apertures that require additional light to show the world as it is. You will look better, professional, and trustworthy in good lighting.

Why You Looked Washed Out

Bad lighting on Zoom can make you look washed out. For example, if your face is well-lit but your background is not, Zoom’s internal lighting controls may adjust the lighting on your face to match your background. This is an average of the two, making your face look overexposed or washed out.

Also, shining a bright light directly on your face can make you appear washed out. However, you can also look washed out if your lighting is too low.

Impact of Poor Lighting

Poor lighting can make you look washed out and tired, emphasizing your imperfections. It can also make you feel tired and impact your posture and emotions. You and your audience can experience visual fatigue, where your eyes hurt and grow weary. It can also affect your stress level and cause headaches.

Your audience may not understand what you mean or your context. They may also find you blurry and dull. This will make lighter areas on your body look dirty, especially your teeth and eyes. You may even appear unhealthy.

Your appearance on your video calls has as much impact on your audience as your presentation itself because it changes your audience’s perception of you and your company. You may even look unprofessional.

However, poor lighting doesn’t just mean not enough light; it also means the wrong kind of light pointed in the wrong direction. It also involves the right type of light.

Solutions To Fix Your Lighting on Zoom

First, you must address the lighting in the room where you conduct your videoconferences. Adding natural light is always the best option. However, the placement of your window can significantly impact its usefulness. If you face it, it will light you and your background. If it comes from the side, it can cast awkward shadows that can impact how you look on video.

In addition, natural light waxes and wanes throughout the day, so you will likely need to supplement other lighting. You can start with an overhead light. Then, position lighting that shines on your face. You can also set lamps directly in front of you or on both sides of your sightline.

Incandescent lights can cast a yellow hue on the area, while fluorescent lights make things look green. LEDs have a bluish tint, but they can also vary in color. Choose bulbs with the same color temperature, but adjust your Zoom or camera settings to address the color cast if necessary.

You can also go to the Zoom desktop's settings area and adjust for low light. Simply change the auto setting to a manual setting and adjust as necessary.

Pay attention to how you look on your calls, and learn more about the best lighting for Zoom calls so you always look and feel great on camera.