And if you are an amateur or professional vlogger, YouTuber or budding Instagram influencer, you want your finger on the pulse of the social media tools market. There are countless cheap LED ring lights on the shelves which can transform your photos with the click of a button, but the #Influencer Vlogging Essentials Studio Kit is one for the serious vloggers. After about 10 mins of screwing pieces into place I had myself a professional ring light tripod with two phone holders, a camera stand, microphone arm and a selfie remote. After mounting my LG Velvet on the phone stand and snapping a few selfies, I was amazed at how much of a difference the light makes on photographs.
I personally found the ‘warm’ lighting mode the best for selfies, giving it a nice hue even if you are shooting in a poorly lit environment. You can remove the ring light from the tripod if you want to use it solo, but it doesn’t have a tiny desk stand which would be a great mechanism to make it more convenient.
The 6 Ring Lights Influencers are Obsessed With — The Modems
With an adjustable colour temperature, it mimics both a warm and natural daylight perfect for professional make-up artists and beauty portraits.
Influencer Approved Lighting For YouTube Videos & Insta
There are four lighting accessories that almost every major influencer uses to highlight their perfectly contoured features. Despite what they’d like us to believe, our favorite YouTubers and Instafamous friends are not born with the supernatural ability to find their perfect light.
When you watch beauty vlogs and Insta-stalk your favorite fashion influencers, you’ll notice they have a bright ring of light reflected in their eyes.
Most professional content creators use them but they’re especially beneficial for close-up shots, fashion photography, and makeup demos.
It does not care that you want a consistent lighting scheme and it will send inclement weather to mess with your perfect shot. If you have a favorite accessory that creates great lighting for YouTube videos and Instagram posts please leave it in the comments!
Should You Buy a Ring Light?
Every editorial product is independently selected, though we may be compensated or receive an affiliate commission if you buy something through our links. Ratings and prices are accurate and items are in stock as of time of publication.
If you’re taking any sort of photos or videos at home, a ring light might be a worthwhile investment. Ring lights gained popularity from the photography community, but they’ve quickly become a must-have for all types of content creators thanks to their versatility.
Make sure the light can hold your camera or phone if you’re planning to use it for photography or videos.
Best ring light for making videos at home
The DRL 12 can be adjusted in many angles which makes it a good fit for vlogging, live streaming and clicking face-centric pictures. The 220 LED bulbs in the form of a ring produce an ample amount of light to improve the brightness of your video. The Osaka LED ring light is a suitable option for shooting video even in low-lit areas.
It features an angle-adjusting handle that makes it easier to shoot videos in different frames. Venganza ring light is a viable choice for content creators who looking to reduce the shadow and have a blemish-free appearance. The big 10-inch LED ring light comes at an affordable price and promises to have good results.
Ring lights are used to reduce the shadow and to put the focus on the subject.
What is a Ring Light, Who Relies on Them and Why?
This is why ring lights are commonly used in portraits, glamour shots, or even videography capturing only one subject. Because of its ability to distribute light so evenly, it is great for close-up shots, whether photography or video. The soft light hides wrinkles and blemishes making it perfect for portraits and even make-up tutorials.
Video Shoots For the same reason as above, capturing such balanced light produces a halo around the subject, and illuminates features bringing a professional-level and cinematic look to the shot. YouTubers often use ring lights because they’re inexpensive and can enhance their facial features throughout the entire video.
11 Best Ring Lights in 2021 for TikTok, YouTube & Vlogs
Beyond millions of followers and major brand deals, a great ring light could be the main difference between true TikTok influencers and more casual users. Of course, not everyone on the app is hoping to reach Hype House levels of fame, but if you’re looking to up your TikTok game from the comfort of your home, purchasing a high-quality ring light is the perfect place to start.
Though ring lights can be purchased from traditional tech retailers like Best Buy, they’re also available via Amazon and Urban Outfitters, with prices starting at $11.
However, this one is particularly specialized for videography, with three levels of light settings and ultra-wide range that will create stellar TikTok content, even in the dark.
It’s among the pricier models on the list, but Sunpack’s 12-inch Bicolor Ring Light Kit contains everything you need to brighten up your photos and videos. It includes an expandable tripod, an adjustable phone and camera mount, a built-in USB remote, and, of course, an easy-to-use carry bag. In addition to the 18-inch dimmable ring light, the fully-equipped kit features an adjustable light stand, white and orange color filter sets, a smartphone holder, a hot shoe adapter for DSLR cameras, a remote control, and a carrying case to store it all. With 10 brightness settings and three light modes of varying warmth levels, Amazon shoppers note that it’s both effective and easy to assemble.
Forget the fancy camera: This ring light can bring your vlogging dreams to life using only your phone. 10.2″ Selfie Ring Light with Tripod Stand & Cell Phone Holder $30 Amazon Shop Now
If you’re live streaming and your phone or tablet dies, no worries… there’s a USB Port on the back, you can charge your devices and keep going! INKELTECH’S ring light has a larger and brighter aperture so it gives you a much more professional environment for indoor shooting.”
This low-profile lighting solution is small and sleek and is super simple to set up behind your laptop for your next Zoom sesh.
Why Social Media Influencers Are Using A Phone Selfie Ring Light
The simple answer is that it gives a beautiful, flattering and professional lighting setup for both images and video shot on a phone camera. It’s not enough these days to simply use natural light or your phone camera flash to create images that are both eye-catching and professional-looking – you need to follow the lead of the social media influencers and start using a phone selfie ring light. For those of you who aren’t aware, it is a circular LED light that fits around your phone’s camera lens. Because, much like a traditional DSLR ring flash, it gives you beautifully, evenly lit images on your mobile phone without any harsh shadows or dark areas, which have always been a problem with built-in mobile phone camera flashes.
For instance, the Spectrum Aurora Gold Luxe Firefly phone selfie ring light is fully adjustable from cool to warm light temperatures and is ideal for low-light situations. Food bloggers can use Spectrum Firefly for taking the perfect art shot of their meal.
You can even take the ring light out and about, as it’s small enough to fit in a handbag or pocket, and simply clips onto your phone when you need it. The Spectrum Firefly will give your products an even light and help highlight the small details.
It may seem dramatic to claim that ring lights can transform your images, and of course, they won’t make a bad photo good, but the truth is that these lights really do lift a well-composed image to the next level.
Best ring light in 2021: beautiful lighting for vlogging, video calls and selfies
Even if you don’t have aspirations of making it big on YouTube, ring lights also come into their own in the new world of increased home working. Indeed, pair them with the best webcams and your home setup will instantly look more professional – vital for making the best impression when on an important video conference! They haven’t skimped on build quality either, unlike a lot of ring lights, the Razer feels very sturdy and reliable. It’s a fantastic 12-inch ring light perfect for video conferencing, vlogging or streaming and you won’t be disappointed with your purchase.
Lume Cube Wireless Light The best portable ring light packs a powerful punch Specifications Color temperature: 3200-5600K Power source: Li-Ion batteries, mains Dimensions: 18 inches TODAY’S BEST DEALS Prime View at Amazon View at Walmart View at Moment Reasons to buy + Mains or 90 minutes of wireless power + LED readout for settings + 6.5-foot light stand included Reasons to avoid – Pricier than rivals If you’re looking for a ring light to shoot flat lays or unboxing videos, we’re not convinced the plastic mounting bracket is the best but if you’re using it in a normal upright position, look no further. It’s on the smaller side for a ring light, but still a perfectly good size for self-taping, vlogging, TikToks and other quick and easy uses. It plugs in via USB, and comes with a 54-inch tripod, meaning it’s very easy to get started the instant you take the Neewer 10-inch LED Ring Light out of its box.
But the Neewer 10-inch LED Ring Light is an all-around solid choice that will suit the vast majority of users perfectly, and that’s why it nabs our top spot. ESDDI PLV-R432 18-inch Ring Light Best ring light for YouTube – big, bright and bicolor Specifications Color temperature: 3000K-6500K Power source: Mains power Dimensions: 458mm outer dia / 318mm inner dia TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Walmart Check Amazon Reasons to buy + 18-inch diameter with 48W power + Includes light stand, case, phone clip Reasons to avoid – Requires lots of space – Phone holder isn’t great Its sheer size makes it perfect for beauty and makeup work, too, giving you plenty of room and abundant light. Prominent dials adjust brightness and temperature, and the light can even rotate 180°, making it useful for shooting flat lays or macro work.
For example, it delivers a massive 1,840 lux at a distance of 3 feet which makes it perfect as a key or fill light for both stills and videos. Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit Best ring light for streaming with a smartphone Specifications Color temperature: 6300K, 5600K, 4100K, 3200K (using filters) Power source: 3x AA batteries Dimensions: 130mm outer dia / 38mm inner dia Weight: 170g TODAY’S BEST DEALS Prime View at Amazon View at Walmart View at BHPhoto Reasons to buy + 80W equivalent power + Ultra compact + Includes filters to adjust temp Reasons to avoid – Changing filters is fiddly Now it’s back in an all-in-one kit, which also includes a Rotolight mini tripod, stand adapter, phone clip and accessory bar – making it the perfect partner for a tabletop smartphone setup. The Neo 2 is a bit heavy and unwieldy for the hotshoe, but this smaller model is just the right size (though this kit doesn’t include a foot for the shoe), and the hole in the middle is perfect to poke a microphone through!
While it’s the largest ring light on offer here, with 44W of dimmable output from 352 LEDs, it doesn’t have quite as much power or temperature range as ESDDI’s 18-inch 48W model. Also bundled are a 6’5″ light stand, ball head adapter and vertical / horizontal phone holder, wireless remote and carry case.
The ESDDI 10-inch ring light is Ideal for smartphone shooters, with a two-way grip that holds your handset both horizontally and vertically, along with a Bluetooth remote for stills and video. They’re great for taking on nights out so you can capture well-lit selfies, on holiday or even when travelling away from home so that you can Facetime loved ones no matter how much light is around you.
Smoovie Flexi Selfie Ring Light Best mount-anywhere ring light that can also hold your phone Specifications Color temperature: (Three white light settings) Power source: USB Dimensions: 6-inch TODAY’S BEST DEALS Check Amazon Reasons to buy + Flexible clip arm mounts anywhere + Second flexi arm can hold smartphone + 3 tone settings & adjustable brightness + USB powered Reasons to avoid – Less color temp control Ring Lights are fantastic but, unless you’re sitting at a desk or table, you might struggle to find a surface or enough space to erect a tripod.
The clip also has a second flexible arm that can hold your camera phone, so this can either be used strictly as an adaptable ring light or as a dedicated smartphone setup.
The best ring lights of 2021
Long used by professional portrait and macro photographers as well as makeup artists, and perfect for selfies, streaming, vlogging and most photo and video tasks, they have become favorites of social media influencers and content creators of all kinds. But you don’t have to be a top Twitch streamer or overnight TikTok sensation to appreciate being cast in a better light on Zoom calls — they’re also the perfect addition to work-from-home office setups.
The convenient clip mounting fits on your phone or laptop, and won’t scratch your screen. It brings it all together at an affordable price point, making it a clear winner among the ring lights we tested.
This flexibility gave the EMart major bonus points, as it was the only ring light we tested that peeked above laptop height even at its lowest setting. But what, er, shone brightest during our tests was the flattering light cast by the EMart, which came across as natural sunlight in both portraits and selfies.
In photos taken during both day and night, the lighting gave us high-quality images, highlighting everything it was supposed to without producing distracting shadows. One of them is quite handy, clipping onto the thinnest part of the tripod stand with a small metal clasp that wraps around the pole; it can hold your phone vertically or horizontally. This isn’t a deal breaker since the other phone holder gives you plenty of options, but it is annoying nonetheless. Whether you’re using this light for a professional appearance in virtual meetings or for fun and creative content making, this is a great option. The Whellen Selfie Ring Light is extremely lightweight and small, so it easily fits in pockets, purses, backpacks — you name it. We stuffed it in a purse while grocery shopping, and even with keys, a phone, a wallet and some spare change around it, the light didn’t so much as get scratched.
The Whellen’s clip has rubber padding on the reverse side to prevent it from scratching your screen. Once the light is at its dimmest, you can click and hold the top button again for it to come back to brighter levels until you reach the brightest setting.
While on par with the entire field (almost all averaged the same life span), the included USB charging cable is only 10 inches long.
We then established parameters to test, looking in particular at brightness, color options and results in photos and videos.
Portable lights were carried in purses while running errands and checked for scratches or cracks. This is a bright LED light that has a cold shoe mount for a camera, a tripod mount and a magnetic back to attach to other surfaces, but it isn’t easily usable with a phone, and you’ll have to supply a small tripod to use it with a laptop. The photos we took with this light seemed to have a white film over them that made them look unnatural or poorly edited. Fotodiox Selfie Starlite Vlog Pro Ring Light and Tabletop Set ($99.95; amazon.com)
This is a good desktop option if you’re looking for a ring light to use while applying makeup, while filming videos or during virtual meetings. The tripod included is very short, so it sits at a good height on a desk but doesn’t adjust tall enough for use with a laptop’s built-in camera. The light looked great in photos and worked really well for video calls, but overall was overly bright and distracting during use.
Influencer 6″ Ring Light Tripod Kit
Complete your musical studio with the #influencer 6” Ring Light Kit. Made for recording, streaming and vlogging at a seated position, the 1.2m tripod also sits at the perfect height for desktop recording.
The universal phone mount in combination with the ring light will keep you looking good in any video chat.
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