It has seven brightness settings and five color modes that Bowman says can more or less вЂњsolve pretty much every lighting problem you might have.вЂќ (While the product description doesnвЂ™t list the CRI of the lampвЂ™s LED bulb, his experience with it suggests that, by fiddling with the brightness and the color modes, you can find a glow that mimics natural light.) Bowman adds that unlike some desk lamps, this oneвЂ™s head and base are adjustable, вЂњmaking it highly customizableвЂќ and even easier to position at the most flattering angle.ДЄ ring light, a tool most commonly associated with TikTok and beauty videos, can also be a great affordable option as long as it has a high CRI. вЂњMy Zoom background resembled an actual room, and my colleagues could see that I was in fact attending the meeting,вЂќ he wrote of how the lamp improved his spaceвЂ™s lighting. Strategist tech writer Jordan Bowman called it a вЂњ makeshift ring lightвЂќ (another tool that the experts recommend below) that instantly illuminates his otherwise backlit face on Zoom calls from his home office. If you donвЂ™t already have a lamp for your desk, consider this one from TaoTronics that comes with a built-in LED light. These (highly-rated) daylight LED bulbs from Philips, which are comparable to 60-watt light bulbs, have a high enough CRI to do the trick according to the brand, every Philips LED light has a CRI of at least 80. As Tan explains, вЂњYou want your light to have a CRI as high as possible, because the higher it is, the closer it is to natural light.вЂќ A CRI thatвЂ™s as close to 100 is best, as natural light has a CRI rating of 100.

When it comes to choosing LED bulbs (and other lighting on this list), both Tan and Dorrien-Smith recommend looking at the productsвЂ™ CRI, or color-rendering index, which Dorrien-Smith says is basically a measure of color accuracy. Van Winkle agrees: вЂњItвЂ™s about getting an even light directly on the face - not from an up angle and not from a down angle.вЂќ Tan says this setup will make the light a bit softer, too, and spread it out evenly across your face for a more flattering look. вЂњThe light from the lamp will bounce off the wall, creating a larger sourceвЂќ than if the lamp were pointed directly at your face. вЂњIf you use LED bulbs, you can point the desk lamp towards the wall in front of you,вЂќ says Tan. The first is to try installing LED bulbs in your desk lamp. If you canвЂ™t sit close to a window, or there isnвЂ™t enough sunlight streaming through it, your best bet is to re-create this scenario, which you can do a couple of ways. вЂњLighting is everything,вЂќ as NBC News producer Hannah Van Winkle reminds us - so what can you do if you never had much natural light in your home office to begin with? Below, Van Winkle, Dorrien-Smith, Tan, and two other experts share the best ways to light a home office - or whatever makeshift spot youвЂ™ve cobbled together - when natural light may be lacking.

As filmmaker David Tan explains, вЂњThe general guiding principle is that, for the most flattering light, you want your light source to be bigger and softer.вЂќ Cinematographer Will Dorrien-Smith agrees, noting the best place to sit is facing a window, вЂњso that your whole face is lit, with a simple background with depth behind you.вЂќ (Never sit with a window behind you, though, because you donвЂ™t want to be backlit.)

To look your best on Zoom, youвЂ™ll want to seek out natural light, which, according to the filmmakers, videographers, and television producers we spoke to, is always going to be the best way to illuminate yourself on a video call. So itвЂ™s safe to say that video calls arenвЂ™t going anywhere. Even though offices are opening up again, many people will continue to work from home for the foreseeable future.

Led lights for laptops