Lighting for streaming: how to control lights with Alexa

Being able to control the lights of your recording studio remotely is not only comfortable, it is also very convenient as it provides advantages when setting up different environments. Thus, depending on the type of video you want to make or the final aesthetic you want to give it, you will only have to press a button or say a voice command. So let’s talk about how to create a smart lighting system for recording video.

Smart lighting for video recording

Lighting for streaming: how to control lights with Alexa

If you are a content creator you will know that there are certain tasks or actions that you must do on a recurring basis when you are going to record a new video. You have to place the camera on its tripod, connect microphones and depending on the type of microphone used, place it in one position or another, you also have to take into account the lighting and, in most cases, move the lights and adjust them together with the rest of the lights to have the desired atmosphere, etc.

All this is not that it is a very suffered work, but it is true that it can become tedious and drain you energy for when you finally sit down and hit the REC button on the camera to start recording. Hence, there are two things that any video content creator could do and will never regret: leave a set up or ready as much as possible so as not to waste so much time, and make use of a smart lighting system that you can activate quickly with the desired setting for each of the lights you usually use to record.

Achieving the latter is not complicated at all and the advantages that it can bring are many, although at first it may not seem like it. But believe it is, especially if next to the spotlights you use to illuminate yourself you also use RGB smart lights as practical lights or to color your background.

So let’s see how to achieve it and some examples that could give you ideas for its use as a content creator.

The importance of light

elgato Ring Light

A good video, with a professional finish, does not only depend on using a good camera. This really is the sum of all the aspects that influence the final quality and the lighting is one of them.

It is true that if you do not want to complicate yourself a lot, it is best to take advantage of the natural light that enters through a window. You just have to control the position and intensity of it, use a diffuser or reflector if necessary and that’s it. Although you have the disadvantage that it could change during the recording or not have the day you want to make video.

That is why artificial lights are the best option to be able to replicate whenever you want the same look. There are plenty of options here, and the latest bulbs offer remote control, effects, and much more. But maybe because of budget and that makes them more basic or simple models or because even having one of these more advanced bulbs you just want to turn it on and off since parameters such as intensity and color temperature are always fixed.

For those cases, the ideal solution or complement is smart power strips and plugs. Mainly the first ones are the most attractive, because you will be able to connect other devices such as a charger or similar.

How to create a smart lighting system

Regleta inteligente

To create a smart lighting system for YouTube, you just have to buy a strip of this type. Once you have it, you can start using the different options and integrations it offers. Thus, for example, you can through its own application, through voice commands or support that the Alexa, Home or Google Home apps can give.

There are many smart strips, so when looking for one, what you should look for is that it meets your needs in terms of the number of connections, integration with different assistants, etc. Some power strips that might interest you depending on which assistant you use are:

These three models are some of the many that you could find. As we say, the important thing is that they offer you what you need and also adapt in terms of price, which is also important. For options, our recommendation is those compatible with Alexa.

With the strip ready and configured , ideal if each socket can be controlled independently, it only remains to take advantage of other smart lighting solutions to place as practical lights. For example, in a lamp in the background, with an LED strip behind a piece of furniture, etc. Here you are the one who commands and configures everything as you think is more interesting.

Examples for using a video smart light setup

You already have your LED photos connected to a smart strip, so you can turn them on remotely and with as little effort as possible. In addition, you do not have to commble anything because they remain adjusted since the last time you recorded.

You also have the RGB smart lights placed as practical lights to give a greater atmosphere, color the background, etc.

Lastly, how do you take advantage of all this? Well, basically with routines or automations. That is to say, now the idea is that you adjust different environments or configurations. For example, you can use a background color for videos of different themes. Imagine that you want to do a gameplay, because the background lights are of one color and intensity. If you are looking for a style for more serious videos, then just the same.

In the end, the idea is to create a routine that turns on the necessary lights, applies the changes or any, etc. Thus, once the bulbs are in place if you do not leave them fixed, you only have to press a button or use a voice command to activate.

If you have an Elgato Stream Deck you can even configure actions for its buttons or use the app version of the product. Although you might also be interested in having independent controls for each light and playing with it to reveal things during a video or direct that you make on Twitch.

The advantages of automating or making smart the lights of your YouTube or Twitch studio in general are many. You just have to think about them to see which one interests you the most. This way you will have precise control when you are making video by yourself.

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