Distance
Halving the distance to your face roughly quadruples the light that lands on it. Move the device closer before you raise brightness.
Call lighting
A softbox you already own.
A fullscreen white panel with warm, neutral and cool presets — enough light to fix a dark video call without buying a ring light.
Neutral 5600K
#fff6e8
100%
Tap anywhere for fullscreen · point it at your face, not the camera
Presets
Press 1–6 to switch presets; arrow keys nudge brightness and temperature.
Push your device brightness to maximum first — a screen dimmed in software is a weaker light.
Warmer Neutral Cooler
How to use it
Three steps, no learning curve.
- 01
Prop the device up
Put your phone or tablet behind your laptop screen at roughly eye level, angled slightly toward your face — not straight into the camera.
- 02
Choose a temperature
Warm 3200K flatters skin and removes blue cast. Neutral 5600K is safest in daylight. Cool 6500K is best when you need crisp detail.
- 03
Set the brightness last
Start at full brightness and dim until your face is lit but your background is not blown out. Moving the device is always better than dimming it.
Positioning beats power
Where you put the screen matters more than how bright it is.
Angle
Aim it at your face from slightly above and 20–30 degrees off-axis. Dead-on light flattens features and causes glare in glasses.
Mix with the room
Match your screen light to the lamps already in the room. A warm screen under a cool ceiling light leaves a visible colour split.
FAQ
Common questions
Does a screen really work as a light?
Yes. A modern phone can hit 800–2000 nits at full brightness on a white screen, which is comparable to a small LED panel at close range. Distance matters more than raw output — halving the distance roughly quadruples the illumination.
Which temperature should I use?
Warm 3200K is the safest all-rounder for faces and blends well with indoor lamps. Neutral 5600K matches daylight through a window. Cool 6500K can look clinical on skin unless your room is already bright and cool.
Should I use this instead of a ring light?
As a key light, a screen is soft and even, which flatters skin — but it cannot be shaped or diffused much. Treat it as a fill light beside a proper key, or as an emergency key light when you have nothing else.
Where do I put it so it does not cause glare?
Slightly off to one side and a little above eye level, aimed at your face. Avoid putting it directly in your eyeline — it will reflect in your glasses and wash out your expression.