using what’s called three-point
lighting, which involves a key
light, a fill light and a backlight.
This will give your shots depth
and ensure you stand out from
your background.
For this type of lighting setup,
we recommend buying a large
soft light like the Aputure 120D,
or equivalent, and a large light
dome for your key light. This will
provide a soft, dimmable, bright
light. For your fill light, consider
buying a smaller soft light or
LED panel light like the Dracast
LED500. Finally, for your back-
light, seek a small LED option like
the Aputure MC.
Whether you choose to go
all-in and invest in a high-end
light kit or are more comfortable
with a budget kit, you’ll find that
having lighting as part of your
ideal YouTube setup is a game-
changer.
FINISHING UP YOUR IDEAL
YOUTUBE SETUP
Now that most of your setup is
complete, there are a couple of
additional pieces of gear you may
want to consider to take your set-
up from ordinary to extraordinary.
The first thing is a solid tripod.
An aluminum body will work, but
if you plan on traveling with your
equipment to shoot for your chan-
nel then you may want to consider
carbon fiber. A great option is the
Benro BV6 Tripod.
Finally, look for a good micro-
phone. We recommend finding
something affordable that has
great reviews. If you are looking for a solid mic for
vlogging that you can also take with you on-the-
go, we recommend an on-camera shotgun micro-
phone.JUST FIX IT IN POST
Now that you have all your gear laid out, how can you
step up your post-production? If you love your cur-
rent editing software, that is fine. However, if you
want to have more control over your color grading,
graphics, audio and other aspects, then you may want
to consider upgrading. We also recommend looking
into a software that will integrate with other pro-
grams. Some examples of these are Adobe Creative
Suite, Apple’s Final Cut Pro suite and HitFilm’s edit-
ing suite.
Now that you’ve upgraded to your software, your
equipment and your workflow, you have the ideal
YouTube setup. All that’s left is to start creating!GUIDES
Creating your ideal YouTube setupBill Baraona is a video production and marketing professional liv-
ing in Cleveland, Ohio. He has been working in the video industry
since 2004. He’s married to a beautiful graphic designer living
their best creative lives. When he’s not working and running the
day to day operations of Flex Media you can find him on the
shores of Lake Erie, enjoying local restaurants, and searching for
the perfect cup of coffee.You can step up your post-production by upgrading to Adobe Creative
Suite, Apple’s Final Cut Pro or HitFilm’s editing suite.