3 Smart Ways To Get The Best Color Background For Video! (& Look 👌)

Today I´m going to talk about what are some of the best background colors for video and why.

Although you might want to differ from what I´m going to say here I will give you the reasons of exactly why these colors work well on any scenario and with every subject.

Let´s dive right in!

Color Psychology (For Video)

First of all, I want to say I´m glad that you are here because colors do matter and most people don´t even pay attention to how important it can be.

If you want to succeed in the video industry, whether you have a YouTube channel or simply want to impress people on your next video conference this article will help you to do just that!

There are a few simple things you need to know before you choose a color for your background in order to elicit an specific feel or vibe, if you will, with your videos.

Different colors have different effects on the perception of your brand and overall content.

So, in order to make an informed decision here´s how it works:

Black. It communicates sophistication and excellence, as well as luxury. The color Black creates a perception of weight and seriousness. It is perfect for videos that want to convey that to their audience, maybe a fashion channel or a makeup video tutorial would work great, even a YouTube channel that reveiws fancy items.
White. Now, if you want to make videos that are a bit more playful, meaning that they are not so serious but still can have a clean professional outlook then a white background might be a good fit for you. The psychological perception of this color is associated with clarity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency.
Gray. A perfect color if you are a bit unsure of what color to choose. It has many shades and tones that work well with different skin tones (more on that later) and its main psychological feature is neutrality.

Check out how Aaron Marino from the Alpha M Channel uses it!

There are more combinations of the same color that you could ever think of, and each one of them has a slightly different feel to it.

Here´s a good example of just that:

TIP! be aware of the EXACT color pattern (RGB numbers) and name in order to get the background you want and not a simlar yet different one.

Blue. The so-called color of the mind, it has a soothing effect and it´s also very intellectual, that´s why YouTube channels like Ahrefs, which is around the topic Digital Marketing Strategies, uses it so well. The psychological advantages of this type of color is that it elicits calm, trust, efficiency, intelligence, and logic, among other things. So, if you want to convey trust but also want to come from a place of logic, reason, and intellectual sort of topics then this is the right choice for you!

A light blue is also commonly used for health channels and other topics that want to elicit trust and efficiency.

Yellow. A super optimistic color that transmits confidence, creativity and playfulness. If your channel is more on the artistic side of business then this might be a good option to consider for your next videos. It is a very emotional color and produces a strong stimuly to the viewer, something it can´t be ignored. I would recommend using this color if you are also an extrovert as it´ll suit you the best!
Green. Another great color as it conveys balance and harmony to the viewer, usually considered the color of nature. I did not find many channels that use this type of background for their videos as they prefer white to elicit similar feelings, like equilibrium, peace, and/or restoration. That bein said, the usual way green gets into video is when you film outdoors, with nature as part of your background.

Red. Last but not least, not a very common background color for videos as it turns to be way too distracting for viewers that want to focus on the message the video creator is trying to get accross. I would strongly suggest you stay away from red as a background color for your videos.

So, as you´ve seen, there are a few great options to choose from and all sort of variations of what each color can help you to achieve with your videos.

Now, I know there are other colors that you might want to consider but I found THESE are the most used ones as they are quite effective if you want to get your message across without losing your audience´s attention in the process.

Okay then, now you have an overall overiew of what colors you´d like to try but which one could be specifically good for you is still unsure.

And that´s because there are a few more things you will have to consider before making your final call, so keep reading!

What Is The Best Background Color?

I want to be 100% honest with you…

…there is no ONE best background color that can suit every type of video out there.

The truth is that there are a few factors that can alter the way you are percieved on video and colors that can specifically flatter the way YOU look on camera.

That being said, there are three colors that are widely used when it comes to one-color backdrops for video, and those are white, gray, and blue, (both gray and blue in different tonalities of course).

Yes, you can find a ton more examples but those three work well with most people and most types of videos, no matter what topic you choose to talk about or even what colors you ware on camera. (more on that later)

Why?

Well, on one hand, white and gray are pretty neutral and have the ability to adapt to all sort of styles of video. Blue, on the other hand, elicits trust and it´s also highly adaptable to most scenarios.

The Advantage of White Backgrounds

Now you know all of the benefits of the different colors to use as a background for your videos, what are the most popular ones, and why you should use them, so…

…what is it about white color backgrounds that offer a simple yet effective advantage?

First, you´ll get a cleaner look that will suit most types of content, plus the simplicity and neutral mood it offers makes it very reliable, no matter what is your video about.

But the KEY benefit you´ll experience from using a white background for your videos is that you can add different tints and color combinations that can make an interesting final result, as you can see from the image above.

That is from Brain Dean´s YouTube channel, he uses a white background and makes his video editor to add some light blue tint to it.

Now just imagine the huge number of variations and combinations you can try to find yours if you just use a white background.

The way I´ve done it in the past is by using the Vignette effect in Adobe Premiere whenever I edit one of my videos.

It takes (literally) two minutes.

Plus! the good thing about it is that most editing softwares have that exact same capability to do so.

The bottom line?

If you are unsure about what exact color to pick then go with a white background, it works well with most skin tones and it can be easily edited to match your style later in post.

1. The Branding Background

A super important aspect that no one talks about is that no matter what color your pick for your background it´ll become a part of your brand, if you happen to decide doing it on a regular basis.

YouTubers and top video creators, for example, tend to be very intentional in the way they are percieved on camera, how the background looks, how it makes them look, what colors they want their brand to be associated with, etc.

So, if you are thinking about a yellow or orange background for your videos just keep in mind that people will have a strong reference from now on for every video you create.

Personal brands nowadays are built around a value proposition and pattern repetition, and colors are a BIG part of both those factors.

You should choose a neutral yet effective color like a light gray or a simple white background if you are not sure but still want to have an impact with your content.

What To Wear For Better Color Composition?

Another important factor when it comes to creating a professional looking video is the clothes you ware and how well it suits you combined with the background.

That´s why I think you should watch this video first from consultant Mona Sharaf on what to wear when you are on camera:

Now you know a few more tips on what you should wear on camera and why, but…

…what about color?

Although she does talk about color composition and undertones on your skin she doesn´t make a clear point on exactly what you should wear.

Here´s what to do:

Figure Out Your Skin Undertone. Here´s where the confusion starts. You see, your skin tone is what most people think is what´s going to decide what you should wear but that´s wrong, most style gurus and fashion industry experts will tell you to rely on your skin undertone (as it won´t change no matter what) to figure out what colors best suit YOU. Here´s an article that will help you determine your skin undertone.
Wear Your Colors. If you have a warm undertone then you should go with olive, coral, cream, and honey colors, as those will make your skin and overall presence pop and will make you look great on camera. Now, if you have a cool skin tone then colors like blue, lavender, and gray are your best friends. Finally, for neutral skin tones, you can choose among jade, red, and white colors as they´ll be very flattering for your skin.
Combine Colors. Finally, and this is another reason why white, blue, and gray backgrounds usually work best, as they´ll combine rather well with many colors. My advice to you is to first figure out your skin undertone, then what colors you should wear, and lastly what´s the perfect combination for your background.

2. The Right Camera Settings

You´ve chosen your background color and you have the right clothes to combine and you are looking sharp while delivering your video content, now let´s double check that everything looks great on camera.

There only three steps that you MUST take in order to look focused and keep your overall image composition balanced.

Here´s how:

Check Aperture. You should start by adjusting the aperture of your camera and checking that is set to the right amount. I usually shoot with the widest aperture possible, meaning with the lower f number I can, as it makes my image look brighter and helps to create that sweet depth of field. For indoor shooting with a good lighting set up between f 1.8 and f 3.5/4 can work well. (bare in mind that you´ll have to adjust ISO as well!)
White Balance. Second, in order to get the right balance with your background color and make that blue, green, white, or gray backdrop look like the exact tone it actually is you HAVE TO customize your white balance to your preference. Check out how it can drastically affect your image:

Here´s a good article that explains exaclty how you can adjust White Balance on your digital camera.

Right Focus. Last but not least, you want to adjust your focus to make sure that you look sharp at all times. You can do that by placing your camera in a single spot and playing with your camera lens until you look just right, then set the auto focus on if you are going to move around or set it to manual if you are not, as it´s a better way to have more control of it.

3. Final Touches In Post!

Finally, you can also wrap your video up by tweaking a few more things to make it look the way you want it.

The best possible result form ANY video your create in the future will always come from the post-producion process and how skilled you are in leveraging the many features and effects your software has to offer.

In fact.

There are two things that you can do with your editing software in order to get the best looking video ever, and those are Color Correcting and Color Grading.

I would highly recommend you to try both.

On one hand color correcting is a simple way to make sure that your image doesn´t look too saturated, or that your contrast is sharp.

You can easily avoid common mistakes or correct them with one or two clicks.

Now, when it comes to color grading things start to get a little bit complicated so what I would suggest you to do is to download a cool looking LUT pack.

You might by wondering “What´s a freaking LUT pack?!”

It is simply a preset that makes your videos look nice just by uploading it to your final composition, you just need to find the right one for you.

The best part?

There are tons of FREE great options out there!

For example, Color Grading Central offers a free LUT pack for you to try out that looks amazing, I usually use the Fuji LUT for most of my videos.

You just have to shoot them a message via Messenger and they´ll hook you up.

The Digital Hustler

Best Background Colors For Video Shoots!