[FAQ]

I’ve been working hard on improving my lighting and camera angles, but I feel like the background in my videos is still letting me down and making everything look a bit amateurish.

I’m not really sure what makes a background look good and professional in 2025. What are the best practices when choosing a background for a talking-head style video? I’m wondering about things like how busy or simple it should be, what colours work well, and the pros and cons of using a real room versus a simple, plain backdrop.

[Jeff Bullas]

The background of your video plays a crucial role in establishing your professionalism, reinforcing your brand, and, most importantly, ensuring the viewer’s focus remains on you and your message.

There are several key best practices to consider when choosing your background. First, and this is the most important rule, ensure the background is clean and uncluttered. A messy or distracting background with random objects, piles of washing, or disorganised shelves can immediately make your video look unprofessional and will pull the viewer’s focus away from you as the speaker.

Second, you should aim to create a sense of depth. You can achieve this by having some physical distance between where you are sitting or standing and the wall or objects behind you. This allows for a more natural depth of field, where the background can be slightly out of focus, which helps you to stand out as the subject. You should try to avoid sitting right up against a flat wall.

Third, your background should be relevant to your brand or topic, or at the very least, not contradict it. The setting should align with the tone and subject matter of your content. For a channel about business or technology, a clean, organised office setting or a simple, modern backdrop often works well. For a channel about a creative hobby, a more artistic or personal setting might be more appropriate.

Fourth, consider your colour palette and wardrobe. The colours in your background should complement you, not clash with what you are wearing or blend in with your clothing or skin tone. Solid, neutral colours for the background often work well and are a safe choice. Avoid very busy patterns behind you.

And fifth, it is good practice to use lighting on your background. Even a simple, inexpensive lamp placed out of shot and aimed at the wall behind you can add depth and visual interest. This helps to separate you from the background and prevents your video from looking flat.

When deciding between a real, curated setting, like a well-designed bookshelf or office space, and a simple backdrop, like a solid colour paper roll or fabric, there are pros and cons to both. A real setting can feel more authentic and personal. A simple backdrop can be excellent for consistency and for minimising all distractions, especially if your real-world environment is not suitable for filming.

In summary, the best background is one that is clean, uncluttered, and relevant to your brand, with a sense of depth between you and the back wall. It should always complement you as the subject, not compete with you for the viewer’s attention.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

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