How to Avoid & REMOVE the Glare in Your Glasses for Videos When Filming Yourself

Have you ever tried filming yourself with glasses only to see later in editing that your eyes can’t be seen and your glasses show a glare in them?

This is super frustrating. I’ve been there.

Having a glare in your glasses looks distracting on your videos and can even make it more difficult for some cameras to maintain focus. 

Here are my top 3 tips on how you can get rid of the glare in your glasses that are tips I use daily in my video content.

Tip #1: Wear Glasses that have an Anti-Reflective Lens Coating

An anti-reflective lens coating is applied to the surface of a lens that helps when driving or working long hours in front of a computer screen, like many of us in 2020.

This is not a necessary addition for most people but for glasses-wearing content creators, having an anti-reflective coating is very important.

While recording videos, everything you see will reflect back to your glasses.

Anti-Reflective coating helps reduce the amount of glare that reflects on your glass lenses allowing the camera to see your eyes when acquiring focus in face or eye detection autofocus.

You can ask to put an anti-reflective coating on your glasses when having the prescription filled for new pairs of glasses.

Note: This isn't something you buy at the store, it has to be done during the lens processing for the best results. 

Tip #2: Remove bright items in your line of sight

While filming, there are always things that can cause glare in your glasses.

It can be the lights from your cellphone, computer monitor, or your video lights that add white globs in your glasses reflection.

Take into consideration the things that will reflect on your glasses and what's around you when you sit down to record.

If you need your phone or your computer while filming, try darker themes.

White and brighter themes can cause large blocks of light to your glasses.

Also, try to angle your computer monitor so its light reflection isn't directly showing in your glasses reflection.

Tip #3: Adjust your light placements

When setting up your studio consider what are the light sources that will be used in your videos.

• Do you have windows in your recording are with changing light sources?
• Are you recording directly in front of your computer screen?
• Where are the lights placed when lighting your video?

Make sure that the light is not centered directly on your face.

Instead, increase the height of the light and move it at about a 45-degree angle to your right or left of where you're sitting.

Having diffusion material to make your lighting softer is also a great way to reduce harsh glaring in your glasses.

If you are using the natural light through your windows, make sure to put something that will balance the light coming from the outside.

You can use soft and light curtains or put tints on your windows.

You can also use DIY Window film that is easy to install. It can help control the brightness of the light by darkening your window to better control where light is coming from and how it impacts your videos.

Bonus Tip: Invest in a pair of glasses specifically for videos

Adjusting your glasses and rearranging your office when recording are helpful options. The easiest and stress-free way to create videos without glare from your glasses is to get new glasses with an anti-reflective coating.

Getting a dedicated pair of glasses just for video can seem like a stretch but once you have glasses you don't have to worry about, recording videos become that much easier.

I decided to give Zenni a shot since their frames are known to be high-quality but budget-friendly.

Zenni offers cost-effective glasses that are really perfect to wear when filming yourself. 

I've tried other services that boast about providing high-quality frames but they always end up too wide, a different color than what was advertised, and honestly just weird.

Thankfully, Zenni was MUCH better than some of the competitors I've tried.

Prices will depend on your prescription and the frames you choose but even with extra add-ons to my glasses, I still was under $50 and I wear what was only supposed to be my "recording-only" glasses daily.

They're that good!

If you want to check out Zenni for yourself you can get $5 off towards your first order with this affiliate link here.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of ways to make your videos look good.

If you are a glasses-wearing content creator, removing the glare in your glasses is a minor problem that's easily solved.

These tips above worked for me even when traveling and can definitely work for you!

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