Hollingsworth co-hosts a podcast called the Hidden Curriculum, which explores issues important for professional success that are not typically taught in grad school. Inspired by podcast guest Emily Nix, he decided to try to make a lightboard as quickly and cheaply as he could.
He was able to create one in under 30 minutes for less than $150, with guidance from SPEA colleagues Coady Wing and Justin Ross. Purchase list (via Justin Ross):
Open Broadcast Studio (OBS), free software for video recording and live streaming with Windows or Mac, can be an important component of a home lightboard setup. OBS allows you to flip the camera image horizontally, so what you write on the plexiglass lightboard appears correctly (not backward) on the viewer's screen. Here's how:
- In the OBS Scenes menu, add a new scene called Flip Prep.
- In the Sources menu, add a source to the Flip Prep scene: Video Capture Device, and choose the camera you are using with your lightboard setup.
- In the OBS Scenes menu, add a new scene called Flip Final.
- In the Sources menu, add a Source to the Flip Final scene: Scene, and choose the Flip Prep scene.
- In the Scenes menu, click to select the Flip Final scene, right-click on the camera image you see in the preview area, select Transform > Flip Horizontal.
Bonus: You can also modify the camera image's brightness, contrast, saturation, etc:
- In the Scenes menu, click to select the Flip Final scene, right click on the camera image you see in the preview area, select Filters.
- In the Filters menu, click the + icon and select "Color Correction." Drag the Brightness, Saturation, Contrast sliders as you look at the camera image in the preview area till you like what you see.
