As the complexities of content creation continue to expand, Elgato has been a company that seeks to offer devices that simplify the process as much as possible. With the Key Light Air, Elgato has taken desktop lighting and made it both accessible and customizable. For those who just want their Twitch stream viewers to be able to see them, the Key Light Air doesn’t need much more than a power source and a flip of the switch. Whereas those who want a certain aesthetic or who care about the color temperature of their lights can dial in a specific look with minimal effort.

Elgato Key Light Air Package Includes:

• Key Light Air
• Weighted Base
• Ball Head Mount
• Telescopic Pole
• Power Adapter

Elgato Key Light Air Setup and Brightness

Some might be familiar with the Key Light line, which continues to expand at a rapid rate. Originally, Elgato only offered a single Key Light as its top-of-the-line desktop lighting option, but not everyone needs a mounted light or as much illumination. While the Key Light Mk. 2 has a desktop mount, the Key Light Airs come with their own freestanding base and swiveling ball mount. You can easily move them around a desk, put them away with ease, or use Elgato’s multi-mount to lock them in place. They are perfect for illuminating a subject during a stream or and have become my go-to for lighting up a product for some review beauty shots.

At 1,400 lumens, the Key Light Air is only half as bright as the Key Light Mk. 2, but it offers plenty of illumination for a subject in an average-sized room. Paired with a second Key Light Air, the duo can give a nice bounce and fill to any setup, eliminating those harsh shadows and creating a nice even light.

Thoughtful Design and Customization in the Key Light Air

Obviously, shining a bright light at your face is less than ideal, so Elgato has designed its Key Light Air (and entire Key Light line) to be eye-friendly. The edge-lit LED frame as well as the overall design of the Key Light Air ensure that it isn’t blasting light directly at your face, but diffuses it to be softer and less straining. Moreover, the lights don’t create heat on the subject, so you aren’t sweating during a long stream or video call. There’s a thoughtfulness to the design that ensures the Key Light Air is bright without feeling harsh.

In today’s content creation space, having a light is only one part of the equation; it needs to be customizable. Elgato has outfitted the Key Light Air with the capability of hitting up to that 1,400 lumen brightness as well as a color temperature range between 2,900K and 7,000K. For cinema enthusiasts, those color temperatures can help create a certain aesthetic, but all the average consumer needs to know is one end of the spectrum looks more like natural light and the other end looks more like indoor light. To the naked eye, the Key Light Air would be more orange at 2,900K and more blue at 7,000K, but on film or a webcam like the Elgato Facecam, it’s the difference between daylight and indoor.

Key Light Air 2,900K vs 7,000K

Key Light Air and Elgato Control Center

As is often the case with Elgato products, the Key Light Airs tap into the company’s ecosystem in a lot of smart ways. Using the Elgato Control Center app on smartphones like the iPhone 15, you can control everything about individual Key Light Airs without ever touching them. That way, users can arrange them in the perfect spot and never have to fiddle with knobs or buttons on the actual device.

Instead, the Control Center app does everything from power on each Key Light, adjust the brightness, and set the color temperature. It’s not something that would seem like a big deal, but being able to open the app on your phone and turn the lights on instantly, with the previous settings preserved, makes the time between sitting down at your desk and going live that much shorter. Of course, you can also control the Key Light Airs with the Elgato Stream Deck as well, performing actions like raising/lower the brightness or adjusting the color temperature with the press of a button.

Conclusion: Elgato Key Light Air Review

Elgato’s brand of content creator-friendly products has ballooned to a level that it feels as if every inch of the spectrum is covered, from the professionals to the amateurs. The Key Light Air exists somewhere in the middle for desktop lighting – it doesn’t require as big of a commitment as the Key Light Mk.2 but it’s not as portable as the Key Light Mini. Just one Key Light Air offers enough illumination to get the job done, but two will make sure the subject has a nice even light. Customization is always a plus with Elgato and being able to dial in specific settings on individual lights via the app is a huge boon.

Some might look at the $129 price tag and be fine with the lights in their room or a cheaper option, but Elgato has ensured that users get their money’s worth. The Key Light Air is an upgrade that you might not realize will benefit a setup, but once you pop one on, the difference literally feels like night and day.

Elgato Key Light Air

The Elgato Key Light Air is a content creator-friendly desktop light solution that offers soft, even illumination without any eye strain or noticeable heat. The Elgato air comes with a stand to make set up a breeze while keeping your desk nice and tidy.

Weight

1,000g

Wi-Fi

2.4GHz, 802.11 b/g/n

Power

Up to 25W

Color Temperature

2900 - 7000K

The Elgato Key Light Air is available now for $129.99. Game ZXC was provided units for this review.