If you’ve ever joined a video call on your Mac and felt like you looked tired, washed out, or stuck in a cave, you’re not alone. Screens are great at showing other people clearly, but they’re not always good at lighting the person sitting in front of them. Apple’s new Edge Light feature in macOS Tahoe 26.2 is designed to fix exactly that problem on Apple silicon Macs.

Edge Light lives in the same family as Portrait mode and Background effects you already see in the menu bar during calls. Instead of blurring your background or centering you in the frame, it uses your entire display as a soft, adjustable light source. Think of it as your Mac pretending to be a ring light without adding more gear to your desk.

Under the hood, Edge Light leans on the Neural Engine in Apple silicon to understand where your face is in the frame. It then wraps a bright border around the edges of the screen to push more light toward you, without completely blowing out everything else. You can warm that light up to feel more like a lamp or cool it down to match a bright office.

The feature is rolling out as part of the macOS Tahoe 26.2 update, which is currently in beta and targeted at Apple silicon Macs. When the update lands for everyone, Intel Macs won’t get Edge Light, so this really is a perk for newer machines. On Macs released in 2024 or later, there’s also an automatic mode that can kick Edge Light in when the room gets too dark.

From a practical standpoint, the goal here is simple: be clear and flattering on camera without having to build a mini studio. Good lighting is more important than an expensive webcam in most normal rooms. Edge Light tackles the basics for you by creating even frontal light, instead of relying only on whatever overhead fixture or window happens to be nearby.

Once macOS Tahoe 26.2 is installed, using Edge Light should feel familiar. When you’re on a FaceTime or other supported video call, you’ll see the same video effects controls in the menu bar that you use today. Edge Light will appear alongside Portrait and Background options, so you can switch it on and off while you’re already in a meeting.

Brightness and color are adjustable so you’re not stuck with a harsh, clinical white bar around the display. A warmer setting can soften skin tones and make evening calls feel less like a doctor’s office. A cooler setting can help you match a bright, daylight-heavy room or a white-walled office.

Edge Light isn’t just a full-blast rectangle of light, either. The effect is designed so your Mac can keep your face evenly lit without hiding everything on screen. As you move the pointer toward the edge of the display, the bright border pulls back so you can still read and click what you need. It’s trying to be helpful lighting, not a distraction.

Because it’s integrated at the system level, Edge Light should work the same way in FaceTime, Zoom, Teams, and other apps that tie into macOS video effects. That means you can pair it with background blur in a work app, then turn on a different combination in FaceTime with family. The control lives in one place instead of being hidden in separate app menus.

There are limits, of course. If you’re sitting in a completely dark room with a bright window behind you, Edge Light can’t rewrite the laws of physics. It’s still a light coming from your screen, which only has so much power to compete with a backlit window or a single overhead bulb. Treat it as a strong assist, not magic.

That’s where small accessories come in. A simple, compact light can give you a more professional look in any room and lets Edge Light do fine-tuning instead of heavy lifting. The trick is to keep things small and flexible so your desk doesn’t start to look like a film set.

One option that fits nicely with a Mac-first setup is the Logitech Litra Glow Premium LED Streaming Light with TrueSoft. It’s a compact LED panel that mounts near your display, has adjustable brightness and color temperature, and is designed to create soft, even light without harsh hotspots on glasses or shiny foreheads. For many people, a light like this plus Edge Light is enough to tame everything from gloomy winter afternoons to late-night calls.

Here’s where you can buy the Logitech Litra Glow to pair with your Mac setup (Amazon Affiliate Link):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097QZGRCQ?tag=blainelocklai-20&gbOpenExternal=1

If your Mac spends a lot of time in a corner of the room or up on a stand, the built-in camera angle can also work against you. That’s where an external webcam can still earn its spot, even with good software features. A popular choice here is the Logitech Brio 4K Webcam, which offers 4K resolution, multiple field-of-view options, and better low-light handling than older built-in cameras, especially on earlier Apple silicon laptops.

Where you can purchase the Logitech Brio 4K Webcam to upgrade your Mac video calls (Amazon Affiliate Link):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NBWWP79?tag=blainelocklai-20&gbOpenExternal=1

Video is only half the story on a call, though. If people can see you clearly but can’t understand you, the experience falls apart fast. A dedicated USB microphone can make a bigger difference than most people expect, especially if your Mac sits farther away on a riser or you work in a room with a bit of echo. The Shure MV7+ Podcast Dynamic Microphone with Stand is a USB-friendly mic aimed at spoken voice, with physical controls and a design that’s easy to position just out of frame.

The place to buy the Shure MV7+ Microphone with Stand for clearer Mac call audio (Amazon Affiliate Link):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTJ8BSWN?tag=blainelocklai-20&gbOpenExternal=1

Even with these accessories, the basic rules of flattering video still apply. Try to sit with a primary light source in front of you, not behind you, so your face isn’t a silhouette. If there’s a window, aim to have it behind your display instead of directly behind your chair so Edge Light and any extra lighting are working with the daylight, not against it.

Pay attention to what’s directly behind your head in the frame. A tidy bookshelf or plain wall is easier on the eyes than a doorway where people walk past in the background. Edge Light helps your face stand out, but the background still sends a strong signal about how focused and intentional your setup feels.

It’s also worth thinking about brightness balance. Turn your Mac’s display brightness down slightly once Edge Light and any external lights are on, so you’re not squinting into a flood of white. You want enough light to be clear and sharp without feeling like you’ve put your face two inches from a flashlight.

When macOS Tahoe 26.2 ships, it will be worth taking ten minutes before your next big call to run a simple dress rehearsal. Open FaceTime or any app that gives you a preview, turn on Edge Light, and slowly adjust the brightness and color temperature while watching your face on screen. Small tweaks make a noticeable difference.

You can do the same test at different times of day. Morning light from a nearby window can look very different from late-afternoon shadows, and it’s easy to forget that until you hop into a meeting and realize you’re suddenly in the dark. Edge Light plus a compact light or two can smooth those differences out so every call feels consistent.

For anyone working from home, traveling with a laptop, or just hopping between coffee shops and co-working spaces, the real benefit of Edge Light is predictability. You know that as long as your Mac is updated and you flip that effect on, you’ll get a baseline level of flattering light even when the room lighting isn’t ideal. That’s one less thing to fiddle with while you’re trying to pay attention.

In short, macOS Tahoe’s Edge Light is Apple’s way of baking a ring light directly into your Mac’s screen, tuned specifically for video calls on Apple silicon. Pair it with one thoughtfully chosen light, a solid external webcam if you need a better angle, and a clear-sounding mic, and calls start to look and sound like they were planned, not improvised. When Tahoe 26.2 arrives, spending a little time with Edge Light and your space will pay off every time you hit “Join Meeting.”