•Microalga Scenedesmus obliquus FSP-3 is a suitable candidate for lutein production.•Light-related strategies are effective in improving lutein production of microalgae.•White LED resulted in better lutein production efficiency among all the LEDs tested.•TL5 lamp at a light intensity of 300μmol/m2/s was preferable for lutein production.•The lutein productivity obtained (4.08mg/L/d) is better than the reported values. Lutein, one of the main photosynthetic pigments, is a promising natural product with both nutritional and pharmaceutical applications. In this study, light-related strategies were applied to enhance the cell growth and lutein production of a lutein-rich microalga Scenedesmus obliquus FSP-3. The results demonstrate that using white LED resulted in better lutein production efficiency when compared to the other three monochromatic LEDs (red, blue, and green). The lutein productivity of S. obliquus FSP-3 was further improved by adjusting the type of light source and light intensity. The optimal lutein productivity of 4.08mg/L/d was obtained when using a TL5 fluorescent lamp at a light intensity of 300μmol/m2/s, and this performance is better than that reported in most related studies. Moreover, the time-course profile of lutein accumulation in the microalga shows that the maximal lutein content and productivity were obtained at the onset of nitrogen depletion.