blazingoat
Carbonite Member
Can someone please explain what eggcrates are and what they are used for?
Thanks!
Thanks!
eggcrates?
- Thread starter blazingoat
- Start date
Barry_Green
Moderator
Re: eggcrates?
It's a square pattern that helps give directionality to a softlight. They can be fabric or plastic (usually big softboxes use fabric ones, and Kino's use smaller plastic ones.) Sort of like a honeycomb. Placed in front of a softlight, it acts like a million small barn doors to harden-up and directionalize soft light, keeping the light from spilling on the background etc.
It's a square pattern that helps give directionality to a softlight. They can be fabric or plastic (usually big softboxes use fabric ones, and Kino's use smaller plastic ones.) Sort of like a honeycomb. Placed in front of a softlight, it acts like a million small barn doors to harden-up and directionalize soft light, keeping the light from spilling on the background etc.
blazingoat
Carbonite Member
Re: eggcrates?
Barry,
So when using eggcrates on a soft light, will the light be harder than if you left the eggcrates off? Sounds like they would be useful, like you said, to keep light off the background etc. But will the property of the light change so that it will cast harsh shadows?
Barry,
So when using eggcrates on a soft light, will the light be harder than if you left the eggcrates off? Sounds like they would be useful, like you said, to keep light off the background etc. But will the property of the light change so that it will cast harsh shadows?
Barry_Green
Moderator
Re: eggcrates?
It will be harder than it was, yes, because it will be more directional. But it won't be nearly as hard as an actual hardlight.
It's a little tough to barn-door a softlight, you need a huge flag for it because the light is coming from such a large surface and going in so many directions (which is the very nature of soft light). Eggcrates act like small little barn doors to corral all the light and try to get it heading in a reasonable approximation of the same direction. So eggcrates are handy to "sharpen up" the shadows some, but it won't be nearly as harsh as an open-face light would.
It will be harder than it was, yes, because it will be more directional. But it won't be nearly as hard as an actual hardlight.
It's a little tough to barn-door a softlight, you need a huge flag for it because the light is coming from such a large surface and going in so many directions (which is the very nature of soft light). Eggcrates act like small little barn doors to corral all the light and try to get it heading in a reasonable approximation of the same direction. So eggcrates are handy to "sharpen up" the shadows some, but it won't be nearly as harsh as an open-face light would.
Alexa
Veteran
Re: eggcrates?
If you can afford it, I would get one. It gives you a lot more control over exactly where the light is going, instead of spreading all over the place. If you are lighting interviews, this is really great to have. allows you to "mold" your subject much more efficiently.
If you can afford it, I would get one. It gives you a lot more control over exactly where the light is going, instead of spreading all over the place. If you are lighting interviews, this is really great to have. allows you to "mold" your subject much more efficiently.
blazingoat
Carbonite Member
Re: eggcrates?
Awesome, thanks the info, guys!
I've got a lowel rifa soft light and I think i'm going to look into some egg crates!
Awesome, thanks the info, guys!
I've got a lowel rifa soft light and I think i'm going to look into some egg crates!
Cool Lights
DVXuser Sponsor
Yup. That's about the best choice is to get some of those and adapt them to whatever fixture you're building. The common one is the 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2" type also known as "thincell". MattNStl posted a link a while back on a place that carried a bunch of different styles of eggcrates. I believe this was it:
http://www.scientific-lighting.com/eggAT.htm
http://www.scientific-lighting.com/eggAT.htm
Michael Carter
Veteran
The nice thing about egg crates on a soft source is when you're doing something kind of low key; the light wraps around faces in such a gorgeous way... you get a really lovely fall off to shadows.
I considered getting the plastic flo-light stuff, but the 1/2" depth isn't that great; fabric egg crates (or fabric grids as they're also called) are 1.5' - 2" thick and much more effective. (Also expensive as heck).
You can DIY 'em to some extent; look at a carboard wine case or beer case -- see how the dividers are cut to interlock and make a grid? You can do this with corrugated painted black; not really, umm, robust and hard to fasten into one piece, but I've done it in my (poor) youth...
Another REALLY REALLY PRETTY thing you can do? Get some round grids, the kind made for studio strobes -- they can be found in sizes from 7" to 11" (Speedotron makes nice ones - novatron made one with a flat side that will drop into the gel frame) and rig 'em onto a fresnel. SWEET for back/rim/hair lighting, but also really dramatic on a good face; if you have female talent with smooth skin it's a gorgeous, soft-but-hard fashion-ey look; and if you have male talent with that rugged tommy lee jones look, they're kickin' too. VERY directional, won't work for movement, but for static stuff... it's the bomb.
I considered getting the plastic flo-light stuff, but the 1/2" depth isn't that great; fabric egg crates (or fabric grids as they're also called) are 1.5' - 2" thick and much more effective. (Also expensive as heck).
You can DIY 'em to some extent; look at a carboard wine case or beer case -- see how the dividers are cut to interlock and make a grid? You can do this with corrugated painted black; not really, umm, robust and hard to fasten into one piece, but I've done it in my (poor) youth...
Another REALLY REALLY PRETTY thing you can do? Get some round grids, the kind made for studio strobes -- they can be found in sizes from 7" to 11" (Speedotron makes nice ones - novatron made one with a flat side that will drop into the gel frame) and rig 'em onto a fresnel. SWEET for back/rim/hair lighting, but also really dramatic on a good face; if you have female talent with smooth skin it's a gorgeous, soft-but-hard fashion-ey look; and if you have male talent with that rugged tommy lee jones look, they're kickin' too. VERY directional, won't work for movement, but for static stuff... it's the bomb.