Gel Order Changes Color?

T

tommygdawg

Well-known member
I realize the title may have sounded a bit like caveman language, but hopefully I can elaborate. I've been playing around with some new gels I got, doing tests, trying to really get a feel for what does what. I was told that the order you put gels in front of a light changes the final color, is this true? In my tests, I noticed, at best, nominal difference in color change when changing the order of two gels on my light. So, does it really matter what order I put the colors in? Thanks!
 
On the camera, there is a certain order you put filters, including color correction filters; but for gel on lights, I dont think it matters.
 
Gels on lights are really filters-- they filter one color, letting it through, and block the rest. So it doesn't matter in which order you block the light. A red filter blocks blue and green and a magenta filter blocks only green. So whether you put the red filter on first or the magenta filter on, either way you're blocking blue once and green twice.

Can't imagine any scenarios where the order would make a difference.
 
Cool, thanks for the info ya'll! I always thought it was like mixing colors, not literally removing colors. This makes more sense, thanks again!
 
While you can put the colored gels in any order you like, it's pretty common practice to put the color first, then the diffusion on the outside.
 
RyanT said:
While you can put the colored gels in any order you like, it's pretty common practice to put the color first, then the diffusion on the outside.
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How come? Does it make a significant difference in the output of the light?

David Jimerson said:
It's the difference between additive and subtractive color mixing.
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Right, I guess subtractive vs. additive color mixing is a huge difference. I've just had a hard time wrapping my head around it all, I've always been terrible with colors.
 
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