Gels for worklight to match tota 3200k?

T

Tomiger RoPort

Active member
I am relatively new to lighting, but here's my situation. I have a 2x tota light kit I just purchased and I want to use a spare 500watt total worklight I have for some fill. It's obvious to me that the worklight is giving off a dfferent color temperature with a distinctly more orange light than the 3200k totas. The kit I have came with some gels, but I believe the day-blue's are full, which makes the light from the worklight too blue to match the totas. I tried searching around the internet for answers/suggestions and haven't come up with much. The only info I've came across is try a 1/8 CTB, which I don't have access to, but what are your suggestions? If this has been covered before, sorry for the inconvenience.
 
Yep. You're on the right track. Cheap worklights frequently come in at around 2700k instead of the 3200k of a professional video light.

A sheet of 1/4 blue would probably get you in the ballpark of making them match. Or 1/4 CTO on your totas. (I'm not 100% sure that 1/4 is the strength you want, this is just spitballin'...)
 
Just contact a local live performance theatre lighting deptartment and ask where they get their supplies. I've used these folks since 1976: PNTA 800-622-7850 or www.pnta.com they'll have what you need and more. You want Rosco 3208 for 1/4 CTB or Rosco 3216 for 1/8 CTB. You can always double up the sheets, so an 1/8 CTB doubled = 1/4 CTB, ... :)
 
In my experience, in general, the lower wattage lamps seem to be warmer in color temperature than higher wattage lamps. You can get CTB gel in various strengths (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, full) and if bouncing the work-light, cover only part of the face of the fixture if you need to, to get closer to the color temp of the other fixtures.

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I think you'll need a 1/4 CTB if the worklight is, as you say, distinctly more orange.
 
Yep. Hot lights for photography are usually "whiter" than cheap worklights, which burn at a lower color temp so the bulbs last longer.

A color meter would give you the actual mired shift for a dead-on match, but a 1/4 CTB is a good place to start. The bottom line is how it looks. You can't trust your eye with a single light source as your brain color-corrects on the fly, but looking at two side by side you can make adjustments.
 
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