Angelshare1
Well-known member
I heard that I should use these kinds of bulbs in my DIY lighting. Not sure what they are. Can you get them at Wal-Mart or do you have to go to a camera store?
What are color balanced lights?
- Thread starter Angelshare1
- Start date
Color temperature is measured on a scale named after Lord Kelvin.
You can read volumes about this inventor and mathematician, but how his work applies to your question is this.
There are, within the greater Kelvin thermodynamic temperature scale (zero, a baseline through proton and nucleus collisions and beyond), a few absolute numbers often used in photography in film and digital formats. Simply, these correlate to the color of the light you see in a very narrow part of that larger scale.
2500 "Kelvin" - Those yellowing incandescent light bulbs
3200K - Studio fixtures are right around this number, quartz halogen is a common globe type for this temperature, though you can have it in flourescents and others. It is visually less yellow than the spectrum between 2000 - 2500K
5600K - A film or video or digital approximation of "daylight" color - generally described as "bluer" than tungsten.
6500K - A bit bluer than the visible surface of the sun.
With gels on your lights, a 3200K globe can become the equivalent of 5600K with full CTB "B" for blue. Conversely, you can have an HMI brought down to better match incandescent or quartz color fixtures with CTO - "O" being orange media.
Many will talk about CRI - the Brit's color rendition index. At higher (4400K and up) color temperatures, this isn't color temperature, but more about how naturally the globe or source keeps up with the natural spectrum. Conventionally, you'd want a higher CRI bulb when working in the "daylight" wedge of the spectrum.
Clear as mud?
e
You can read volumes about this inventor and mathematician, but how his work applies to your question is this.
There are, within the greater Kelvin thermodynamic temperature scale (zero, a baseline through proton and nucleus collisions and beyond), a few absolute numbers often used in photography in film and digital formats. Simply, these correlate to the color of the light you see in a very narrow part of that larger scale.
2500 "Kelvin" - Those yellowing incandescent light bulbs
3200K - Studio fixtures are right around this number, quartz halogen is a common globe type for this temperature, though you can have it in flourescents and others. It is visually less yellow than the spectrum between 2000 - 2500K
5600K - A film or video or digital approximation of "daylight" color - generally described as "bluer" than tungsten.
6500K - A bit bluer than the visible surface of the sun.
With gels on your lights, a 3200K globe can become the equivalent of 5600K with full CTB "B" for blue. Conversely, you can have an HMI brought down to better match incandescent or quartz color fixtures with CTO - "O" being orange media.
Many will talk about CRI - the Brit's color rendition index. At higher (4400K and up) color temperatures, this isn't color temperature, but more about how naturally the globe or source keeps up with the natural spectrum. Conventionally, you'd want a higher CRI bulb when working in the "daylight" wedge of the spectrum.
Clear as mud?
e
My pleasure. Mind you, that's just layman's terminology up there.
For "proper" color rendering, try to get as close to 3200 or 5600K as possible. Anything that falls outside of those two generally will begin to "paint your image" one way or another. A few degrees (or even a couple hundred) can be pretty subtle.
Using your camera's presets will also show you if you're grossly out of the desired spectrum - assuming you're using a monitor calibrated to color bars.
e
For "proper" color rendering, try to get as close to 3200 or 5600K as possible. Anything that falls outside of those two generally will begin to "paint your image" one way or another. A few degrees (or even a couple hundred) can be pretty subtle.
Using your camera's presets will also show you if you're grossly out of the desired spectrum - assuming you're using a monitor calibrated to color bars.
e
Cool Lights
DVXuser Sponsor
There's not really a term "color balanced" as such in lighting. As far as what happens in your camera, its white balance that attempts to adjust the imaging electronics to whatever the predominant color temperature of lighting on your subject is.
I think that was someone's attempt to lump "daylight balanced" (5600K) and "tungsten balanced" (3200K) type lighting, which are the correct descriptions for lighting, into one term.
I think that was someone's attempt to lump "daylight balanced" (5600K) and "tungsten balanced" (3200K) type lighting, which are the correct descriptions for lighting, into one term.
I think the biggest thing is to make sure they're all the same color.
If you buy a bunch of bulbs that are all 3400k, or 5200k, you're be set as your camera will white balance to that set of lights.
You'll run into problems if one light is 3200k, the next is 2900k, the next is 3500k, etc. and you are trying to make everything look the same. If you white balance at 3200k, you'll have some orange and blue where you should have white.
You can mix 5600k and 3200k lights if you have some CTO or CTB gels, just try to have a good color monitor to keep an eye on things so you are getting the colors you want.
But one way to make sure you are using good bulbs, just call up Cool Lights, Lowel, Arri, etc. and see what brand of bulbs they sell or recommend and purchase those lamps.
If you buy a bunch of bulbs that are all 3400k, or 5200k, you're be set as your camera will white balance to that set of lights.
You'll run into problems if one light is 3200k, the next is 2900k, the next is 3500k, etc. and you are trying to make everything look the same. If you white balance at 3200k, you'll have some orange and blue where you should have white.
You can mix 5600k and 3200k lights if you have some CTO or CTB gels, just try to have a good color monitor to keep an eye on things so you are getting the colors you want.
But one way to make sure you are using good bulbs, just call up Cool Lights, Lowel, Arri, etc. and see what brand of bulbs they sell or recommend and purchase those lamps.
Chamber005
Carbonite Member
I'm curious as to color balancing for digital -- like, is it actually necessary? Obviously for film you'd have to gel your lights, etc. But when you're shooting digital and doing color correction in post, is there actually any reason to worry about color temps?
I'm shooting something that is going to use daylight from the windows and the interior is being lit by some Home Depot 500-600W worklights. I'd rather gel the lights (rather than the windows). But is it necessary when shooting digital to gel them?
And, if it is, how do you keep the gels from melting from the heat? Is there some DIY set-up for work lights and gels?
I'm shooting something that is going to use daylight from the windows and the interior is being lit by some Home Depot 500-600W worklights. I'd rather gel the lights (rather than the windows). But is it necessary when shooting digital to gel them?
And, if it is, how do you keep the gels from melting from the heat? Is there some DIY set-up for work lights and gels?
Ultimately this comes down to aesthetics. Lots of DPs want the room light to be "white", not orange or blue. If you mix daylight and tungsten (blue and orange, relative to each other) then you are essentially painting with one or both of those colors, depending on how you white balance. You don't *have* to match your color temps, but if you want good lighting, you do have to be aware of color and make sure it is doing what you want. If you had 5 lights and one was purple, would you pay attention to which one you grabbed when reaching in your kit?
If your lighting design is to have mixed colors, then rock on. If your lighting plan is to have more neutral colored light, you probably *can* go back in post and isolate just the blue or orange parts and color correct them to suit. However, if you compare the time it takes to do color isolated corrections in post for every shot you film (especially if the daylight and a tungsten source wash over each other) vs. the time it takes to clip some blue gel onto your tungstens one time at the start of the day...
If neutral lighting is your goal, my clothespin is faster than your digital color correction!
You keep gels from melting by distance from the bulb. For a work light, you are better off using a larger gel thats a bit further away (like, at least 6" away, preferably 10-12). Generally you clip them to the end of your barn doors. If you dont have barn doors, then rig something up with clotheshanger wire that you can clip the gel to out front. Try to make "barn doors" out of tinfoil to keep the un-gelled light from spilling out the sides or you are back to having washes of multiple colors.
Hope that helped or something!