Get Lighting Gels for Varying Applications
Lighting gels evolved from being used in hot theatre lanterns, to live events, art installations, and facilitating colour temperature control in photography. Coloured filters may be the addition your work needs to stand out. eBay has colour filters from a variety of brands, including Lee, Roscolux, and Apollo.
Which are the different kinds of colour correction gels?Coloured gels for lights are categorised according to their functions. A colour correction gel is used to change the colour temperature of a colour source to look like a different one. They are used when multiple sources are lighting a single subject. Correction filters are available as:
- Colour Temperature Blue (CTB) – Also called daylight, the colour gel is used to convert artificial light sources such as bulbs to look like sunlight. The gels are available in different intensities to balance artificial lights.
- Colour Temperature Orange (CTO) – Referred to as Tungsten, these photography gels are used to alter daylight sources to appear as artificial ones. They do these by reducing the Kelvin value of the light source. You can turn sunlight to look like a bedroom lamp.
The light source you are using to illuminate the subject will determine the appropriate size and intensity of the colour gel. If you intend to alter the colour temperature, focus on lighting gels that meet your needs. Consider how well a gel balances light and factors in the other colours in the project. If you are mixing lights, the project will require several colour swatches for the blue and orange colour correction. Most manufacturers provide the colour temperature of their filters, which is crucial when choosing a colour gel.
Where are theatrical gels used?Theatrical gels are lighting gels that are not suitable for colour correction. They come in handy when adding accents and unnatural effects. They are available in limitless options to suit the effect that a photographer is aiming for. Theatrical coloured lights can serve as:
- Kickers.
- Backlights.
- Key lights.
Besides changing the colour temperature, lighting gels are also used for diffusion in photography. The process refers to the softening of light so that the shadows are less prominent. When using a hard light source, placing a diffusion or frost gel sheet in front of it reduces the output reaching the subject. The softness of the light depends on how far the gel is from the source. Diffusion gels vary in densities and the thicker they get, the softer the light.