We have a studio with bi-color lights. Is there an advantage to running at a certain temperature, or should it be determined on a case by case basis? This is strictly a typical news set up.

First bi color lights are brightest in the middle temp. Led panels are composed of many individual bulbs that are fixed color, either blue or orange. The panel is brightest when both color bulbs are firing. However when the light is either at its warmest or coolest only half the bulbs are on reducing it’s output by half.

I also think that warmer lights are easier on the eyes and more relaxing that’s why ordinary indoor lighting is warm. But to the camera once the white balance has been set, it makes no difference what the light temperature is. It also common to light the talent with warm and then set the background to daylight to create separation. Of course the beauty of bi is you change the temp with a flick of a switch instead of manually gel the lights.

I was brought up on meaty studio lights run at .7 on the fader scale, so the 3000K was probably more like 2700 or even less, but we had a stop either way by going up to full, or down to around half with minimal colour shift. Then tungsten halogen brought us to 3200k, and then discharges up to 5600 or thereabouts. you can white balance to all of those, but the only real feature for choosing is mixing light sources. I always went with the colour temp of the lowest brightness fixtures, or the quantity of fixtures, correcting the others. To the eye my yellowest white and bluest white are amazingly far apart now.

Pete, I understand what you are saying. The lights we have are plenty bright enough at the 3200 and the 5600 level. Knowing that, is there any reason to put them in the middle at 4400?

Paul, we are using different lights, but they are the same brand (1x1s, 2x1s, 3x1 panels and fresnels). To my eye, the color looks the same when adjusted to the same level on the faders.


Pete and Paul - you both mentioned using different colors to separate. This is exactly why I come to this site. I would have never thought to do that because I have always been told to use the same color, but I can see how you can use that now to crate that separation.

As always, thanks again!!

That trick probably isn’t necessarily for studio work since brightness isn’t an issue because the size and weight of the lights doesn’t matter. But for mobile applications you don’t have the same luxury.

We all pick up info from someone and when you get the chance pass it on.

With LED, brightness is rarely an issue as it does what it says, it changes how bright it is. Tungsten was always difficult with brightness. We would have to stop and swap a 2K for a 1K or even a 650W if we couldn't physically move it further away, and that problem now has gone. Too bright? Dim it! When working with LED I rather like a tungsten back light or two because they look quite warm and nice.

Scrims are handy for reducing the light level on a tungsten light if it's too powerful (although not a good idea in the longer term because of the power bills) . I assuming we're discussing the news studio where the news readers appear in vision presenting the news, these tend to be not changed that often, so once rigged they stay the same for long periods.

If it's multi purpose studio it's a case of doing a lighting plot, so that it can be quickly re-rigged.

I saw a cameraman having a big row with the 'elf of health and safety' because a Half-scrim taken out of a Blond had singed a piece of carpet tile - then the elf realised that how hot these things were, so banned them on the spot as unsafe. I bet nobody with a redhead kit has ever remained unburned through their career.