Best lighting filters according to redditors
We found 112 Reddit comments discussing the best lighting filters. We ranked the 57 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 112 Reddit comments discussing the best lighting filters. We ranked the 57 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Post-Its? That will reduce color output way too much. You need gels for this.
I agree with u/greypowerOz, I'd definitely start looking into off-camera flashes! My favorite OFCs are actually super affordable, they're the Neewer TT560 and they're great starter flashes. You can also gel them really easily with a pack of these: https://www.amazon.com/Rosco-Lux-Small-Swatchbook/dp/B0002ER2YG. It's a sample cine gel pack; I got mine for free in film school but they're wicked cheap and the perfect size for flashes.
I wrote an article on intro DSLR kits on Amazon. I wouldn't bother unless you bundled them with your camera.
They're definitely crappy extra toys, but they may help you learn more about photography (by showing you how things make your image quality worse); but they also were kind of fun at the beginning and encouraged me to get out and shake the bugs off and dig into learning how to shoot good photos (and how extra toys don't really help). Everyone takes shitty photos at the start anyway, so you're not missing much; and it's not a ton of extra money over grabbing a body/kit lens/good SD card; but if you already have your camera kit, you can skip it for sure.
DO NOT USE THOSE TRIPODS!
Those are strong enough for point and shoot cameras at most. Especially with a telephoto lens, the tilt arm is likely to fail and it'll fall on sensitive optical mechanics. Those are in the $10 price range. Spend at the very least closer to $30 on a tripod, and a $100-ish tripod will be a safe, and useful tool to use with your precision imaging equipment.
tl;dr - Sure, it's a waste of a little money, but they can be kind of fun toys. Burn the tripod.
Stuff I'd suggest getting:
In theatrical use they are routinely placed in a gel-frame right in front of a focusing lens on a light burning 1000w halogen/xenon bulbs. They do tend to bleach out over time from the heat, but do not emit fumes or catch fire. Old-style fixtures focused the heat as well as the light, so the diffuse heat from the rear-heat-sink of an LED will not be a problem at all.
To make a "daylight" light source match standard incandescent, one would use a ["full CTO" orange gel] (https://www.amazon.com/Filters-Full-24x21-Filter-Sheet/dp/B00FR32300/). To get from 3000K to warmer, 1/2 or 1/4 CTO would probably do.
Lee filters has a calculator -- if you can find the color temperature of a lamp that you find pleasing, you can use their calculator to see what gel number will get you closest to your desired warmness from a 3000K source.
There are lots of inexpensive ways to do this!
First, you need a way to create light behind the frame. The best way to do this is with LEDs. You don't have to worry about excess heat and because they use minimal power, they're ideal for use with batteries. A tech friendly way to do this is to use LED rope light - the plastic around the LEDs will diffuse some light already. You can also use flexible LED strip lights. There are lots of DIY YouTube tutorials on creating a light panel out of these, but they might be a bit intimidating. Grow light panels can be found on eBay for around $25.
In front of the lighting, use a product that will diffuse the light uniformly. There are lots of things that can be used for this - Rosco Gel Diffusion Sheets, Two-Sided Matte Drafting Paper, a Light Diffusing Compound, that privacy window film stuff, or even a translucent shower curtain will work.
Good luck!
If you shoot in RAW you can edit the white balance in post. If you are using flash and are in a tungsten room and want to match, take a look at gels to add to your flash to get it closer to the room light - ExpoImaging ROGUEGELS-U Rogue Photographic Design Rogue Gels Universal Lighting Filter Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KEL4NI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vZC1CbEDBXP1H
This kit also includes fx colors if you use off camera speed lights and want to color a scene differently or add accent colors for hair lights.
http://www.lee.com/shop/x-treme-comfort-khaki-pant
https://www.amazon.com/Twin-Peaks-Entire-Mystery-Reg/dp/B0186R6RV4/ref=tmm_blu_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1480364789&sr=8-3
http://holdfastgear.com/products/camera-swagg
https://www.amazon.com/ExpoImaging-ROGUEGELS-U-Rogue-Photographic-Design/dp/B005KEL4NI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480365008&sr=8-1&keywords=rogue+flash+filters
https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Photographic-Design-ROGUEGEL-CC-Correction/dp/B00A8EIPGY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480365008&sr=8-2&keywords=rogue+flash+filters
https://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1510-000-110-Carry-Pluck-Black/dp/B0002SKHIK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480365065&sr=8-2&keywords=pelican
I bought this but I’m doing a couple gauges for my buddies too.
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Pieces-Lighting-Filter-Different/dp/B078SNXXM9/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=theater+light+film&qid=1573366294&sr=8-3
Quick tip: If you want to quickly make it more accurate. Try to to overlay the visor area with a dark gel or overlay. All I can think of is this right now that would work https://www.amazon.com/Gel-Sheet-299-Neutral-Density/dp/B0089R864I
Source: I am a Cosplay Videographer (transferred from cosplay photography) and I have a eye for detail.
The issue with turning off blue light is that it makes fluorecence barely visible if at all.
The solution if you don't have manual white balance control is to trick the phone by placing an orange filter in front of the lense, either type will work :
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kodachrome-Orange-Type-A-Daylight-Series-6-Lens-Filter-X1-XI/171813284885?hash=item2800deac15:g:O4YAAOSwBahVbhHt
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https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Transparent-Correction-Lighting-Magenta/dp/B016Q0BBN2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1541078933&sr=8-2&keywords=photo+orange+filter
The white reflections where most likely done by shooting with some sort of prism/crystal held in front of the lens.
The colored (pink) lighting was done with color gels for professional studio flashes. (example of how they are used.)
You're gonna have to do more than just aiming it. Since these come with flood lenses, you'll probably need to tape something over the top 1/2 of each row of LEDs.
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6000K is going to make some serious glare, so you might want to install a color gel to tone down most of the violet/blue/purple.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A8EIPGY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Speedlite holders: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JS3MINC
I own a couple of these and they are fantastic!
Gels: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00URG1C2C
No need to go with the expensive Rogue set. I love these by Selens.
Lighting gear bag:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LEE7J0U
This has been put through a bit of use and has held up great so far.
Lighting stands
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L4YR0BS/
Speedlites
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010XCEABO/
I guess the "S" means "spot" as that's kind of like a spotlight? 75° will act like a panel or area light, probably the easiest to work with as it just throws a bunch of light in one direction, probably what you're expecting since you're looking at these types of panels.
I'm a big fan of this starter kit for gels, https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Location-Lighting-Filter-Sheets/dp/B0010CHHE4 inexpensive, good quality, they're 10" x 12" so I think it should cover your panels? The kit comes with some diffusion as well, but you may want something bigger than just 10" x 12"
This was the filter I purchased.
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075M7SHXD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Here is a sample pack for $2.99 on Amazon.
Sorry, long day yesterday and the day before.
The softbox can be found all over eBay. Just search for "umbrella softbox" and find whatever shape you like and what price you feel like paying. I paid like €20 each for mine several months ago but it seems they've gotten cheaper (or maybe mine are larger? I can't remember what size I bought, just looked for the largest umbrellas that I could find from a reputable seller). The one I linked to may be fine, but read the reviews yourself. I was more concerned with finding you a picture and a rough price on eBay. ;)
Hey man, yeah make sure you get as many color temperatures as you possibly can. The tungstens will be useful to simulate warm indoor lighting, but they may also be useful for night shoots when you want to simulate street lamps called "sodium vapors". (alternatively, there are also "daylight" temperature street lights called mercury vapors you can simulate with white light)
GELS
Your temperatures will probably not match up with your environment so go out and buy some color gels. Here's a link to a pretty decent one: http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Quick-Location-Lighting-Pack/dp/B0010CHHE4/ref=pd_cp_p_0
If you go out and buy a gel pack, just make sure they come with something called "CTB" or "CTO". This stand for Color Temp Blue and Orange. These are used to "correct" the temperature of your sources. Example: if your houselights are 3200 kelvin, and you sources are 5200, you'd want to put a CTO on your light because 3200= Warm = Orange light and 5200= Hot= White light.
The pack I linked you isn't the best but it was generally cheap. It lacks quarter CTO's and CTB's. I know it seems like a lot of money but it's worth it to shell out for if you're taking things seriously.
HOW TO LIGHT A FACE
Lighting faces is important to learn; being a cinematographer is also being a photographer!
I found these images that may help you. First are some simple light positions (NOTE: these are positions Hollywood has used for decades and STILL use. Next time you watch a movie at the theater pay close attention to the way an actor's face is lit)
http://www.calvarywood.com/Supporting%20Files/Lighting%20Positions.jpg
Heres another link showing you different ways the face can be lit. I advise trying to accomplish all of the set-ups shown in the image (Pacific, Rembrandt, Split, and Edge). Google exactly how to achieve each set-up.
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs9/i/2006/012/9/1/Six_Key_Lighting_Positions_by_GenoPunk.jpg
I'll stop there since I just dropped a shit ton of stuff on to you. Sorry if this seems like too much or if I'm pushing you in a certain direction. It's just information I wish I knew when I first started out. Good luck, hope you do well.
(BTW, buy a bunch of clothespins to hang your gels on your can lights. The industry official name for them are C47's :D)
Seriously, get yourself a Yongnuo. They're like, $40, and functionally similar to any branded speedlight. A demo pack of stage gels to slide over the strobe, maybe even a cheap as chips speedlight trigger, and you're set up for about 90% of speedlight work for less than a quarter of the price of an actual Nikon speedlight alone.
There's literally no reason to not go for it, and it opens up your shooting a lot.
http://www.amazon.com/Color-Correction-Filter-Plastic-Magenta/dp/B004A9PMGE
Magbox is not worth it... And as far as gels, with the round head kit, it comes with the clear holders, https://www.amazon.com/ExpoImaging-ROGUEGELS-G-Rogue-Photographic-Design/dp/B005KEL4BU work amazing with it... or you can use the bare bulb and https://flashgels.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=61
or the speedlight head with https://www.amazon.com/ExpoImaging-ROGUEGELS-U-Rogue-Photographic-Design/dp/B005KEL4NI
Good idea for people that don't want to solder!
You could take it a step further and use some photo gels since they are made to transmit light and not block much of the output.
Lee CTO gel. You can unscrew the bezel and put a precisely cut circle of this right on the lens for a semi-permanent installation. It's Fenix, so it's probably glued. You can weaken the glue by holding the head of the light in boiling water. You may need strap wrenches if it's really stubborn.
Otherwise, can you solder? There are a great many LEDs with warmer color temperatures you could use in that flashlight, some of which will also produce tighter or wider beams than the one it came with, and some with a higher color rendering index.
Absolutely! I'm gonna leave it here so anyone scrolling by can see it, but I'll also DM you and the other person who asked for it so you don't have to check back in the thread.
NEEWER 2-Pack 160 LED CN-160 Dimmable Ultra High Power Panel Digital Camera / Camcorder Video Light, LED Light for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Panasonic,SONY, Samsung and Olympus Digital SLR Cameras https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07438JXM7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cIS2Ab7JHAYCT
(Despite some reviews claiming the battery life is poor or the output is low, I've had nothing but great experiences with these panels. With the batteries I use, I can do a surprising amount of shooting before the batteries die out. Not only that, I only have two batteries. So the fact that it is often enough for what I do is astonishing. Also, the output is just fine. In fact, bright enough at max output that it hurts your eyes without a softbox. With the softbox it is perfectly bright for most occasions. If you need brighter, look into the Neewer CN-216 or CN-304. Just be ready to warn people about their brightness.)
Neewer 5.9x6.7 inches/15x17 centimeters Camera Collapsible Diffuser Mini Softbox for CN-160, CN-126 and CN-216 LED Light https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OXCGA28/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CQS2AbBYSF5KE
(It has gone up a bit in price since I bought the two that I own, but it still offers excellent performance for the price. These are specifically made for the CN-160 panels. They diffuse light excellently, but at a minor cost. They are a bit of a pain in the ass to place onto the panel. At that price, though, you can't complain too much. You should be careful with them, as some have said that they don't take kindly to being handled roughly. My advise: take your time and do it carefully.)
Neewer 2 Pieces 2600mAh Li-ion Replacement Battery with Charger for Sony NPF550/570/530, Fit for Sony HandyCams, Neewer CN-160 CN-216 LED Light, Neewer 759 74K 760 Feelworld 759 74K 760 Field Monitor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XDC47YM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gVS2Ab3RDJ319
(Outside of another tiny price increase, there's not much to say about these. They do the job incredibly well for what I put them through. However, NP F550 type batteries aren't meant to last incredibly long shoots. If you do long shoots, invest in a few more batteries and consoder using the larger capacity NP F750 type batteries.)
Fovitec StudioPRO - 2x 7'6" Classic Light Stand Kit - [Classic][For Photo and Video][Includes Carrying Bag] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HNZJLG4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_j0S2AbBBPVA2J
(These light stands have served me well. But, as with all cheaper gear, they won't withstand care that is too rough. They've handled plenty with me, but I recommend you try to take care of them. Other than that, they're just light stands.)
Bonus:
Neewer 12 x 12-Inches Pack of 8 Transparent Color Correction Lighting Gel Filter in 8 Different Colors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CCIKB5Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_f3S2Ab6ZCYTAD
(Some cheap color gels. Get the job done.)
Of course I must include: This is all cheaper starter gear. It is not meant to replace the more expensive light kits that are much more durable, do much more and produce much better results. But restriction breeds creativity. And a passionate, new content creator with a creative eye will make the best of what they have. If you are a starting filmmaker, videographer or photographer, by all means, use this setup. Once you're ready to move onto better, more costly equipment, though, don't hesitate.
Two of them:
First has one has multiple copies of commonly used ones (reddish, cyan, straw, CTO, CTB, etc) and they're a hair bigger (sized for speedlights)
http://www.amazon.com/Rosco-Strobist-Collection-1-5x3-25-Strobes/dp/B002SWIOOM/
This one is the original with one of everything they make (it was the original hack recommended on strobist).
http://www.amazon.com/Rosco-Lux-Small-Swatchbook/dp/B0002ER2YG/
I got some stick on velcro and use those to attach them to my speedlights.
I pickup up a set of these a little while back:
Rosco Rosco Lux Small Swatchbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ER2YG?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
It was like $5. I pulled all of the shades of orange to find what works best with my phone/lights.
As a bonus there's a bunch of reds that you can cover your flashlight with to do some night creeping!
You can buy deep-red transparencies (astronomy stores, lighting filters, anaglyph foil) that reduce the brightness and filter the light so it's not going to influence the dark adaption as much as a dimmed down screen, or apps in red-mode that are still emitting too much light :-)
Random links, ymmv
Depends on the desk specs I would assume and if you want them to face outward towards the user. You’ll need something rigid to tack/attach the diffusion material and custom form it to the edge of the desk (if I’m understanding that correct, that is).
There are diffusion gels (they’re like thin plastic sheets - paper thin) and fabrics (typically used in photography) that you can cut and wrap around a frame. Order a Rosco Swatch Book to see what would work for you.
Or you can do indirect placement and put it under/behind the desk. Don’t necessarily need diffusion if you’re hitting the wall or something since you 1. Would be using the wall as a sort of diffusion and 2. Won’t be looking at it directly. Unless you can see hot spots/uneven light spread, you may not need anything.
Overall, I would recommend an aluminum rail LED strip housing with diffusion insert. I would recommend these for almost every home LED project, outside of anything drastic which would require much more work. This is the easiest and best looking solution.
You'd just need to modify the resistor based on the new LEDs voltage. Simple and cheap. You could also cut out a piece of Red film (www.amazon.com/Neewer-Correction-4-Color-Filter-Studio/dp/B00W93FQNM/). Same effect and easier than fooling with electronics.
You could pick up some spotlight gels and tape red or amber over the LCD to give it less blue light and glare I would think. Or just tape over the LCD entirely. More hardcore nerd version (which I could see myself doing if I had this unit) would be taking the unit apart and stepping down the voltage on the backlight, but that's not for the faint of heart obviously. :)
Nope just gelled the flash. I used something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/ExpoImaging-ROGUEGELS-U-Rogue-Photographic-Design/dp/B005KEL4NI
Yes, it's called ND Gel, and comes in sheets of various densities. This 4 stop should work for you:
https://www.amazon.com/Gel-Sheet-299-Neutral-Density/dp/B0089R864I
That kit is good for adding a splash of color but for balancing your flash temperatures I highly recommend this gel kit:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A8EIPGY
Each gel has what it is printed on it which is super handy.
Yeah I was thinking small aperture.
And I haven't done those effects before in post, so I will have to learn.
Should I buy more LED lights?
Is there a harbor freight case size you'd recommend?
Would gels like this be what you mean?
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-30x30CM-Transparent-Correction-Flashlight/dp/B01CCIKB5Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1469039533&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=neewer+led+gels
Ah so do you mean bounce the light off of a reflector (modifier) like you mentioned?
Thank you for the reply! So helpful! :)
So to keep it short and simple, google Colour wheel.
When looking at the wheel you see blue now if it where a clock the blue is at 12 than the filtering colour is the exact opposite 6. So in this case it’s a yellow.
What I’m using is my phone and a Sample Sized Jell that is used in film ant TV. I hold it to the camera lens so that the camera can see the proper colour.
You can find these online but you may need to stop at a Video or Cinematography spot to pick them up.
You can also find them on amazon just be sure you know what colour you need before ordering.
It will help when you need someone to help identify a problem with your baby’s.
Example
Neewer 14 Pieces Flash Lighting Gel Filter Kit with 7 Different Colors - 11x8.6 inches Transparent Color Correction Lighting Film Plastic Sheets https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B078SNXXM9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6wnwDbY9JJT4S
That can be mitigated, but not entirely removed, with diffusion sheets, which besides the color-blending benefits makes for a nicer beam on the wall, in my opinion.
Here I did a bit of color mod. Was quick and simple. All I needed was this photo filter. Also, have many other colors for future mods too!. Got the idea from this clown. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0TbpmjHNTs&t=392s
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002ER2YG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The cyan was a gel filer. Part of a set from amazon that could fill in CMY+RGB colors well.
It was cut out, doubled up and put behind a hoya UV filter. It filters visible red very effectively but is not a nice glass filter. You might think of it as a cheap dual bandpass filter letting through IR + Green+Blue light.
I think the new kolarivision IR chrome is a dual bandpass filter but in nicer glass. I struggle with being a little bit angry about that -vs- buying one.
I did develop the reds a little more with photoshop + the k-tone lut
Edit: changed link to the correct gel set. Added infor about the kolarivision IR chrome filer I think you might have heard of.
Thanks!
I used two of these and this set of colors.
Easy results for
under $100.around $100.EDIT: Oh yeah, and this for my off-camera triggering system.
Here ya go, I used these lighting gels to get the look I wanted.
If your a looking to change the color, just look up “color gels for lighting” on Amazon. Then cut them to shape and use some 3m tape to stick them on.
Here’s what I’m talking about.
I use little squares of color gels for stage lights. they still let you see the ship behind the dial. I pain the bases to match the color of the gel so its easily transferable between lists.
something like this works great: https://www.amazon.com/Rosco-Lux-Small-Swatchbook/dp/B0002ER2YG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466784182&sr=8-1&keywords=gel+swatch+book
cheap and so many colors
As the other commenters mentioned, it should really depend on the situation and you should be making these kinds of decisions on a case-by-case basis. 4 speedlights in the corners could potentially work, but it would depend on the room. Additionally, you want to think about the type of light you are creating - do you want to point everything at the ceiling and have light everywhere, or do you want to have a kicker or two to shoot into to create some depth to the images?
If you only have one speedlight, on-camera bounce can provide decent results. However, if you're going to add additional off-camera units, my advice would be to invest in flashes with triggers/tranceivers built into them, such as the Yongnuo YN-560 IV line. They're incredibly cheap, reliable, and work perfectly for this sort of application. By doing this, you'll be able to trigger the flashes remotely (and reliably), with the additional benefit of being able to balance your output with the ambient light in the room, so as not to completely overwhelm it. Your batteries might have to be replaced once every 2-3 hours, depending on how bright your flash is set to. Buy some rechargeable batteries. You'll save hundreds.
My personal preference is to use a master flash on the top of my camera to light my subjects, and use it to control other off-camera radio slave units for additional fill or edge lighting (kickers) as the need arises. You get the flexibility of on-camera bounce with the look of multiple off-camera lights. It's the best of both worlds, I think.
Also, to your question about the light temperature, bare flash will show up as blue light in an image where the white balance is set to match most ambient indoor lighting, which is far warmer (usually tungsten). This will definitely create some weird-looking shots. You can easily get around this by gelling the flashes to the ambient light in the room, and I would definitely recommend it, no matter what lighting setup you go with. Just pick up a couple of gel kits off Amazon that include some CTO (orange) gels, and you'll be golden. In terms of bang for your buck, this will be the most effective way to improve the look of indoor images shot with speedlights.
Good luck with your shoot!
Definitely gels as others have pointed out. To start out with, you can get a sample pack like this, and then tape the desired gel to your strobe.
Here are a set of colored gels on amazon . You could go down the route of getting an RGB bulb, which can also be cheap, tho the light output on those bulbs are low. You need to have the light be brighter than your exposed shot to get the desired look.
Ohhhh I missed that it was your photo. But yeah, aiming the flash directly at your model and getting it closer will definitely harshen the shadows. Something good to play around with is flash gels like these or any other brand and diffusers Like this. I think a yellow/gold gel with the flash above (at say, a 45 degree angle maybe) and pointing directly at your model will get a similar look to #1 and adding that diffuser would, in my opinion, reduce the negative qualities of that type of light quite a bit. Definitely mess with sharpening as well.
If it were me, I like your picture much more than #2, but to each their own of course!
Would you be able to guess if there's a major difference between yours and this one?
Newbie myself
Something like this should do the trick:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CCIKB5Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_A.w9BbB3EMHEE
Love your portrait! Did you just use a black backdrop for the background?
Also is this similar to what you got on Amazon?
Gels - https://www.amazon.com/ExpoImaging-ROGUEGELS-U-Rogue-Photographic-Design/dp/B005KEL4NI - are just some plastic color filters for flashes
Flashes generally provide more light and/or have longer reach. I can't really imagine setting up a LED somewhere or even using one of the on-camera panels and photographing people. You would either have to be really close or have expensive lights. Check out strobist if you're curious about lighting
Color filters are mainly for BW film. They can also block out a lot of light (3-4 stops for a red #29). With digital cameras, you can change the luminance of a color channel while converting the image to black and white without losing light or dealing with filters.
I shoot a bit of BW film as well, and that's really the only use case.
I'm a former lighting tech, so my view is skewed, BUT:
I'd get yourself a Rosco Swatch Book (or another brand, but whatever), and test out the different diffusion "gels" they have. They're plastic film, and pretty temp tolerant you will not hurt them with these LEDs. make yourself a little holder frame, and see which you like best. Then, if the swatch isn't big enough, just order one sheet of that "color", which will be WAY more than you need.
disclaimer: I refer to these as "gels" "colors", etc. It will have Hundreds of colored gels, but also a lot of diffusion and other "effect" type films.
I have a buddy who uses these
and they are great build quality but he only uses the cto. so the rest are a waste.
I had a sheet of CTO left over from my film school days so I just cut one to the same size, and attached some velcro to it to stick to my flash. infact for $8 here you can make more than 20 gels if you cut them yourself.
http://www.amazon.com/Gel-Sheet-299-Neutral-Density/dp/B0089R864I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421305670&sr=8-1&keywords=nd+gel&pebp=1421305701589&peasin=B0089R864I
I would totally start out with what u/CoolHandIckx says. I would probably - if possible - work with 4 lamps though (one from each corner). Definitely strongly diffused light, use filler lights or diffusion filters on standard lamps. They come in many different ranges and prices, so you should be able to find something that fits your need and economies. ;)
Because you use the word "always", I'm guessing you have to do this quite often. Consider getting a decent quality DSLR (with tripod) - doesn't have to be expensive, you can even buy second hand, it just has to A. meet your needs for painting photographs, and B. have a filter screw in thread on the lens. Then get a polarizing filter to go with that, and don't skimp on that - it's important to get a good quality one.
I know it is an investment, but it might just be worth it, if you have to do it often, or if you need it (semi)profesionally. :)
(^edit:thpelling... )
Rosco Roscolux Tough White Diffusion, 20" x 24" Sheet of Light Diffusing Material https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000B75TFS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_HQYDAbM15R7JK
Buy this: https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Dimmable-Professional-Photography-3200-5600K/dp/B01934RL0U?ref_=ast_slp_dp
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With 4 NP-F970 Batteries: https://www.amazon.com/Powerextra-Replacement-Compatible-DCR-VX2100-HVR-HD1000U/dp/B01N3TWBXI/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3AVTU7RI3GKN2&keywords=np+f970+battery&qid=1574805414&s=electronics&sprefix=np+f%2Celectronics%2C227&sr=1-3
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Some gels: (cut to size) https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-12-Inches-Transparent-Correction-Different/dp/B01CCIKB5Q/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=neewer+gels&qid=1574805440&s=electronics&sr=1-1
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and two light stands and you're in business.
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I've been using these for a long time and always do the trick.
Look up the film guys (thefilmguys.net) and see what that cinematography looks like. Only those lights and nothing else.
You can use this:
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Transparent-Correction-Lighting-Magenta/dp/B016Q0BBN2?ie=UTF8&keywords=photo%20colored%20gel%20pack&qid=1458874679&ref_=sr_1_4&sr=8-4
also get Snapseed for editing.
Not for nothing, because it's worth a few bucks to have someone cut it for you, but you can get a whole pack of gels and use your original as a template, for a lot cheaper.
That'd also let you try all the colors, and have plenty to spare for friends or other projects.
"Gel" is indeed what you are looking for. (It's called gel because the filters used to be made from gelatin, but now it's a plasticy polyester film) What I would recommend is to find a theatrical supplies or lighting rental store by you and pick up a gel swatchbook so you can test the different colors on your actual lights. You may need to block the parts of the lights that the swatches don't cover, I'd suggest using aluminum foil and tape.
If you can't find a supplier near to you, you could order a swatchbook online: https://www.amazon.com/Rosco-Lux-Small-Swatchbook/dp/B0002ER2YG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495168846&sr=8-1&keywords=gel+swatchbook
In addition to the warmth, you might want to use a Rosco #119 or #114 which is a frost that will also help to soften the light.
> You can't add something to that white light and enable it to make colors.
Uhhhh, yeah you can. That's pretty much the entire concept behind lighting gels. Been used in theater since lights were introduced!
(I do know you probably meant to add "in an automated fashion", I'm just saying you can add things to filter white light to non-white light.)
Edit: It's amazing how brain dead stupid this sub is. You have people throwing micro motors on everything, to pasting on esp288s like they're Doritos, but somehow putting gels on lights is a bridge too far. Couldn't get any more moronic if you tried.