Stage Depot Guide to Lighting Gel Filters

Choosing the right gel for your desired effect

Rosco, the leading manufacturer, offers hundreds of lighting gels, each with their own unique properties for achieving different effects and colours. In our guide below we offer a selection of the most commonly used lighting gels for a range of applications. From dimming to diffusing light, lighting gels for warming and cooling lighting, a selection of primary coloured gels and the most popular colours from both the Rosco E-colour range and the high-temperature Supergel range.

Diffusion & Frost Filters for softening

Diffusion gels are most commonly used for softening lights and are essential for photography. Designed for being used with lighting panels, diffusion gels can be used to soften the harshness from the light, converting the light produced from direct, shadow-producing light to softer light with gradual transitions (similar to light on a cloudy day).

These gels can also be used for hiding skin imperfections during close-up filming, such as interviews and portraits, and managing lighting hot spots for shooting shiny objects like glass bottles, cars and sweaty foreheads of performers.

Neutral Density Filters for dimming

Designed for reducing the intensity of all lightwaves equally without altering the colour, they allow lighting designers to manage the brightness within specific areas without changing a lighting fixture focus or dimming it electronically. Working to absorb light energy, rather than reflecting it, ensures that the colour of the light produced is not affected by the addition of these lighting gels.

Neutral density is measured in photo stops, with the larger the ND number, the larger the reduction in light.

Orange & Amber Filters for warming colour temperature

Both colour temperature orange (CTO) and yellows are the most commonly used gels for warming up stage lighting. These orange, amber or yellow-tinted gels convert daylight-balanced lighting (5600K) to warmer tungsten-like glows. The strength of the gel chosen will affect the strength of the effect.

If you are looking to warm up LED lights, please check out our guide for warming up domestic LED lights.

Blue Filters for cooling colour temperature

Using a blue lighting gel, specifically a CTB (colour temperature blue), raises the colour temperature from a warm, yellow/orange-like colour (similar to the light produced by tungsten bulbs) to appear whiter or cooler, similar to daylight. Cooling lighting is a fundamental technique used in theatre to match different coloured light sources and for creating specific moods.

CTB gels can also be added to tungsten lights when large volumes of ambient daylight are present to ensure an even mix of natural and artificial light, reducing the jarring mix of orange and blue light within a scene. Below are some of the most commonly used CTB lighting gels.

Colour Filters for colour effects - Primaries

Lighting gels can be used for a range of different applications, from providing coloured lighting within theatres to creating immersive lighting for themed entertainment, altering the colour of domestic lighting and lighting up buildings. Primarily designed to be used with gel frames on theatrical lighting fixtures, they can also be used with a range of domestic lighting fittings though the application of these gels may vary per lighting fixture.

Colour Filters for colour effects - Popular alternative colours

Popular High Temperature Filters for hot theatre lights

High-temperature (Supergel) lighting gels are designed to work with theatrical lighting that often can get extremely hot. While looking identical, they are worlds apart in their heat-resistant properties. Standard lighting gels, when used with high-wattage lighting fixtures such as 1 or 2K fresnels, may discolour, turn brittle or soften under heat. High-temperature ones reduce this by offering much higher operating temperatures before deforming or discolouring.

Looking for a colour not listed here?

Check out our full range of light gels via our dedicated lighting gel page, including the full range of both the E-colour and Supergel sheets and rolls from Rosco.