Show Lighting

[vs2]

Hi. Not sure where to post this. I have also searched for an answer.



I have a jet black showcar and whenever I go to a show that has bright overhead flourescents they seem to show up every tiny imperfection in the paint. I also cannot get the wow factor I need with those flourescents.



Is there any lighting I can use to enhance a black car to make the car stand out? I`m thinking blue or yellow lights or maybe even blacklights? Maybe four colored worklights (one at each corner?) Or colored diffusers in front of halogen worklights?



Any ideas? Thanks.

[Accumulator]

vs2- I don`t have a good answer for you, but I *am* surprised that you find fluorescents make the marring obvious; I usually find those make it nearly invisible :think:

[vs2]

vs2- I don`t have a good answer for you, but I *am* surprised that you find fluorescents make the marring obvious; I usually find those make it nearly invisible :think:



Ok, thanks. Maybe its just me. Gotta love black cars...every time I look at it I see some imperfection in the paint.



http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y208/Amerikiwi/CUDA/DSC001211024x768.jpg

[gigondaz]

In your case, if faults appear even under fluorescents, IMO....it`s really bad as fluoros are very forgiving.





Depending on the exhibition venue, they might not allow you rig your own lights due to power supply issue, and safety issues (tripping over cables, lights collapsing etc). Many factors beyond your control.





My reco:



1. Spend time and effort to prep your paintwork.

2. Choose your car placement properly (eg: place it next/near a light coloured car, or even better, next to a bling-bling car with lots of brightwork). Angle your car properly.





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My detailing business does lots of showcars for launch events and shows, and I work closely with the event management companies and car mftrs to reach a compromise on lighting in order to show off a specific car colour to its fullest.





Based on my experience with black cars, if you hv some control over the lighting, perhaps these pointers below can help you in any future shows:





1. Flawless surface prep needed.

Ensure you use white and yellow lights to check your work. You`re not doing a daily driver. It just has to look great for that specific event. So, you can use any cover-up products to ensure a flawless look under any lighting. It`s not cheating....it`s being smart, practical and realistic. Depending on the kind of show, strangers might be touching and stroking your car the entire day!!!





2. Try to avoid direct light on black car.

With direct light on black car, you`re reducing the reflections. The blackness would be less obvious. Also, with direct light on the side of car, your discs, calipers and rims would hv to be 100% pristine.





3. Try indirect light.

Aim any strong lights away from the vehicle, and let any reflected light illuminate the vehicle. When you look at the car, your eyes relax, retinas open up, you see the lines and curves better, the blackness will be more obvious, reflections become much more obvious, and you see more details in the reflections, and the reflected images are in COLOUR!!!:blabla:

Any finger prints would be less obvious.





4. Add supplementary lighting far away.

After using indirect light, you can position the car so that the side of the car faces some very distant lighting. You`ll see this as "highlights" on your black paintwork. Makes the reflections look even more obvious.





5. Your neighbour is important.

If there`s another car next to yours, and it`s a light coloured car with some brightwork (chrome, stainless steel etc), this will also be seen in the reflections of your black car`s side panels. Angle your car to make the most of your neighbour:wink1:





6. Work with the same kind of lighting in your shop/home

Try to find out what kind of lighting is used at the venue, and use this kind of light to check your surface prep. For major launches, "Intelligent Lights" (look like mini robots, and connected to PC) are mostly used, and this is actually a glorified LCD Barco projector shooting out intensely white and harsh white light, as well as any other pre-programmed colours and patterns. In this case, i`d use a home LCD projector, rig it up in my shop, and use it to check my work. When you reach the venue, use their lights (if the technicians allow it) and re-check.



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[Accumulator]

Warning, Autopian Heresy follows:



I`d give some serious thought to just concealing the minor marring via glazes/etc. Correct the major stuff and glaze-fill the rest.



Even if a flawless finish can be attained, unless somebody can *keep* the finish flawless, well...you see where I`m going with this. And IMO, at shows or other public events, [stuff] happens; people touch stuff and brush against it. (And people wonder why I won`t show my Jag..)

[C. Charles Hahn]

Accumulator, you do realize that`s what velvet ropes are for, right? Just make it so they don`t get close enough to the car to touch it, and your problems are solved.

[Accumulator]

Accumulator, you do realize that`s what velvet ropes are for, right? Just make it so they don`t get close enough to the car to touch it, and your problems are solved.



Heh heh, no such stuff at my Jag Club`s events...or at least I`d look even crazier than I already do if I went that route :o



If the other folks here can do that, sure, it`d be one less thing to worry about. Still have to resist the temptation to dust/etc. it every five minutes though :D I see people simply *destroying* their finishes at shows lest it look a little dusty or something.

[vs2]

Thanks. A couple of good points here. I think `reflection` may be the answer.