Matching Gels with Moving lights: Rogue R2 Spot

[Catwalker]

The theatre I volunteer with has recently purchased two Chauvet Rogue R2 Spots. We are hoping to find some gels for our conventionals that will allow us to match colours with the ones on the R2's colour wheel. While I am aware of the massive spectrum difference of the two light sources, I was wondering if any of you have tackled this in the past, and what the results were. Is there a chart online that I just couldn't find? Or is it really just trial and error?


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[derekleffew]

Color Wheel 1
Open..............
Yellow............R10
Light blue.......R65
Green.............R91
Red................R27
Magenta.........R46
Dark blue........R83
Orange...........R23

Color Wheel 2
Open..............
CTO 3200 K....R3407
CTO 5600 K....R3409
Green.............R91
UV.................R59
Orange...........R23
Pink...............R43
Light blue.......R65

Disclaimer: Having never seen this fixture nor the color chips in question, the above is my best wild @ss guess. I'm least certain about the Light blue and Pink; primaries are primaries, there can be a lot of range in the others. The above is where I'd start if I had to pull a bunch of gel and start to do a match-up. Hope it helps.

 

[DELO72]

I have a more accurate suggestion. You will need a Maglite or other INCANDESCENT/HALOGEN flashlight (not an LED flashlight!), and a gel swatch book. Aim the R2 Spot at the cyc or other white surface and dial in one of the colors, Flip through the swatch book until you get to the range of colors that are close and then shine the flash light through the gel swatch onto the surface next to the beam from the R2 until you find the color that matches. Do this for each color and you will be 100% happy with the results without having to buy the gels first. Honestly, it's all trial and error. You are trying to match additive color mixing (LED) with subtractive color mixing (Gels), so it's going to be a challenge-- which isn't to say it's impossible.

 

[derekleffew]

Good suggestion Mark, although I suspect the difference in intensity between the two sources (inc. MiniMag vs. "5,500 lux @ 5m" of the R2) will complicate matters. R2 30' away and MiniMag one foot away from the target sounds problematic.
I think your main point that one must choose colors by the light they produce, rather than their appearance viewed directly in a swatch or gasp! monitor is will well-taken and oft-forgotten/ignored.

...You are trying to match additive color mixing (LED) with subtractive color mixing (Gels), so it's going to be a challenge-- which isn't to say it's impossible.

If I may, BOTH the R2 with its CCT of 8500K (!) AND a 3200K SourceFour use subtractive Color Mixing to change color. What I don't know right off is whether the R2 uses dichroic, or plain glass, filters. Doesn't matter though, both are still subtractive.

Which brings us to once again mention Lee Filters' line of plastic color media specifically designed for 6000K white LEDs: http://www.leefilters.com/lighting/led-02.html .

 

[SteveB]

The only accurate way to do this is to shine both the Chauvet, scroll thru the colors while using an incandescent side-by-side, at a white Cyc or wall, then match to actual gels.

Eos family consoles can theoretically do this when you ask for "Color, 5/64" which is the shortcut to have a unit use the closest match it can do to a Roscolux R64. Neither my MAC 700's nor my MAC Aura's get as close as I'd want though and I usually just create my own color palettes based on years of looking at Rosco and Lee colors in incandescent units.

 

[soundlight]

The color chips as show in the manual are not very accurate as to the actual color - in particular all of the blue chips are different from the colors as shown in the manual, and I know at least one of those greens is different.

Also - something to try if you're mixing with conventionals - I've had good luck in theater shows popping one of the two CTO filters in on wheel 2 and using the colors on wheel 1 (such as the yellow or the magenta) if you want to blend better with conventionals.

Source: My current primary employer owns 30 R2 Spots.

 

[DELO72]

Good suggestion Mark, although I suspect the difference in intensity between the two sources (inc. MiniMag vs. "5,500 lux @ 5m" of the R2) will complicate matters. R2 30' away and MiniMag one foot away from the target sounds problematic.
I think your main point that one must choose colors by the light they produce, rather than their appearance viewed directly in a swatch or gasp! monitor is will well-taken and oft-forgotten/ignored.


If I may, BOTH the R2 with its CCT of 8500K (!) AND a 3200K SourceFour use subtractive Color Mixing to change color. What I don't know right off is whether the R2 uses dichroic, or plain glass, filters. Doesn't matter though, both are still subtractive.

Which brings us to once again mention Lee Filters' line of plastic color media specifically designed for 6000K white LEDs: http://www.leefilters.com/lighting/led-02.html .

I stand corrected! I knew that the R2 Spot used an LED light source- I didn't know it was a white LED and still used color wheels. Mea culpa. You are correct that it is subtractive as well. I made the incorrect assumption that it was RGB LEDs.