Flash gels: matching room light and adding creative color
Colored gels on your flash fix mismatched white balance and create bold creative looks. Learn which gels to carry and how to use them.
Photo by Jahanzeb Ahsan on Unsplash
A gel is a thin colored filter placed over a flash. It has two jobs: correcting the flash color to match the room, and adding creative color.
Correction gels
- CTO (color temperature orange) turns the neutral flash warm to match tungsten bulbs. Use a full CTO for warm restaurant and reception lighting.
- Half or quarter CTO adds subtle warmth for flattering skin tones.
- Plus green helps match fluorescent office lights.
After gelling, set white balance to match the room, around 3200K for tungsten. The whole scene, flash and ambient, will look natural.
Creative gels
Blue, magenta, teal and red gels on a background or rim light create a nightlife, editorial or music-video look. Point a colored flash at a white wall to change the backdrop color instantly.
Tips
- Gels reduce flash output; increase power to compensate.
- Keep a small set: full CTO, half CTO and two or three creative colors.
- Combine a warm key light with a cool rim for cinematic contrast.
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