Gel is easy to use. You pick the color you need to enhance the mood you want to convey, slip it into a gel frame, slide the frame into the holder on the lighting fixture and turn it on when the time is right. Sometimes, a single color doesn’t do the mood justice. This can be especially true of sunsets, water or stained glass windows. Hi-Definition gobos can help, but sometimes they’re not quite right or are out of budget. Enter split gel.
Split gels are various pieces of gel taped together. The light from an instrument will blend the colors a bit, but you'll still get enough separation of color to achieve some interesting and unique looks. There are endless ways that colors can be used together to achieve a myriad of looks. Please note that a split gel will look entirely different depending on which way it is inserted in the instrument, which instrument and beam spread is being used, even which pattern you are using with the split gel. A stained-glass window split will have three different appearances when used with three different window gobos, or patterns.
Today we’ll show some examples of simple split gels. Next time, we’ll discuss some more complex effects. These images are all courtesy of GAM online. StageSpot now offers GAM gel as well as J-Lar tape to help achieve these effects. Often split gels are used in conjunction with a simple steel gobo pattern. We also offer those as well.
Standard Split Gel
G810 Moon Blue and G320 Peach taped straight down centerline
Gels with pattern, showing excellent option for sunset effects
Sandwhich Style Split Gel
G730 Azure Blue split “sandwich style” with G1516 .6ND. Any two-color effect can be achieved this way.
This helps achieve an interesting slightly stormy look.
Quartered Split
G850 Primary Blue and G250 Medium Red are split “quarter sandwich style.” This effect may be split standard or sandwich style and creates dynamic color separation and blending when viewed though light.
An interesting sunburst effect is created this way. This would also be great using a rotator for an interesting moving effect.
Check back later for information on how to split for fire and water effects as well as stained glass. The options are nearly endless. Don’t worry; StageSpot has everything you need to create these effects and more.
