Five Techniques For Creating Spectacular Lighting Effects With Rosco X-Effects®

Lighting Designer and Rosco Ambassador Nick Diaz recently worked with Rosco to develop new recipes for the X-Effects LED Projector. While making these recipes, Nick discovered new techniques he was not aware of before. Nick was gracious enough to record his findings in a series of videos where he not only shared his new recipes, but he also shared the techniques he used to create them. Watch Nick's videos below to learn how you can use Rosco X-Effects to create spectacular lighting effects in your next project.

Change The Focus For Different Effects

If you ever need to create a funky lighting effect, look no further than "Rainbow Spirals." Nick explains how this psychedelic effect was inspired by "the analog light shows of the late-60s/early-70s and all the pops of color that came with them.” As he's creating the effect, Nick also shows how the same gobo recipe can create different looks simply by changing the fixture’s focus.

Use A "Masking Gobo" To Create Dappled Lighting

In this video, Nick shows how to create a “Rustling Leaves” effect that emulates “the feeling of being under a tree during an afternoon breeze.” By mounting a foliage gobo as a mask in the static slot, he is able to use a breakup gobo and an Image Glass gobo in the animation wheels to create subtle, dappled movement through the leaves. This recipe, Nick says, will produce a realistic effect that “you’re going to use in a lot of different applications."

Mount The X-Effects On Its Side To Create Horizontal Projections

Many lighting designs need horizontal movement. In this video, Nick lists out the ingredients for another "masking gobo" recipe. Then he demonstrates how, by simply mounting the X-Effects on its side, he can project that recipe to create a horizontal "flowing water" effect. Using the same gobos, he then turns the X-Effects 90-degrees to show how that same recipe can be used to create the look of rising smoke.

Create A Sharp-Focused Projection With Movement Behind It

In this video, Nick answers one of our most frequently asked questions - how to create a moving cloud lighting effect. The short answer is an X-Effects on its side projecting a B&W glass cloud cover gobo. Nick demonstrates this as he creates some "Spooky Trees" with moonlit clouds moving horizontally behind them. This is an excellent technique for theatrical lighting designs, themed attractions, and horror film lighting setups.

The technique that Nick learned for this recipe was how to use a "masking gobo" in the front animation wheel. Because the front animation wheel is the last in the focal train, this position allowed Nick to get a sharp focus on his trees. From there, he added the cloud cover gobo rolling through the background with a cyan piece of Permacolor Dichroic Glass in the static slot for color.

Combine Different Glass Gobos To Create Abstract Effects

To create this “super abstract, out of the box, but totally groovy” lighting effect, Nick used two Effects Glass Gobos. Rosco makes a wide range of Effects Glass Gobos, and each one will create a different dazzling effect when placed inside the X-Effects. For his "Sparkly Pink Bubbles" lighting effect, Nick placed an Indigo Sparkelite ColorWave gobo into the first animation wheel and a Foam Bubbles Image Glass gobo into the second animation wheel. He then set the two gobos moving in opposite directions to produce the “beautiful flares inside the pattern."

Thanks to Lighting Designer and Rosco Ambassador Nick Diaz for sharing his X-Effects recipes and techniques. Make sure you follow @nicholas_diaz on Instagram to stay up-to-date on Nick and his current projects. If you'd like more information about the lighting fixture that Nick used to create these stunning lighting effects, please explore the X-Effects LED Projector product page on our website.