Color Grading Techniques for Projection Mapping
Master color grading for projection mapping. Create cohesive color palettes and adjust colors to match environments and moods.
Color grading creates cohesive visual experiences by adjusting colors across your projection mapping installation to match environments, moods, and design intent.
Understanding Color Grading
Color grading involves adjusting hue, saturation, and brightness across your installation to create visual cohesion and support your creative vision.
Basic Adjustments
Hue Shifts: Adjust hue properties in Map Club's shaders to shift colors toward desired palettes.
Saturation Control: Increase or decrease saturation to create vibrant or muted color schemes.
Brightness Balance: Adjust brightness to ensure colors work well together and match environment lighting.
Creating Cohesive Palettes
Limited Palette: Choose 2-4 main colors and adjust all shaders to work within this palette.
Color Harmony: Use color theory principles—complementary, analogous, or triadic color schemes.
Consistent Grading: Apply similar color adjustments across all layers for cohesion.
Environmental Matching
Ambient Light: Adjust colors to complement or compensate for ambient lighting in the space.
Surface Color: Account for surface color—projected colors interact with surface materials.
Time of Day: Consider time of day and how natural or artificial lighting affects perceived colors.
Mood and Atmosphere
Warm Grading: Shift toward warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) for energy and warmth.
Cool Grading: Shift toward cool colors (blues, greens, purples) for calm and professionalism.
Neutral Grading: Desaturate and balance for sophisticated, neutral atmospheres.
Layer-Specific Grading
Background Layers: Often benefit from desaturated, muted colors that don't compete with foreground.
Foreground Layers: Can use more saturated, vibrant colors for emphasis and energy.
Accent Layers: Use high-contrast color grading for accent elements that need to stand out.
Advanced Techniques
Selective Grading: Grade different areas or layers differently to create visual hierarchy.
Gradient Grading: Create color gradients across surfaces for smooth color transitions.
Temporal Grading: Change color grading over time to reflect different moods or times of day.
Testing and Refinement
On-Site Testing: Test color grading in the actual installation environment with final lighting.
Multiple Viewpoints: Check color appearance from different viewing positions and angles.
Iteration: Refine color grading through iteration until it achieves desired effect.
Best Practices
- Start with a clear color vision before beginning grading
- Test in actual environment—colors look different in different lighting
- Use subtle adjustments—small changes can have big impact
- Document your color choices for consistency and future reference
Color grading transforms individual elements into cohesive visual experiences. Master these techniques to create professional, polished projection mapping installations.