What light is best for Hot Toys so that the skin complexion doesn't look so bad?

[niennumb1]

Hey, all-

I'm sure many of you have dealt with this. I am wondering what sort of light you use to display your HT figures? Right now the ones I have (Star Lord and Captain America) look really deep shaded and pale/dead looking. I know in fluorescent light they appear to look okay, but under a soft white they really don't look too nice.

Is there an ideal best light temperature you would recommend when displaying Hot Toys? Steve Rogers looks like he got punched in the face with a towel full of dry dirt!

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Y4NK33 PL4N3T]

Most common light set for those using IKEA Detolf glass cabinets are IKEA Dioders. They are LED's and come in a variety of styles and colors.

 

[Motuxmen]

Soft white white or natural light

 

[MegaPrime33]

The most common lighting used that I have seen have been LED strips which come in either warm or cool white. Cool is what I prefer; its a clearer white light and helps produce clearer pictures. Warm white has like a yellow tinge to it, which I'm not a fan of.

 

[Brainiac]

The most common lighting used that I have seen have been LED strips which come in either warm or cool white. Cool is what I prefer; its a clearer white light and helps produce clearer pictures. Warm white has like a yellow tinge to it, which I'm not a fan of.

Cool white is the best imo... I have those in my PC

 

[Centrocal]

Only use LEDs, other lights can get too hot and melt certain types of plastic. I heard some horror stories of figures that appeared fine from the front, but over years of exposure, the back of their heads and costumes had melted

 

[weaponslayer]

The best you can get is 5600 Kelvin Color Temperature LEDs. 5600K is the rating of natural daylight and it's what we use in professional photography, video and cinema because it doesn't distort the natural color of the objects. Another good thing to check when you buy any type of light is the IRE rating, it should be <85 (greater than) but preferably <90. This means the overall quality and natural looking aspect of the light. Some low IRE lights tend to have a greener spectrum so be careful. But in general, the most important aspect of lighting is shadow control. In general don't place your lights directly above or in front of the figure because it will cast nasty shadows and flatten your figure.

The best lighting setup (most of the time) is called the Rembrandt 3 point lighting:
-Place 1 light on each side of the figure/subject from above and at a 45 degree inclination. 1 light should be your KEY LIGHT (supposed light source) and have 100% potency. The second light or FILL LIGHT (fills in hard shadows) should have 50%.
-Place a 3rd Light behind the figure from above and also at a 45 degree inclination with 50% potency, this is called the BACK LIGHT and is meant to give depth and separate the character from the foreground (ie: "Touched by an angel" light).

NOTE: Almost always, unless you're going for a specific dramatic effect, diffused light will work better, look more natural and help manage harsh shadows.

Hope this helps and if you need anymore lighting tips just send me a PM.

 

[Hydeous]

I'm using cool LED light strips too. Those are the best.

 

[Furyan]

The best you can get is 5600 Kelvin Color Temperature LEDs. 5600K is the rating of natural daylight and it's what we use in professional photography, video and cinema because it doesn't distort the natural color of the objects. Another good thing to check when you buy any type of light is the IRE rating, it should be <85 (greater than) but preferably <90. This means the overall quality and natural looking aspect of the light. Some low IRE lights tend to have a greener spectrum so be careful. But in general, the most important aspect of lighting is shadow control. In general don't place your lights directly above or in front of the figure because it will cast nasty shadows and flatten your figure.

The best lighting setup (most of the time) is called the Rembrandt 3 point lighting:
-Place 1 light on each side of the figure/subject from above and at a 45 degree inclination. 1 light should be your KEY LIGHT (supposed light source) and have 100% potency. The second light or FILL LIGHT (fills in hard shadows) should have 50%.
-Place a 3rd Light behind the figure from above and also at a 45 degree inclination with 50% potency, this is called the BACK LIGHT and is meant to give depth and separate the character from the foreground (ie: "Touched by an angel" light).

NOTE: Almost always, unless you're going for a specific dramatic effect, diffused light will work better, look more natural and help manage harsh shadows.

Hope this helps and if you need anymore lighting tips just send me a PM.

Good to know,thanks!

 

[niennumb1]

Wow thanks for the awesome replies! My question was more around the in-person look of the toys in that I am not happy with how the figure heads appear to the naked eye in soft white temp. I will definitely try the dioders and see how those behave in a besta or detolf. The type of plastic material they use for the skin just produces an odd refraction of skin tone that muddies the look and this should definitely add more life to the figures and stand out better.

Thanks and also on the advice of photographing them!

 

[Motuxmen]

Fyi cool=soft

Any type of light that does not produce a "hard" shadow will wear best and produce the best paint look. Which way you go and what type is secondary (led, incandescent ect)