Editing Stage lighting (section)

=== Color ===
Color temperature is measured in [[kelvin]]s. A light's apparent color is determined by its lamp color, the color of any gels in the optical path, its power level, and the color of the material it lights.<ref name="Gillette 2003 7"/>

A tungsten lamp's color is typically controlled by inserting one or more gels (filters) into its optical path. In the simplest case, a single gel is inserted into the optical path to produce light of the same color. For example, a blue gel is used to create blue light. Custom colors are obtained by means of subtractive CMY color mixing, by inserting combinations of cyan, magenta and yellow filters into the optical path of the lighting fixture. The inserted filters may have varying densities, with correspondingly varied percentages of transmission, that ''subtractively'' mix colors (the filters absorb unwanted light colors, but the desired colors pass through unaffected). Manufacturers will sometimes include an additional green or amber ("CTO" color correction) filter to extend the range (gamut) of subtractive color mixing systems.

Lamp power also influences color in tungsten lamps. As the lamp power is decreased, the [[tungsten]] filament in a bulb will tend to produce increasing percentages of orange light, as compared to the nearly white light emitted at full power. This is known as ''[[amber shift]]'' or ''amber drift''. Thus a 1000-watt instrument at 50 percent power will emit a higher percentage of orange light than a 500-watt instrument operating at full power.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Gillette
| first = J. Michael
| title = Designing With Light: An Introduction to Stage Lighting, Fourth Edition
| isbn = 978-0-7674-2733-3
| publisher = [[McGraw Hill]]
| pages = 50
| year = 2003
}}</ref>

[[LED stage lights|LED fixtures]] create color through additive color mixing with red, green, blue, and in some cases amber, LEDs at different intensities. This type of color mixing is often used with [[Striplight|borderlights]] and [[Cyclorama (theatre)|cyclorama]] lights.<ref>[http://www.learnstagelighting.com/how-do-i-use-color-effectively/ <nowiki>[1]</nowiki>] Learn Stage Lighting - How do I Use Color Effectively?</ref>