HOW TO PROPERLY ILLUMINATE A PAINTING
How to properly illuminate a painting, sculpture or any decorative object:
choose the right projector and place it at the right distance...
Choose a projector type:
:: Free-standing spotlight: nothing to fix, it has a cord with plug and switch, or dimmer.
: : Spot to be fixed: The plate or peg at the back of the product is fixed to the ceiling or other support, on which the projector is fixed or aimed.
: : Recessed spotlight: The spotlight is recessed into the cut-out of the chosen support.
:: Spotlight on track: available for 1-phase or 3-phase track, it is placed in the track.
:: LED spot bulb 200-240v : it is placed in a spot with the mention GU10 or other type of bulb
:: 12v LED spotlight bulb. : it is placed in a spot with the mention GU5.3 or other type, which is connected to an LED transformer.
Important note: The presence of an old generation neon product, a spotlight or a halogen-type bulb installed on the same power line will cause the LED products to malfunction (Old transformers are not stable). It is strongly advised to switch to LEDs in its entire housing, or at least on the line used to avoid problems.
- Some practical advice on lighting a work of art:
Lighting distance (diagonal between the spot and the center of the work) from 30 cm to 3 meters, a 2W to 15W spot will be suitable, with an adapted beam angle of 10 to 40° depending on the dimensions of the object to illuminate and the desired power.
A "dimmable" version of the projector and/or the bulb is more versatile, as it allows the intensity of the luminous flux to be varied with a dimmer. Note that a dimmable product is sold without a dimmer, unless the mention 'with dimmer' is noted.
A projector with an adjustable beam angle will be able to illuminate a sculpture or a painting of 20 X 20 cm up to 120 X 120 cm and more from a short or long lighting distance. The projectors with adjustable beam angles are the ILYAS 12W, 15W, 32W and 36W, which allow the opening angle to be adjusted from 10° to 60°.
A 6W or 8W spot bulb with a 10° or 12° beam angle performs well when used 50 to 200 cm from the center of the painting. These bulbs can illuminate up to three or four meters: possibly use two bulbs to have a better result if you want a certain power. For a very narrow rendering, the LEDart GU10 5W 2° / 3° bulb is exceptional for the quality of its halo-free flux up to 6 to 12 meters.
Beyond 2m50 cm of lighting distance, we recommend 6W to 36W spotlights with adjustable focus 10°-60°, or 10°, 12° and 15° fixed angle of lighting beam. For example, with the ILYAS and ELYSIUM adjustable focus spotlights, you can also illuminate your work from a distance of 1 to 5 meters thanks to the high variable power and adjustable beam angle without halo.
:: We post pictures of picture lighting online, noting the distances so that you can choose the right model.
:: You can also send us photos of the location, with the dimensions of the subject to be lit, and the lighting distance between the spot and the center of the work.
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Beam angles: the mentions 2° to 15°… refer to the beam angles of the luminous flux of the bulb/spot. The beam angles of classic retail bulbs have wide angles from 36° to 120°. We favor narrow beam angles to create particularly interesting light effects for works of art and objects, and any desired decorative effect.
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Important note: Table projectors can be installed fairly close to the painting if necessary, under the object to be lit, on a console & other support, or on the floor. If fixed, recessed or track projectors should normally be installed 1 meter from the wall on which the works are located, they can be placed further away, but beware of glare. Do a test before placing rails and making holes… For example in a 4 X 4 M room, the projectors are not placed in the middle of the room, but along the walls at a distance of 1 meter - 90 cm to 110 cm. In a corridor the spot can be installed in the middle, because the distance does not generally exceed 60 cm.
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Lighting heat, what to choose? Daylight is between 5000 and 6000 Kelvin. When you illuminate your interior with these temperatures reproduced by LED, it can be unpleasant on the one hand, and harmful to the eyes (according to ophthalmologists). Very cold light, like an operating theatre. To find the warm atmosphere of halogens and incandescent lamps, it is the 2700K which comes closest to it, but which can yellow a little too much what you want to illuminate and alter what the artist wanted to represent or reproduce. This is the solution to choose, however, if all of your lights are 2700K, or when the objects to be lit require a very warm white (old furniture, etc.). 4000K is quite vibrant and approximates a neutral white, used for lighting black and white art photos. 3000K is the solution to have both a warm white with good color rendering, a natural light effect with pleasant lighting. The result is satisfactory because the colors are more vivid compared to the old halogen lamps. A fairly cold luminous effect can however also be interesting on a tree or a green plant, a contemporary sculpture...
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Frequently asked question: what type of bulb in an LED spotlight?
Answer: there are two types of spots, one is designed to accommodate a bulb (the type of this one is therefore mentioned on the product sheet, most often: GU10), the other is designed around the LED directly. There is therefore no bulb, but an LED with a dedicated 230v-12v transformer. (driver). This second type allows a lifespan (30,000 ~ 100,000 hr) much greater than that of the bulb (15,000 ~ 30,000 hr). The LED and the transformer can also be replaced if necessary.
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The + of a projector with LED bulb (or module): scalable, because the bulbs change quite quickly and you can adapt the one of your choice without having to go through a technician. Possibility of modifying its lighting without changing the entire spot, there are bulbs with different lighting heats and angles, connected bulbs. You will recognize these spots by the mention 'GU10'.
The + of a projector with integrated LED: The projector is sometimes more aesthetic, and above all more efficient. Longer lifespan (if the LED and the transformer are of good quality - same ratio for bulbs).
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You want help choosing the model you are looking for,vscontact us
You need help choosing the model you are looking for: contact us
- Lumens, Lux, Watts?
The lumen corresponds to the luminous flux emitted in a defined angle, it is a unit of measurement. The lux characterizes the luminous flux received per unit area. Manufacturers generally put forward the lumens which are the total brightness that comes out of the optics. Depending on the design of the LED, the optics and the driver, there will be more or less loss of luminosity the further one moves away from this light source.
Another possible loss is that of the driver, which will be favored by a light with superior color rendering. It is easier to advertise 120 lm/Watt with a Ra70 than with a Ra90 or Ra97. The ideal bulb (or spot) will therefore be the one which, with the fewest watts, produces the most luminosity (lumens) on the desired surface (lux), with the best possible color rendering (Ra).
- Why switch to LED?
Significantly reduced energy consumption and emission heat. No longer change the bulbs every 5 or 6 months (professionals, shops, etc.). On September 1, 2016, the European Commission banned the marketing of directional halogen bulbs, and since 2018 this measure concerns all halogen lamps.
- There are similar LED products on the internet more or less expensive, why?
Powerful bulbs and spotlights with narrow angles with good color rendering require superior technology and higher quality components.
The vast majority of LED lamps in the world are made in China, whether private label (like LEDart) or a major lighting manufacturer. A similar product is not necessarily identical, and the advertised components may not be respected. Beware of the many phishing web platforms that use images and information on our site and others with thousands of various products offered at attractive prices. Counterfeiting and Fraud.
- What are the effects of a poor quality LED projector?
Early yellowing of the luminous flux, drop in its power output (Lumen), flickering, limited lifespan. These effects can also appear with an unsuitable or unstabilized transformer (Driver).
- Do your products conform to their description? I've bought LEDs before that weren't.
The characteristics of our products are in accordance with their description sheet. The electronic chip (LED-Chip) - the most important in a spotlight is certified, as well as the transformer (Driver). We choose quality products, they are systematically tested and used.
- Electronic chip = LED: CREE (USA), CITIZEN (Japan), EPISTAR (Korea), TOYONIA (Japan), OSRAM (Germany), SANAN (China). Prestigious companies. World leaders in the sector recognized for their innovations, for the quality and longevity of the products.
- What is a 3-phase track (known as three-phase)?
This type of support offers you the possibility of controlling the different light sources of a rail separately. You can install more power on a three-phase track (2000W), which is interesting for spaces with many spotlights on tracks. These models have three positions, which can be controlled by 1 to 3 different switches / time programmer and/or Dimmer dimmer (gradation of the luminous flux). A three-phase rail can also be simply connected with two wires (from a 230V line) like a single-phase rail, if you do not need the different controlled lines.
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Important info about MR16 GU5.3 LED bulbs: To use these bulbs, you need a special LED 220-240v to 12v transformer, “LED driver” in English. The voltage of transformers for halogen bulbs is not stabilized, which affects the LEDs, produces flickering and reduces their life. * Our advice to limit compatibility issues is to replace GU5.3 sockets with GU10 (GZ10), which will allow you to eliminate bulky transformers and power your new GU10 bulbs directly at 230v.