Light Lab is a lighting playground. Mix colors and brightness on a virtual stage and see how they blend on the dancers, then save the look to a routine for your lighting designer. Go to Encore, then Light Lab.
The console
Each light position has its own fader. Drag it up to brighten it, or all the way down to turn it off (it shows out). Hover the little info icon under any fader for a quick explanation of what that light does.
Frontlight: lights faces so the audience can see the dancers.
Backlight: lights the dancers from behind and adds depth.
Shin, Mid and Head: sidelights from the wings at shin, torso and head height. They sculpt the body from the sides.
High Sidelight: steep light from above the wings for strong shape and shadow.
Cyc Top and Cyc Bottom: color the backdrop from above and from the floor.
Haze: adds atmosphere so you can see the light beams in the air.
Good to know: You can also click a fader and use the arrow keys. Hold Shift to move in steps of 10.
Change colors
Click the color square above a fader.
Pick one of the swatches, or use Custom to choose any color.
Add gobo texture
Frontlight and High Sidelight have a small gobo button above the color square. Click it to break the light up into a dappled, textured pattern. Click it again to turn it off.
Start over
Click Reset to put every light and the haze back to the starting look. There are no other presets, so save any look you want to keep first.
Save a look to a routine
Click Save look to routine.
Type a Look name, like “Opening — warm shins”.
Search for the Routine and click it.
Click Save look.
You can save as many looks to a routine as you like, for example one for the opening and one for the finale.
Where saved looks show up
On the routine's Technical tab, under Lighting Looks.
In Stage Manager, in the Lighting Looks module for each routine.
Click a look to see it full size. From there you can:
Download PNG to send the image to your lighting designer.
Edit in Light Lab to change it. When you're done, click Re-save look.
Delete it. This can't be undone.
Who can use Light Lab
Light Lab is part of Encore. It's included with Production Pro. On Essentials, it unlocks as soon as you add Encore to any show ($29 per show). Staff need the Stage Manager permission to see it in the menu.