How to Use Color Gels

Turn off the light you are going to place the colored gels on. Photography and especially film lights become extremely hot in a short time, so you may want to leave the light off for several minutes before adding the gel. If you don't have time to wait, use fireproof, heat-protection work gloves.

Open the barn doors of the light. These are the metal doors around the light. The doors help concentrate the light in a specific area on the screen or object.

Hold the lighting gel against one of the barn doors and clamp it down with a clothes pin. Attach the opposite end of the gel to the opposite barn door and clamp it down with another clothes pin. It is important to use wood clothes pins and not plastic, as the plastic is likely to melt.

Power on the light and adjust the barn doors as needed to illuminate the area of the scene you want.

Monitor the color gels. If the gels are close to the lights, they might melt. This not only ruins the gel, but if it sticks to the light it may ruin the expensive light (or at least take it out of commission until the gel can be removed).