Full Color

Overview

"Full Color" (often also "Vollfarbe" or simply "RGB(W)") is the category designation in film and TV lighting for LED fixtures that can produce not only white light in various color temperatures but the complete color spectrum. This is achieved through additional colored LED emitters – typically red, green, and blue in combination with one or two white chips (RGBW or RGBWW), supplemented in some systems by further emitters like amber, mint, or lime for a wider spectrum.

The term distinguishes itself from two other types of fixtures:

• Single Color / Daylight or Tungsten: fixed color temperature (e.g., 5600 K or 3200 K), no adjustment.
• Bi-Color: continuously adjustable between tungsten and daylight white (usual range 3200–5600 K), but without colored light.
• Full Color: adjustable color temperature plus full color spectrum including saturation and green-magenta correction.

Many manufacturers label full-color models directly in the product name. ARRI uses the abbreviation "-C" (for Color), for example, in the SkyPanel C-Series; Aputure writes a "c" in the model designation (e.g., LS 600c Pro) and explicitly markets them as "full-color" fixtures.

Control and Color Modes

Full-color fixtures typically offer several ways to set a color:

• CCT + Green/Magenta: white light via color temperature plus Plus/Minus Green correction.
• HSI: Hue, Saturation, and Intensity – the most common creative mixing method on set.
• RGB(W): direct mixing via the color channels.
• x,y Coordinates: precise color location specification in the CIE 1931 color space, reproducible across devices.
• Gel and Source Presets: emulation of common Lee and Rosco filter gels as well as sources like sodium vapor or fluorescent lamps.

Examples and Technical Specifications

The following values are taken from manufacturer specifications of two common full-color fixtures and serve as a guide; specific data vary depending on the model.

According to the manufacturer, the Aputure LS 600c Pro covers over 90% of the Rec.2020 color space – an indication of how far the color space of modern full-color systems extends.

On-Set Use

In many cases, full-color fixtures replace the classic gel set on set: color effects, lighting moods, and corrections can be controlled directly on the device or remotely via DMX/wireless, allowing for quick adjustments and programmable effects (fire flicker, police light, lightning, chase light). Practical compromise: for pure white light, bi-color or single-color fixtures often deliver more output, because not all emitters contribute to brightness during full-color mixing. For shots that only require clean white light, a bi-color fixture is therefore often more efficient; the full-color variant shows its strength as soon as color or fine green-magenta correction is required.