Projection Analysis
LIGHT & SURFACE
BRIEF :
The goal of these experiments was to explore how light, surfaces, textures, and colors influence the appearance of a projected image. Collaborating with Adam Chase, we shared responsibilities throughout the process.
We examined how various materials and finishes impact sharpness, brightness, and color. Working in a dark, controlled space ensured accurate results, allowing us to focus on the interaction between projections and surfaces. These insights are valuable for optimizing projections on different materials and settings.
PROJECTED IMAGES
INTERIOR PROJECTIONS
How do interior surfaces affect projections?
WHITE SURFACE 2.5 FEET
WHITE SURFACE 5 FEET
At 5 feet, the image is easier to focus on, with a clean white surface enhancing visibility. At 2.5 feet, detailed images are harder to project clearly, and the closer the projector, the more out of focus the image becomes.
GREY SURFACE
Besides the white surface, the colors of the images on the grey surface are the most accurate, making this the best color surface to project on.
BLUE SURFACE
RED SURFACES
GREEN SURFACES
COLORED SURFACES
The blue surface makes the projections cooler and brings the blue out more of the image.
Like the blue surface, the green surface also makes the colors feel cooler while also looking saturated.
The red surface made all the projected colors warmer in hue and feel more saturated than the colors on the grey and white surfaces.
REFLECTIVE SURFACE
The projected images faintly appeared on the reflective surface, with less visibility at the edges. Though slightly blurred, the reflection on the ceiling maintained excellent color.
CEILING REFLECTIONS
TEXTURED SURFACE
The rug-like surface texture appeared in the projected images, making them seem part of the material and adding a unique tactile element to the projection.
SIDE PROFILE
TRANSLUCENT SURFACE
We chose a frosted glass surface that scattered the light of the projected images, Which made it look more faint and difficult to recognize.
REFLECTION
TRANSPARENT SURFACE
The transparent background still reflected the images but with much less clarity than the previous opaque backgrounds.
REFLECTION
CLOSE
FURTHER
OPAQUE OBSTACLE 1 PROJECTOR
In both projections, the object (elephant) cast a very sharp and clear shadow when it was close to the projector.
In both cases, the projection influenced the object (elephant) by causing it to cast a larger, less defined shadow as it moved further away.
CLOSE
FURTHER
OPAQUE OBSTACLE 2 PROJECTOR
In both images, the object casts two identical shadows, but the displacement between them makes it harder to identify the one of them compare to the other.
This time, in both images, the two shadows were much less defined and further apart than when it was closer to the projected background, they were also both more faint as opposed to only one of them.
BEHIND THE SCENES
EXTERIOR PROJECTIONS
In this section, we are going to find out how ambient light affects the projections
2.5 FEET
5 FEET
WHITE SURFACE (NOON)
Projections are not visible whatsoever. The one on the right is 6 inches away, and the image would be unusable because The sun and its ambient lighting
You wouldn’t even know a projector was running 5 feet from this surface.
2.5 FEET
5 FEET
WHITE SURFACE (SUNSET)
The 2 projected images are very blurry with the image barely being legible
Although the images are more sharp a lot of detail is lost due to how faint it is
2.5 FEET
5 FEET
WHITE SURFACE (NIGHT)
Although blurry, the colors in the projections are very potent and bright to the point that the surrounding area of the images glows their respected colors.
The image being projected is very detailed and clear. The colors are also very close to the original image colors.
2.5 FEET
5 FEET
COLORED SURFACE (NOON)
The projected images are very faint because of the abundant amount of ambient light
Even with a little bit of shade, there’s nothing visible being projected on the surface of the wall.
BEHIND THE SCENES
For these projections, we decided to go to the Ringling museum
2.5 FEET
5 FEET
COLORED SURFACE (SUNSET)
These projections are blurry and undefined, typical for 2.5-foot projections, yet they are much more visible without the sun.
Much clearer and more defined than 2.5 feet. The contrast is hard to read between medium grays, but all the colors are pretty disctinct.
2.5 FEET
5 FEET
COLORED SURFACE (NIGHT)
The color of the wall (Light green) barely affected the images, Thanks to the lack of ambient light, the colors were stronger.
Because of the distance, the images are sharper, showing more detail than the 2.5 ft projections. The color intensity is also more powerful
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the interaction between light, the surface, and the amount of ambient light is key to creating a good projection. Through this experimentation, I’ve learned to pay attention to the texture, color, and reflective properties of the surface. I also now understand how important it is to consider the projector's distance and the time of day to ensure the projection works as intended.