tools

free tools for production people.

These tools are not actively supported, please email bugs to bugs@nickcooklighting.com

lighting light lab key light plotter color match beam calc photometrics power dmx address dip switch voltage drop quick convert video screenprep projection led wall exposure audio ltc generator speakercalc tc convert donate

lighting tools

light lab →

the interactive stage — grab a light, drag its focus, set trim, light a model, and try three-point portrait lighting.

key light plotter →

where to hang your key — pick mccandless, single key, or three-point, punch in trim and angle, and get plan positions, throw, and coverage with a diagram.

color match →

one color, every console — pick a color, get the closest gels, and how to dial it on eos, ma3, avolites, and chamsys.

beam calc

this calculator on its own page →

quick presets

beam angle (°)

field angle (°)

throw distance

units

candela (cd, optional)

beam diameter—

field diameter—

D = 2d·tan(θ/2) · E = cd/d² — the math every throw distance argument ends with.

photometrics calculator

this calculator on its own page →

load an ies file (optional)

choose .ies file

or just type numbers below — nothing is uploaded, the file is read in your browser.

units — applies to every panel below

throw geometry

trim height above target (ft)

horizontal distance (ft)

throw distance—

tilt from horizontal—

illuminance at throw

candela (cd)

throw distance (ft)

angled throw use geometry above

direct · footcandles—

direct · lux—

solve for candela

target footcandles

distance (ft)

candela required—

inverse square

illuminance at d1 (fc)

distance 1 (ft)

distance 2 (ft)

illuminance at d2—

lumens ↔ candela

beam angle (°)

lumens (lm)

candela (cd)

candela—

assumes all lumens inside the beam angle — real fixtures spill; treat as an estimate.

fixture stack

illuminance per fixture (fc)

fixtures overlapping

total—

additive only where beams fully overlap.

inverse square law runs everything: E = cd/d². everything else is geometry.

power calc

how many circuits does this rig actually need?

this calculator on its own page →

fixtures

voltage

breaker size

continuous load 80% rule

total connected—

total amps—

circuits needed—

left on last circuit—

amps = watts ÷ volts · circuits = ceil(total ÷ (V × A × 0.8))

planning math, not an electrician. led rigs draw less than their rated peak but inrush is real — and movers with motors don't behave like resistors. when in doubt, ask your electrician.

dmx address calc

universes, addresses, and how many fixtures actually fit.

this calculator on its own page →

universe ↔ absolute

universe

address (1–512)

absolute address

footprint packer

starting universe

starting address

packing fixtures don't span universes

display

total channels—

universes touched—

final fixture—

per row—

address list

absolute = (universe − 1) × 512 + address · sACN and art-net both number this way in every console that matters.

dip switch calc

for the gear that predates RDM — and refuses to die.

this calculator on its own page →

dmx address (1–512)

convention

the math—

if the fixture manual disagrees with the light board, the manual wins. check whether your gear counts from 0 or 1.

voltage drop calc

why the far end of the run is browning out.

this calculator on its own page →

wire gauge

one-way run length (ft)

load (A)

circuit voltage

voltage drop—

drop percent—

voltage at the load—

max run at 3%—

verdict—

drop = 2 × length × Ω/kft × amps ÷ 1000 (round trip through both conductors)

planning math for copper at room temperature — not an electrician, and neither is this calculator.

quick convert

the little conversions you do forty times a day.

this calculator on its own page →

dmx value

percent (0–100)

decimal (0–255)

hex (00–FF)

light level

footcandles

lux

distance

feet

meters

dec = round(% × 255 ÷ 100) · 1 fc = 10.764 lx · 1 ft = 0.3048 m.

video tools

screenprep →

prep photos for led walls — place the screen in the raster, batch-process, download as a zip. everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

projection calc

what size screen, how bright, how far — the generic version.

this calculator on its own page →

aspect ratio

image width (ft)

image height (ft)

diagonal (ft)

projector lumens

screen type

presets are typical — your screen's spec sheet wins.

screen gain

throw ratio

ambient light

throw ratio comes from your lens spec — throw ÷ image width.

throw distance—

image height—

image area—

on-screen brightness—

verdict—

closest comfortable—

farthest for video—

farthest for detail/text—

avixa discas check

smallest element height (% of image height)

content vertical resolution (px)

bdm · farthest viewer—

adm · farthest viewer—

verdict—

bdm = H × 2 × %eh · adm = H × 3438 ÷ vertical px (1 arcminute acuity)

fL = (lumens × gain) ÷ area ft² · throw = ratio × width · max viewing ≈ 6–8 × image height

assumes a front-projection matte screen and a projector actually hitting its rated lumens (they rarely do after year one). derate older lamps 30%.

led wall calc

size the wall before the quote does it for you.

this calculator on its own page →

panel width (mm)

panel height (mm)

pixel pitch (mm)

panels wide

panels high

wall sections

panels wide is per section

gap between sections (panels)

max power per panel (W)

typical power per panel (W)

weight per panel (kg)

px per port

novastar gigabit ≈ 655k px

processor ports available

wall size—

resolution—

aspect ratio—

total panels—

max power—

typical power—

amps @ 208V 3φ per phase—

amps @ 120V—

weight—

processor ports—

px load per port—

closest clean viewing—

processor verdict—

panel px = panel mm ÷ pitch · viewing ≈ pitch in mm, read as meters · ports = ceil(total px ÷ px per port)

power and weight are per the panel spec sheet — check yours. this sizes the wall; it does not rig it.

camera exposure calc

this calculator on its own page →

iso

shutter (1/x s)

f-stop

required illuminance—

in footcandles—

C=250 incident calibration — a starting point for broadcast lighting levels, not a meter.

audio tools

ltc timecode generator →

generate SMPTE/EBU timecode as WAV files — one named file per song, with start address and bit depth control. play them from any rig into any desk or app that chases timecode. all in-browser.

speakercalc →

loudspeaker placement — model your room, place boxes, and see coverage before anything hangs. projects save to your own machine; nothing is uploaded. vectorworks export script and user guide included.

timecode converter

tc ↔ frames ↔ real time, drop frame handled.

this calculator on its own page →

frame rate

timecode (hh:mm:ss:ff)

total frames

real time (s)

real time—

drop frame skips numbers, not time — frame numbers ;00 and ;01 vanish each minute except every tenth, so 29.97 stays on the clock.

support the tools

these tools are free. if one helped your show, you can buy me a coffee —

donate