Neon

Tube Light Neon Room

Lighting setup

Colored RGB tubes as practicals in a tight room. Moody, modern, cyberpunk.

Lighting breakdown

1
Vertical Tube Key
A vertical magenta tube ~45° camera-right keys the face with a long soft pink edge and streak catchlight — often visible in frame.
RGB tube light (vertical) · 0.6
Tube light
2
In-Frame Practical Tube
A teal tube visible camera-left (~320°) lights hair rim and wall, selling the neon-room world.
RGB tube (in frame) · 0.85
Tube light

Woman in a black leather biker jacket between two lit tubes in frame, cyan at camera-left and magenta at camera-right; magenta on her face, cyan edging her hair.

Base setup

Tubes as light. Tubes as set.

Top view

Complete setup · 2 lights

Learning path

This setup appears in curated assignments — continue the sequence when you are ready.

Step 4/6Strobist Lighting 103
Neon tubes as both set dressing and light — toggle the practical tube off and only the magenta key remains; colour in the environment is a source you can subtract.
Light Builder Next: Video Projector Portrait — Image Key →

Lights: 2
Contrast: 5:1
Catchlight: Long neon streaks
Key position: Magenta tube ~45° camera-right; teal practical ~320° camera-left
Mood: Cinematic / Aggressive / Vintage
Quality: Soft Light / Specular
Subject: Fashion
Environment: Small Room / Dark Background

Mood variations

Fashion model — Practical Tube Off variation of Tube Light Neon Room. — Practical Tube Off
Switch the in-frame teal practical completely off. Magenta key stays; teal rim and wall wash die — proving the second tube was the set light.

Fashion model — Teal Only variation of Tube Light Neon Room. — Teal Only
Kill the magenta/purple key tube — only the cool teal practical remains, so the portrait goes blue with no pink wash.

Final look

Base setup

Using tube lights both in-frame and as the key blends source and subject lighting. Saturated complementary colors and a dark background create a stylized, electric, contemporary mood.

Camera & framing

Exposure

ISO

ISO 800

Shutter

1/125s

Aperture

f/2.8

Lens & framing

Lens

50 – 85mm

Camera height

Chest to eye level

Framing

Three-quarter body, styling visible

On lens

Black Mist

Composition: Black Mist softens tube bloom; tube positions remain the teaching focus.

Read guide →

Try these settings → Key : fill ratio →

Key notes

1Keep both tubes readable in frame when possible — magenta key camera-right (~45°), teal practical camera-left — so the set sells as a neon room, not a gelled softbox.
2Pick complementary colors (magenta/pink key / teal practical) so the two hues separate the subject from the background.
3Keep the room dark and let the tubes wrap; their long shape gives streak catchlights and gentle falloff.
4White-balance to taste — neutral lets the gels sing, while cooling the WB pushes the whole frame electric and synthetic.