About the project
About Screen Light Studio
Screen Light Studio is a free web tool created by Magnus Lindstrand. It lets photographers use a phone, tablet or computer screen as a light panel, color background or flat panel for camera flats.
What it is made for
The idea is simple: choose a color, white balance preset or flat panel mode, then open a clean full screen light surface. You can use it for product photos, creative portraits, video scenes, screen background light and astrophotography flats.
It runs directly in your browser. There is no account, no login and no paid app to install.
Use it as a web app
You can add Screen Light Studio to your phone or tablet home screen. This makes it quicker to open and gives it a more app-like feeling.
On iPhone or iPad
- Open screenlightstudio.se in Safari.
- Tap the share button.
- Choose Add to Home Screen.
- You can rename it before saving.
- Open it from the new Light Studio icon.
On Android
- Open screenlightstudio.se in Chrome.
- Tap the menu button.
- Choose Add to Home screen or Install app.
Tips for taking flats
Use the flat panel mode with a white or grey screen. Keep the focus, optical train and camera orientation the same as when you captured your light frames. Then adjust screen brightness and exposure until the histogram is roughly around the middle. Avoid clipping the highlights.
Screen colors are not perfectly calibrated and every display behaves differently, but for many simple photo and astronomy workflows a screen can be a convenient flat light source.
Limitations
A web page cannot directly control the real brightness of your screen. For stronger light, increase brightness on your phone, tablet or monitor. Screen Light Studio also cannot guarantee exact Kelvin color values, since screens differ in color accuracy and brightness.
Video effects
Screen Light Studio also includes a separate video effects page with moving screen light effects, including a slow aurora light effect and a blue/red emergency style light effect for creative video scenes.
Video effects are separated from the main photo light panel so the main tool stays clean and fast to use.
Created by
Screen Light Studio is created by Magnus Lindstrand in Sweden. The project started as a simple idea: make a useful, free and device independent screen light tool for photographers.