Lighting tools by Damien Lovegrove
Scattergels
Scatter the light to create some magic. Clip a Scattergel to the barn doors of your LED spotlight and turn plain light into beautiful, cinematic dappled light.
- Three patterns
- Four croc clips
- Reusable storage tube
- Made in the UK
Scattergel inspiration: I talk through a selection of my favourite Scattergel images, with tips along the way.
Why Scattergels
The essence of cinematic light.
For years, cinematographers have crafted exquisite light with gobos. Now that photo and video lights use cool-running LEDs, Scattergels make that look simple: attach a gel to your barn doors and watch dappled light transform your scene.
Instant atmosphere
Add the wow factor to any scene in seconds.
Exceptional value
Top-quality, screen-printed gels without the price tag of a gobo projector.
Easy to use
Lightweight and straightforward. Clip on, shape with the barn doors, shoot.
Simply better light
There's something irresistible about the way Scattergels transform lighting.
What's in the set
Three patterns, three moods.
Each pattern is the product of extensive testing and tweaking, and each has proved itself over the years at producing the out-of-focus dappled light that image makers love. They're incredibly tough, too.
Shard
Inspired by palm fronds. Creates a tropical beach feel, with a subtle vignette that highlights your subject in its hot spot.
Alto
Named after altocumulus clouds. Delicate half-tones give smoother transitions and a subtle effect.
Crunch
A more striking result, with greater contrast and an even distribution of shadows.
See them in action
Watch, then try it yourself.
Scattergels in use
Ten minutes on location: portraits lit with the Crunch Scattergel on a 200W LED spotlight and a 150W LED Fresnel. Three lighting setups in two locations, shooting both video and stills.
How to use Scattergels
Attaching Scattergels to lights and flash units with a Bowens S mount, using the Aputure Light Storm barn door set. This also works with the Godox AD200 on the Godox S2 bracket.
Compatibility
Small light source, crisp shadows.
For Scattergels to work, the light has to come from a small single point. In practice, 20mm to 40mm LEDs are ideal, in both Fresnel lamps and open-faced spotlights. Open-faced lights need a black, non-reflective barn door holder to keep the source small; avoid silvered reflectors.
The gels clip to the barn doors of cool-running lights. They're not suitable for hot lights.
Is your light suitable?
Put your light on a stand 3 metres from a wall. Open the barn doors fully and set any focusable lens to full flood. Hold your hand 100mm in front of the barn doors: if you see a clearly defined shadow without colour fringing, your light is ideal. If you can make shadow animals, you're good to go.
With flash, don't rely on the modelling lamp. Take a test shot using the flash itself.
Not suitable for the Godox AD400, AD600 or AD1200: their flash tubes are too large to create crisp shadows.
Specification
| Size | 457mm × 406mm |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 220 micron |
| Material | Polyester sheet |
| Print process | Screen printed |
| In the set | 3 gels (Shard, Alto, Crunch), 4 croc clips, reusable extending tube |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
Questions about compatibility? Message me and I'll do my best to help.
The Scattergel journey
From the BBC to your barn doors.
- The BBC years
As a lighting cameraman with the BBC through the 1980s and '90s, I learned to sculpt patterned light with gobos and dingles, in the studio and on location.
- 2010: the idea
My team and I designed Scattergels for Fresnel HMI lights, the mainstay of film and television. Screen-printed polyester gels that clip to barn doors.
- 2017–2022: Scatterflash
We made and sold 800 Scatterflash kits for the Godox AD200. Rising costs and Brexit shipping issues ended the line, just as the Aputure barn door set arrived as a simpler alternative.
- Today
Scattergels continue to bring cinematic, dappled light to photographers and filmmakers around the world.
Good to know
Fine lines on a flat wall?
Many open-faced LED spotlights use dual-colour emitters arranged in alternate rows. On a flat surface such as a studio wall, this can show up as fine, stepped shadows.
Two simple fixes: rotate the barn doors slightly, or set the light to 4300K, where all the emitters are used evenly and the lines disappear.
You won't see this with Fresnel spotlights, or when lighting a three-dimensional scene.
Order yours
Ready to scatter the light?
Free shipping on all orders. The price shown excludes VAT, which is calculated at checkout from your delivery address. UK orders are VAT-free.
EU orders are shipped under IOSS. VAT is calculated and paid at checkout based on your delivery address, so delivery is quicker and there's nothing more to pay on arrival.
France: since March 2026 France has charged a tax on small parcels up to €150 in value. The tax is €2 per parcel, but couriers and the French post office typically add a collection fee of around €8. There is currently no way to prepay this, so it is paid on delivery.
