Display Rating
This rating concerns the truth or representative nature of lighting - in other words the quality of lighitng intended to depict objects, such as artifacts in a museum or products in a shop, in their true shape and form.
Drama Factor
This rating concerns the degree of impact or drama that the lighting offers - for example the lighting of objects in a gallery or shop window, so as to create points of exceptional interest or effect, which may or not necessarily be truthful to the object's original form or condition. Used as part of an overall lighting, a high drama factor can add the necessary delight associated with good lighting design.
As rule of thumb, the higher Drama Factor you achieve, the less well lit will be the objects, in terms of revealing their entire form. However the reverse is not true: you can and should expect to achieve a high Drama Factor with excellent Display Rating.
Display Rating (DR)
Drama Factor (DF)
DR = 100 DF = 100 Display Rating -
Poor; Drama Factor - Very High | |
DR = 30 DF = 80 Display Rating -
Fair; Drama Factor - High | |
DR = 100 DF = 50 Display Rating -
Excellent; Drama Factor - Good | |
DR = 25 DF = 20 Display Rating - Poor;
Drama Factor = Low | |
DR = 40 DF = 10 Display Rating -
Fairly Good; Drama Factor - Very low |
Achieving a High Drama Factor
- Maximize the color contrast between object and background.
- Minimize the ambient lighting in the immediate area of the object.
- Use a single Pin Spot to shine onto the object, at the most oblique angle possible, from any direction.
- Don't light from more than one direction.
- Use beam with a maximum Intensity Factor.
- Try to introduce a color hue with high chroma, without reducing the lighting intensity.
Achieving a High Display Factor
- Maximize the color contrast between object and background, as above.
- Graduate the ambient lighting downwards towards the object, while retaining a reasonable background illuminance.
- Select one point or several points that you wish to use as the centre focus. Direct the beam or beams, preferably from above right or left, using Pin spots or narrow-beam spots.
- Backlight the object to shape the outline, using Flair or Flood beams, taking care to avoid glare towards main viewing positions.
- Finally, bring some infill lighting to the picture or object with Accent and/or Flair beams to re-establish the balance.
The Final Golden Rule of Display Lighting
Use more than one luminaire, select more than one beam type and light from more than one direction - and watch out for glare.