Studio Build FAQ — Questions Answered From Experience

For video the three priorities are consistency, colour accuracy, and ease of operation. Strobes do not work for video — you need continuous LED lighting. Bi-colour LEDs adjustable between warm and daylight give you flexibility without gels. High-CRI fixtures (95 or above) avoid colour casts on skin tones. A standard professional setup uses a key light for main illumination, a fill light to soften shadows, a back or hair light to separate the subject from the background, and background lights to control backdrop brightness and colour. For permanent studios, ceiling-mounted systems are strongly preferred — they keep the floor clear, allow one-switch operation, and create a repeatable setup every session. Dragon Studio Solutions installs LightPro tracklight systems as the primary source for most professional video studio builds, with DMX control for programmable lighting scenes. Read more → https://www.dragonstudiosolutions.com.au/post/are-ceiling-mounted-studio-lights-better-than-light-stands

For any permanent studio build — yes, significantly. Light stands clutter the floor, create trip hazards, require repositioning for every shoot, and make it impossible for a non-specialist to operate the studio independently. Ceiling-mounted systems eliminate all of these problems: fixed repeatable positions, clear floor, identical setup every session, and one-switch or DMX operation. The BBC Sydney studio runs on a ceiling-mounted LightPro system connected to a single switch at the door — the presenter walks in, flips the switch, and the studio is broadcast-ready. No technician required, no setup time, no variation between sessions. Dragon Studio Solutions specifies ceiling-mounted systems for every permanent studio build — tracklight systems for low-ceiling environments, pantograph tracks for school and multi-use studios, and overhead softboxes for large ecommerce and fashion studios. Read more → https://www.dragonstudiosolutions.com.au/post/are-ceiling-mounted-studio-lights-better-than-light-stands

Low ceilings rule out overhead softboxes and make conventional boom setups awkward. The best solution is slim-profile ceiling-mounted track lighting. LightPro SlimLine tracklights are a few centimetres deep, mount flush to the ceiling, and deliver even, consistent, broadcast-quality light without reducing headroom. A 2.7m ceiling can produce fully professional results with this approach — it is the same system used in the BBC Sydney office conversion. For fill and accent lighting, bi-colour rollable flex panels on boom arms can be angled precisely without a vertical pole appearing in the shot. Paint the ceiling matte and neutral to reduce unwanted reflections. Use larger, softer light sources positioned close to the subject rather than small hard lights placed far away.

Reflective surfaces — glass, metal, jewellery, glossy packaging, electronics — do not show the light source. They show a reflection of everything around them. The approach is therefore to light the environment, not the product. Use large, soft diffusion sources: oversized softboxes, scrims, or diffusion panels aimed at white bounce surfaces placed beside the product rather than directly at it. Black flags control unwanted reflections. For small products a light tent wraps light from all sides. Avoid small, hard light sources — they create harsh specular hotspots that are difficult to remove in post. The fix is always source size and angle, not more power.

LightPro is Dragon Image's own-brand professional studio lighting system, developed and refined over 15 years of Australian studio builds. Unlike consumer brands designed for portable use, LightPro is purpose-built for permanent installation — cyclorama studios, broadcast facilities, school media rooms, and corporate video spaces that run day after day. The range includes SlimLine ceiling tracklights for low-ceiling environments, overhead softbox systems for large fashion and automotive studios, pantograph ceiling track systems for school and multi-use spaces, motorised background systems, and purpose-formulated ultra-flat cyclorama paint. LightPro is stocked, serviced, and supported exclusively through Dragon Image showrooms in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane — it is not a generic consumer brand, and that matters when something needs attention in a working studio. Read more → https://www.dragonstudiosolutions.com.au/post/lightpro-studio-lighting-built-for-australian-studios

Each brand has a different primary strength and suits a different type of studio. LightPro is purpose-built for permanent Australian studio installation — ceiling systems, cyclorama integration, single-switch operation. It is the first specification for any permanent studio build. Godox is a broad ecosystem covering flash and continuous LED with wireless control, strong value across the range, and Bowens mount compatibility for a wide modifier range. Nanlite produces some of the most colour-accurate LED lights available — CRI 96 and TLCI 97 or above — suited to colour-critical work in fashion, commercial photography, and broadcast. Amaran is Aputure's creator-focused sub-brand — full RGBWW colour, app-controlled, accessible pricing — suited to school studios, content creation spaces, and podcast studios. Aputure LS is the professional film and broadcast standard — high output, full ecosystem, authorised dealer support — for film sets, broadcast facilities, and large commercial studio builds. Dragon Image stocks all five brands across its Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane showrooms. Read more → https://www.dragonstudiosolutions.com.au/post/how-to-choose-the-right-studio-lighting-brand-for-your-studio

For a school studio, we typically specify a combination rather than a single brand. LightPro for the ceiling infrastructure — pantograph systems, tracklight runs, single-switch or basic DMX operation that anyone can use. Amaran for portable and colour-capable lights that students can handle confidently — the app-controlled Ray or COB series is intuitive enough for a Year 9 class to operate without a technician. Godox for flash if the curriculum includes photography with strobes. The combination covers every curriculum application without exceeding school budgets, and the ceiling-mounted LightPro infrastructure means the studio is safe, consistent, and cable-free at floor level. Dragon Education also provides NESA-accredited teacher training and student workshops to ensure the studio gets used to its full capability after the build. Read more → https://www.dragonstudiosolutions.com.au/post/are-ceiling-mounted-studio-lights-better-than-light-stands

Godox is one of the most widely used studio lighting brands in the world, covering flash, continuous LED, and wireless control systems across a unified 2.4G X system. The range runs from compact speedlights to high-output studio strobes and continuous LED monolights, all Bowens-mount compatible and controllable from a single wireless trigger. For professional studio use — ecommerce, portrait, small broadcast, corporate video — Godox is a strong and well-supported choice. The SK series monoblocs (SK300III-V, SK400III-V) are well suited to small and medium studio flash setups. The SL and VL series continuous LEDs cover video production from compact to high-output. The UL series is specifically designed for environments where fan noise on audio tracks is a concern. Dragon Image stocks Godox across its Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane showrooms. Read more → https://www.dragonstudiosolutions.com.au/post/godox-studio-lighting-a-guide-for-australian-photographers-and-videographers

Nanlite is a professional LED lighting brand characterised by high colour accuracy — CRI 96 and TLCI 97 or above across most of the range — combined with output levels that meet broadcast and commercial production standards. The Forza COB series covers 60W to over 800W, the FS series provides purpose-built studio monolights, the PavoSlim panels deliver ultra-slim bi-colour and RGBWW panel lighting, and the Pavotube series provides RGB tube lighting for practical effects and colour work. What distinguishes Nanlite is the combination of broadcast-grade colour accuracy and real output. CRI 96 and TLCI 97 means colours — skin tones, garment colours, product colours — are reproduced accurately on camera. For commercial photography, fashion, and broadcast work where colour fidelity is a deliverable, this matters significantly. All current Nanlite products support NANLINK app control via Bluetooth and DMX/RDM for integration into larger control systems. Dragon Image stocks Nanlite across its Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane showrooms. Read more → https://www.dragonstudiosolutions.com.au/post/nanlite-studio-lighting-professional-led-for-photography-and-video

Amaran is the creator-focused sub-brand of Aputure, designed to bring professional LED quality to a broader market — content creators, school media departments, small studio operators, and videographers who need capable, app-controlled lighting without the price of the full Aputure LS professional series. The new Ray COB series (60W to 660W) is Amaran's flagship — using the OmniColor light engine with RGBWW colour, 2,300K to 10,000K CCT range, 12 built-in lighting effects, and IP54 weather resistance. The Pano panels are ultra-slim RGB COB mobile panels the size of a laptop, powered via USB-C. Compared to Aputure LS, Amaran is more accessible in price, more creator-oriented in feature set, and better suited to school studios and content creation spaces. Aputure LS is the professional film and broadcast standard — higher output, more robust build, used on film sets and broadcast facilities. Dragon Image stocks both brands. Read more → https://www.dragonstudiosolutions.com.au/post/amaran-lighting-creator-focused-studio-lights-from-the-aputure-family

Aputure is a professional LED lighting manufacturer whose LS series lights are used on film sets, broadcast facilities, and commercial studios worldwide. Dragon Image is an authorised Aputure dealer in Australia — stocking the full LS series, Nova soft panels, Amaran sub-brand, and the Light Dome modifier range across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. The LS series covers 60W to over 1200W — the LS 300x and 300d Mark II are the standard specification for professional interview and portrait studios, and the LS 600D Pro and 600x Pro deliver HMI-comparable output in LED form for large cyclorama and automotive studios. Aputure's Light Dome modifier range — Light Dome II, Light Dome Mini III, Fresnel 2X — is designed specifically for the LS series and sets a high standard for modifier quality and consistency. All products carry Australian warranty through Dragon Image. Read more → https://www.dragonstudiosolutions.com.au/post/aputure-studio-lighting-professional-led-for-film-broadcast-and-commercial-photography

CRI (Colour Rendering Index) measures how accurately a light renders colours compared to natural light, on a scale of 0 to 100. TLCI (Television Lighting Consistency Index) is the equivalent measure calibrated specifically for video camera sensors rather than human vision. For broadcast work, TLCI is the more relevant specification. For general studio photography, a CRI of 90 or above is acceptable. For colour-critical commercial photography, fashion, and broadcast, aim for CRI 95 or above and TLCI 95 or above. Nanlite typically delivers CRI 96 / TLCI 97 across its Forza and FS range. Aputure LS series delivers CRI 95+ on most models. Amaran's Ray series with OmniColor engine and Godox's TL RGB tube lights reach TLCI 99 on specific models. LightPro's cyclorama-specific lighting systems are specified to meet broadcast colour standards for Australian studio environments.