How Can We Help?

Recommended High CRI LED Lights for Art Gallery Lighting

I am a member of an artist-run art gallery. We have a new gallery space and would like to know what kind of lighting you recommend which would give us full spectrum color. We will want spots and perhaps tube lighting, all dimmable if possible. An architect friend recommended we get high CRI lights, at least in the 90s.

Based on the details provided, we might recommend our dimmable Full Spectrum E26 BR30 LED Bulbs. These BR30 products can provide a great full-spectrum high-CRI solution for track lighting systems.​

Regarding our tube light options, you might be interested in our NorthLux™ 95 CRI T8 LED Tube for Art & Studio product. Though these T8 LED tube lights are unfortunately not dimmable, they do offer a CRI of 95+ while being compatible with many fluorescent T8 fixtures.

Full Spectrum Clip-on Magnifying Light for Painting Studio

I need to buy a flexible clip-on magnifying light with full spectrum light for my painting studio. I was investigating some products that claim to have different levels of lighting. I read a lot on this site as I was not convinced that they provided the full spectrum needed for painting art. I like what I saw on your site but where do I get the fixtures that will accommodate your bulbs?

Based on our review of the best-selling magnifying LED lights for painting on Amazon, it appears that the majority of the results utilize embedded SMD LED panels that surround the product viewing lens. As such, it does not appear that our products could be installed within the majority of these items.

However, we are happy to offer several alternate lighting products which our customers have utilized within their studio spaces, including the NorthLux™ 95 CRI T5 LED Linear Light Fixtures, and the NorthLux™ 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulb for Artwork & Studio product. That being said, neither of these products is directly comparable to the magnifying LED light mentioned.

T8 LED Tube Light for Art Studio

I'm trying to find the best way to light a small studio. I came across your website and I think I'm interested in the Northlux 95 CRI T8. I'm having trouble locating a shop-style plugin/pull cord light fixture where I could use these bulbs. Do you have any recommendations on a specific light fixture or would you point me in a different direction using alternate bulbs for my situation? I currently don't have any hard-wired 4ft fixtures in my studio.

It is indeed a bit difficult to locate compatible fixtures as those available today are still configured for fluorescent lamps, which will almost always include a fluorescent ballast which may or may not cause compatibility issues.

​One tip we've had other customers have success with is searching online for "LED ready" T8 fixtures, which are configured without ballast and can accommodate our LED tube lights directly.

Artist Space Lighting

I'm an artist and want help in picking the right lighting for my studio. I think NorthLux™ 95 CRI LED Shop Light 5000K is the best choice, but I'd like to double-check. I see that it's back-ordered, when could I receive it? 

Our NorthLux line of products is indeed a great option for studio lighting!

Please tell me about other lighting that's good for an artist studio. The room is 10x12' with no natural light. Ceiling is about 8' high. I need great light over my table ,but if I can light the whole room that's even better.

Our options here would depend on the lighting fixture you would like to use.

​For example, we have some T8 LED tube lights which would require a 4-ft fixture to house the lamps. Alternatively, our A19 lamps will fit in standard screw-in lamp fixtures (E26).

​I have included the relevant product links below. If you can let me know a bit more about what you have in mind in terms of fixtures, please let us know and I'd be glad to assist.

​ 

Northlux 95 CRI LED Shop Light fixture for Studio Space

I am interested in this product and may want to buy several in a packet but have some questions not answered on the website.

I want to hang the fixture(s) on the ceiling which is slanted and about 12-14 feet high. Will the bulbs have enough intensity to help me work on tables below these lights? Will the light be strong enough? How long are the chains that hold the fixtures to the ceiling? Can you send longer chains?

Though the LED Shop Light Fixture packaging contains a short chain for hanging, you might prefer to utilize a longer, third-party chain for your installation, as the light output of this item may not be enough to sufficiently illuminate a workspace that far from the light source.

I do not have electrical outlets in the ceiling and must use wall plugs for the overhead fixtures. How long are the plug cords that come out of the lights? Do you also sell extension cords and are using one that is quite long and safe? Can you install longer cords at the company before you ship them?

As the power cable for these fixtures is 60” (152cm) in length, we might recommend purchasing a longer extension cord so that the fixture can be plugged into the available wall outlets.

It might also be helpful to know that these shop lights can be daisy chained together, to utilize a single power source.

We do not sell longer power cords and are unable to include custom-length wiring within the product housing. Further, using a longer, the third-party power supply should not affect the output in any way.

When you say the fixture comes with a “fixed bulb”, what does that mean exactly? Are the bulbs changeable in the future and readily available at hardware stores, etc.? How long does this LED bulb last?

The “fixed bulb” refers to the LED lighting lengths which are pre-installed into the fixture housing. These lights cannot be replaced, and are installed directly into the hardware.

Describe the "pack of six”. Are that six separate fixtures? What is the weight of this package when shipped? I have an upstairs studio and have to arrange for help to get a very heavy package up there.

I can confirm that the LED Shop Light fixture 6-Packs are shipped within a single carton. Each unit is packed within a carton, containing accessories and instructions. I can also confirm that the 6-Pack of LED Shop Lights should have a total shipment weight of 26.4 lbs.

Do you have any other thoughts or suggestions for me? I am an artist and not very “handy” but I like the idea that I can take these fixtures with me to another studio if I have to move.

Based on the details provided, it does appear that the LED Shop Light Fixtures could be a great solution for your studio space! These products are quite easy to install and adjust, which could be useful for future installations.

If the bulbs are permanent - how long do they last? When they burn out the entire fixture has to be discarded, right? I believe that LED bulbs do last quite a long time but what is the lifetime and is there a warranty on the bulbs, thus fixture?

We can confirm that once the lighting within the LED shop light fixture experiences failure, the lights within the fixture cannot be replaced. As such, the fixture will likely require disposal and replacement at that time.

I can also confirm that our LED bulbs, such as our CENTRIC HOME™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free A19 10W LED Bulbs, have a 3-year, 25,000-hours lifetime.

In the instance that any of our products experience a manufacturer defect or issue during the warranty period, simply let us know and we would be glad to issue a replacement product free of charge.

For more information regarding our warranty process, I have attached the link to our policy below. Waveform Lighting Warranty Policy: https://www.waveformlighting.com/support/warranty-policy

UV LEDs for Wildfire Painted Artwork

What would you recommend for an LED UV strip with an av 110v power plug-in or battery-powered supply? For a painting with UV and acrylic artwork to go around the canvas perimeter. To switch from natural light to UV light.

Based on the details provided, we might recommend our 365nm realUV™ LED Strip Lights. As most fluorescents are strongest within the 320-380nm range, we believe that this product would allow for the most effectiveness in your photography.

As this product utilizes 4.5 watts per foot, an entire 16.4 ft (5 meters) reel should only utilize 73.8 watts in total. As such, the 110-watt power supply should be more than sufficient.

Proper LED Products for Art Studio Lighting

I am an artist and have been on a long quest for proper lighting for my easel that will not distort colors. I have an east-facing window. I have read through much of your fantastic website, which is well done and very informative. I have a few questions:

Noting that I have an east-facing (not north) light source and think I would like the dimmable NorthLux™ 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulb for Artwork & Studio Edison bulbs would you recommend the 5000k or the 6500K?

​Both color temperatures should work well for your needs; however, 6500K is generally a better fit for north-facing windows. As such, you may prefer the 5000K for your east-facing window setup. 

​Please see below for additional insights from our blog:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/art-painting/difference-between-5000k-and-6500k-bulbs

​What would 800 lumens equate to in incandescent wats? I couldn’t find a scale to show me how lumen output compares to incandescent wats, which is what I am used to when comparing light brightness. If I get two of these which are 800 lumen or 60W halogen will these give me essentially 1600 lumens on my painting surface (depending on the distance of course)?

​800 lumens is approximately equal to a 60-watt incandescent bulb. You are exactly right that two bulbs would add up directly to 1600 lumens and provide twice the brightness.

​Do keep in mind, though, that incandescent lamps emit a much warmer 2700K color tone, so it can be a bit difficult to compare brightness when discussing daylight-calibrated bulbs. Nonetheless, it is certainly a good ballpark estimate when it comes to relative brightness levels!

​There are so many different light sources to consider when creating a painting: reference source (photo, print, iPad, computer, life), natural outside light (weather dependent), studio light (intensity, color, placement including projection on both paintings and palette), photographing final work for publication and giclee printing, and gallery or home viewing of the finished painting. I read on your site that a device’s screen can emit blue light. So, is it probable that this is the first point where color can become distorted?

​That is exactly right - most digital displays will be calibrated to D65 (6500K) but of course, depending on the level of sophistication and quality, the calibration may or may not be accurate. Even natural daylight, as you mention, can change depending on the weather and season, so that can be difficult to navigate as well.

​That is where high-quality studio lighting comes in and can provide some consistency and accuracy. I have seen some customers even block out their windows and replace them with our lamps because the natural lighting was too inconsistent due to changing weather and time of day. Ironically, the only way to ensure consistent lighting would be to only use a high-quality, full-spectrum artificial light source, day and night.​

​If an artist is working primarily from an iPad should they choose the 6500K light because it matches the blue light from the iPad or goes with the 5000K because it will color compensate?

​Unfortunately, it does not seem that Apple likes to publish technical data about their iPad product and I was unable to confirm if their screens are calibrated to D65 (6500K). That being said, I believe almost all digital displays are calibrated to D65, so there is a strong likelihood that the iPad product line is also D65 calibrated.

​If so, the 6500K light source will be a better match to the iPad, since as you mentioned correctly, the 5000K will be a bit "warmer."

​(Here is some additional information on D65: https://www.waveformlighting.com/color-matching/what-is-d65-and-what-is-it-used-for)

​So many questions, but your team seems to have the technical expertise to answer them and for the various combinations of light. If these bulbs and your recommendations turn out to be the Holy Grail of Art Studio lighting, I would like to share it or see it as a feature article or workshop with my local, national, and international art society membership because many artists seem to struggle with this lighting issue because it is such a science complicated by the ever-changing variety of bulbs and diverse lighting comparison scales. Also, would you have any discounts available for our membership? 

We would be honored to have you share your experience working with our products! As a general policy, we do not offer any group or membership discounts, but I would be more than happy to share the opportunity with our team at that time.

Are the NorthLux 95 CRI T8 LED Tube Bulbs Dimmable? 

Are these NorthLux™ 95 CRI T8 LED Tube dimmable? Are you aware of any clamp-on, swing arm, or drafting table-style fixtures that would accept this 4' T8 bulb? I have a large 63" wide drafting table which I use for drawing/painting. I am looking for two clamp-on swing-arm style lamps which I can position on each side of my table to illuminate the whole surface evenly with one of your 5000k high CRI lamps. But am having difficulty finding the right fixture/lamp combination. 

Unfortunately, the NorthLux™ 95 CRI T8 LED Tube for Art & Studio products is not compatible with dimmers. Though we would love to recommend a compatible lighting fixture for your drafting table, we are unaware of any products which match the description provided at this time.

That being said, our NorthLux™ 95 CRI T5 LED Linear Light Fixtures might be of interest to you as well. Though these products are also not dimmable, they can be conveniently installed, are available in 5000K, and do not require fixtures or power supplies for functionality.

Please feel free to reach out if we can provide any further product information or recommendations, and we would be glad to help!

For your T5 Linear Fixture, how would you propose those be installed for my application? Do you have compatible clamp/swing arms to hold two or three in a desk lamp configuration? Or some other way to hold and manipulate them for drafting table use?

As the linear light fixtures can be linked together end-to-end to share one power supply, I imagine that a connected set could be mounted together as one length to an adjustable swing arm above the drafting table. 

​If a stable arm was found, we believe that the included mounting accessories could make such an installation easily re-configurable. Unfortunately, we do not have a specific clamp or swing arm that we could recommend.

However, you might also be interested in installing a length of LED strip lights onto a fixture above your drafting table. These products are compatible with dimmers and can be mounted within fixtures such as our Aluminum Channel for LED Flex Strip products. I have linked to a great article from our website below, which explains how to get started with LED strip light products.

LED Strip Lights - Everything you need to know before you buy: https://www.waveformlighting.com/led-strip-lights

How is the CRI of the LED strips affected when mounted inside the channel with the diffuser? 

Based on our experience, the diffusers do not affect the CRI values of the products mounted within. Further, we have found that the effect that this diffusor will have on color temperature is small, likely resulting in a difference of +/- 25 kelvin.

BR30 vs A19 Bulbs for Artist Studio Space Lighting

I want to use the NorthLux 95 CRI E26 A19 LED bulbs in track lighting for a small space of 5 x 6 feet. How many bulbs would you recommend? Can you recommend a source or fixture that would be appropriate for the space?

Based on the details provided, we estimate that your 5x6 space would benefit from roughly 2,389 lumens to be properly illuminated for artwork creation.

As each of the NorthLux™ 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulb for Artwork & Studio products offers 800 lumens, we estimate that three bulbs could work well for the track lighting in your studio.

While there is not a specific light fixture that we could recommend, it might be helpful to know that our BR30 products are compatible with the standard E26-base track lighting systems that you might find in your local hardware stores.

Are there pros and cons to ordering the NorthLux 95 CRI E26 A19 LED Bulb instead? I see it is not dimmable, and the BR30 bulb is dimmable, but otherwise, I don't understand how they would differ in application. Can I use the E26 fixture with this also?

We're happy to confirm that the A19 bulb is compatible with E26 fixtures and that the performance will be largely the same as the BR30 bulb. The primary benefit offered by the BR30 bulbs is the narrow beam angles, which can be quite useful for track lighting systems with directional lighting.

However, if the NorthLux™ 95 CRI E26 A19 LED Bulb for Art & Studio product winds up not working well in your space, it might be helpful to know that we have a 30-day return policy. Simply reach out to let us know, and we will issue a prepaid return label. 

NorthLux 95 CRI T8 LED Tube for Painting Studio

I'm setting up my painting studio where I create realistic works, and I am looking at using your NorthLux™ 95 CRI T8 LED Tube for Art & Studio. What do I use to hook them up to? Do I purchase one for fluorescents and remove the ballast? A wraparound will look nicer than bulbs, but does it affect the CRI? Also, I have to purchase 4 from you, but I believe 2 will be enough for my space; the room is approx 13' x 15', with a double Easterly window and a single Southerly one. 

Our NorthLux T8 LED lamps sound like a great option for your art studio! As you mention correctly, these T8 lamps require a 4-ft fixture housing. Most fixtures that are available today do indeed have fluorescent ballast, so we would recommend removing the ballast and rewiring the fixture to ensure compatibility. Once the ballast is removed, the T8 lamps can be installed directly.

As long as the diffuser cover in the fixture is transparent or semi-transparent (as opposed to having a colored tint), there should be no effect on the light quality and will not pose any problems from a color accuracy perspective.

​Finally, I've plugged the dimensions of your space into the lumen estimation calculator which you can find at the link below:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/lumen-calculator

The suggested brightness level to achieve 80 footcandles (recommended for art studios) is 15,722 lumens. Based on this lumen output target, we would recommend up to nine of our T8 lamps. (Your initial estimate for just two lamps may have been based on lower brightness needs in line with a residential space).

Is it best to be using the 95 CRI products for Art Lighting?

We are wrapping up a project with an art wall for a special piece of art and need to light it with even light intensity and would like to learn more about your products. 

To light art, it is best to be using your 95 CRI products right?

Yes, the higher the CRI, the better the appearance of the colors in your artwork.

What is the difference between a Centric Home 3000K strip (3003.27) vs. a film grade 3200K tungsten strip (3001.32)?

The primary difference between the CENTRIC HOME and FilmGrade LED strip lights is the color temperature. The former is offered in 3000K, compared to the latter, which is offered in 3200K. The CENTRIC HOME at 3000K will be a closer match to halogen lighting used in art galleries, whereas the FilmGrade at 3200K is closer to tungsten lighting used in TV and movie sets.

It would seem all the strips have a max light intensity of 450 lumens per foot, are there higher lumen strips in the 3000K - 3200K color temp range?

Unfortunately we do not have any brighter LED strips. If more light is needed, we would recommend "doubling up" the number of rows.

How much lumen can be expected to be lost if used behind the lens of the corner aluminum channel?

We generally observe light loss of 10-15% when the diffuser cover is applied over the LED strip light.

Safe to assume all the strips are dimmable?

Yes, all LED strip lights are dimmable as long as they are connected to a dimmable power supply unit. (See below)

For about 13.5’ of stip lighting, what’s the best power supply to get and do you guys offer a hard wire remote transformer product to power the lights?

Please see below for the product link for our dimmable power supply which can be hard-wired to a dimmer circuit. One popular solution for controlling this power supply is using the Lutron Caseta dimmer system.

Below is some additional guidance on using the Lutron Caseta system with our LED strip lights:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/home-residential/dimming-led-strip-lights-and-led-bulbs-using-smart-lighting-systems

For dimming of the light strip, what’s the best wall mount switch type dimmer to get that won’t cause flicker?

As long as you use our dimmable power supplies, you will be able to achieve flicker-free output regardless of the wall dimmer model or manufacturer.

​

LED Light Fixtures for Art Studio Lighting

I have a 13' X 21' painting studio with a two story 12/12 pitch ceiling with two skylights on the 13 foot north end.

The dimensions are a great starting point and I appreciate you providing this data. I plugged in dimensions of 13 x 21 x 11 ft into the Lumen Estimation Calculator, which recommends a total of 22,600 lumens to meet the brightness needs of an art studio (approximately 80 footcandles).

​The target of 22,600 lumens should be our overall guiding target in terms of brightness, so this will be an important number to keep in mind!

​I need studio lighting.

The two crucial aspects of color quality when it comes to studio lighting are color temperature and color rendering. In terms of color temperature, daylight-calibrated color temperatures are best for art studios. We offer both 5000K and 6500K as color temperature options, and these values roughly correspond to noon-sun daylight and north-facing daylight, respectively. Additional information is available in our blog post below:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/art-painting/difference-between-5000k-and-6500k-bulbs

​In terms of color rendering, higher color rendering ensures accurate color representation. For painters, for example, this means that when you observe a particular paint color during the daytime, the same paint material appears the exact same during evening hours when viewed under a high CRI light source, but may appear different when viewed under a low CRI light source. This will obviously cause issues with color judgment and consistency.

​Track lighting is installed on two 13' overhead beams centered in the space at 11' up. I need overall work light. Do you recommend hanging shop lights above the beams (how many) or using linear light fixtures attached to the beams (how many). Would linear lights provide enough light?

Going back to our brightness target of 22,600 lumens, we can back-calculate the following:

​Shop Light Fixtures @ 4200 lumens each = 6 fixtures

T5 Linear Light Fixtures (4-ft) @ 1800 lumens each = 13 fixtures

​According to these calculations, either of these options will provide sufficient light across your space. You could, of course, even do a little bit of mixing and matching with fixture type and installation location to increase the amount of brightness in certain areas of your studios where it is most needed.

​I have an electrical box in the ceiling on both side above the track beam. These aren't dimmable so I don't want to be blasted out either. What do you recommend? 

Unfortunately you are correct in pointing out that these fixtures are not dimmable. The best alternative solution we can suggest here would be to connect the fixtures on separate light switch circuits so that you can manually choose between full and partial brightness. (This may be especially useful since you may have sufficient daylight coming in during the daytime from your skylight).

Recommended quantity of LED Lights in building an Art Studio

I am building an art studio. It is 3000 square feet. I am dividing it into two distinct spaces: the shop with a full complement of woodworking machinery, and a clean studio for drawing, painting, and other quiet work. 

I have calculated that I need 16 of PN:4025. Is this the proper fixture and quantity?

​I've run these numbers in our lumen estimation calculator and received a recommended brightness level of approximately 65,000 lumens. Since each of our PN 4025 shop light fixtures emits 4200 lumens, my math also works out to approximately 16 lamps, which lines up perfectly with your calculations.

​Is there an alternate fixture for the purpose?

​I do not believe that any other fixture options would be superior, except for our T5 linear fixtures, if these are perhaps a more preferred option from an aesthetic or layout perspective. I have included the link to the product below:

​Similarly, we offer a T8 LED tube light which can be used in traditional fluorescent fixtures. It does sound like you are building a new structure, such that utilizing previous-generation fluorescent fixtures would not make much sense unless you had a particular reason for doing so.

​The color quality at 5000K / 6500K and 95 CRI are identical across all of these options so that should not affect the decision in terms of form factor.

​Now on to the shop side of the studio. I am not sure of the lighting level appropriate for a woodworking space. Is it 30fc (simple manufacturing and industrial) or 40fc (like a classroom)? I have been planning on using 25 at 4000-lumen LED fixtures made by Hyperikon. These lights are 84 CRI and produce 40fc over the area. They are under $20/fixture. Is there justification for purchasing your lighting for the shop side of my studio instead of theirs?

​This is a bit difficult for us to provide any definitive guidance on the 30 or 40 footcandles would depend on the exact level of precision needed, as well as the type of wood, along with personal preference on brightness.

​It is certainly possible that 30-footcandles just don't provide enough brightness, but I would not think that going with 40-footcandles would be "too bright" (i.e. uncomfortable) by any means, so the worst-case scenario here would be that we are over-specifying in terms of brightness.

​As with the brightness question, the higher CRI rating may or may not be necessary depending on the type of woodworking. Some of our customers find that the ability to make very critical color observations during woodworking (perhaps during staining or other visually demanding processes) justifies the additional cost. On the other hand, if color accuracy is less of a concern, I would perhaps recommend staying with the 84 CRI fixtures as that would be more than enough to simply "see" what you are doing and complete basic tasks.

​Do I have a good amount of light coverage, or would I need more? 

I'm not sure what the dimensions of your woodshop will be, but the 25x Hyperikon fixtures would provide you with 100,000 lumens which would be sufficient for approximately 2200 square feet of coverage.

Does the NorthLux 95 CRI LED Shop Light Fixture come with the tube lights?

Does the Northlux 95 CRI LED Shop Light Fixture 4025.50 come with the tube lights already? How many lights are on the fixture and which replacement lights do I order? 

Yes. We can confirm that the NorthLux™ 95 CRI LED Shop Light Fixture is an integrated product that contains the lighting units pre-installed. This product is designed with two lengths of applied lighting products within the housing and does not utilize traditional T8 tube lighting.

After the warranty is up after 3 years and the lights go bad, are the lights replaceable? If so which ones? 

The lighting units within the fixture are unfortunately not replaceable, as they are designed to be fully integrated into the product housing. As such, if the lights within the product fail, the full unit would require replacement.

If a fixture with swappable lighting units is preferred, we might recommend utilizing a third-party T8 light fixture with our LED tube light products such as the CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free T8 LED Tube Light. These products also feature a 3-year warranty and can be easily replaced if they experience failure or malfunction.

What is the benefit of purchasing the lighting units that are built into the fixture over purchasing a light fixture with swappable lighting units? I notice you have both. I'm trying to decide which one is best for me. I'm an artist and need good overhead lighting.

Our T8 LED tube light fixtures can be beneficial for installations where a customer prefers to use pre-existing retrofit fluorescent fixtures. For some spaces such as offices or rental areas, replacing ceiling lighting is more difficult than simply replacing the lighting within the fixtures.

Further, some customers prefer to have the flexibility of changing the color temperatures of the lights within the fixtures.

Alternatively, some customers prefer to have a dedicated color temperature light that can be easily installed and replaced as a whole unit. Customers who are working in garages, studios, and other retrofit areas might prefer such a product that allows for flexibility without installing a permanent fixture.

Oil Painting Studio Lighting Recommendations

I am a professional Oil Painter, and I am looking for your recommendations on bulbs for my 4 softbox lighting kits (16-20 bulbs total). I have to paint at night while my kids are sleeping so it is essential that I have as close to perfect daylight as humanly possible, so if you would kindly suggest your best options I will order all of them.

​Our NorthLux A19 is one of the most popular products among our artists and studio customers who are after the best color rendition for daylight-calibrated color temperatures. I've included the link below:

You mention that you're after a lamp that is as "close to perfect daylight as humanly possible," and we're very confident that the 5000K and/or 6500K color options will meet your needs here. The one tricky thing, as I'm sure you are aware, is that "perfect daylight" can be challenging to define, as natural daylight conditions can change depending on the time of day, season, geography, and weather - not to mention the orientation of the windows and other natural lighting features in a studio space.

As such, we offer both 5000K and 6500K color options to allow our customers to decide. The 5000K color option more closely resembles a neutral, noon daytime light color, whereas the 6500K color matches the natural light that you would see from a north-facing window on a clear day. Both feature 95 CRI, which indicates that they will be a near-perfect match to natural daylight, but as I've described above, the definition of "natural daylight" is a bit different when choosing 5000K vs 6500K.

We do have a blog article going over the differences below, which might be helpful:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/art-painting/difference-between-5000k-and-6500k-bulbs

Our A19 lamps include a standard medium screw base and should be a quick and easy installation in your existing soft light boxes. Each lamp is approximately equal in brightness to a 60-watt incandescent bulb (but, of course, with daylight color calibration!)

Choosing between Shop Light Fixtures and T8 LED Tubes for Art Studio Lighting

I’m a painter looking for shop lights for my art studio, and I’m trying to decide between purchasing your Northlux 95 CRI LED Shop Light Fixtures or your NorthLux 95 CRI T8 LED Tubes for Art & Studio. I have several questions: 

In terms of lighting an art studio, do you recommend one of these options over the other? Is there a difference in the quality of light they provide?

Our daylight color temperature products are a great fit for an art studio, and generally speaking, all products under our "NorthLux" brand would be an excellent fit.

As you mention, however, many of the lighting requirements for artwork and other applications, such as studio photography, do overlap quite a bit. As such, you may see several of our products which are listed on separate product pages even though the underlying product is the same. (Please see my response to your question below about the CENTRIC DAYLIGH vs NorthLux, for example).

And if you recommend I purchase the LED tubes, is there a hanging fixture you recommend that will work well with them?

​We don't have any specific recommendations, and it is a bit difficult to locate compatible fixtures since many fixtures available on the market today are geared towards fluorescent lamps and not LED lamps.

Our LED lamps can be used with fluorescent fixtures as long as they either contain a compatible fluorescent ballast, or the fluorescent ballast is bypassed.

​We would recommend performing a search for "LED ready" fluorescent fixtures or consider the shop-light style LED fixtures you mention below.

Does the Northlux 95 CRI LED Shop Light Fixture have a frosted cover on it? Or is the cover clear, exposing the LED strips?

Our previous batch of shop light fixtures did not have a frosted cover, so the photos you see on the website will also reflect this and show the individual LED diodes. Our new batches, however, have a frosted cover, allowing for a more diffused and distributed light output.

What is the difference between your Centric Daylight and Northlux lines? Would the Centric Daylight tube lights also work well in an art studio?

​Both the CENTRIC DAYLIGHT and NorthLux product lines have the same underlying technical specifications. As mentioned above, these product markets have identical or very similar lighting requirements and the products can be used for either application.

The best way to confirm whether products are identical or not would be to check the part numbers listed under the product name on each product page.

I noticed that the Centric Daylight tube lights are flicker-free, which sounds great. Do the Northlux lights have a flicker? 

​The NorthLux lamps are also flicker-free, so that would be a nice benefit for an art studio as well (even though we are not actively marketing it as such at the moment).

If I order the light fixtures now, will the ones I receive have the frosted cover? In case it makes a difference, I plan on getting a six-pack of the 5000k ones. 

Yes, any orders placed now or in the future for the NorthLux shop light fixtures (5000K) will have the frosted cover on them.

Just to clarify, is the entire NorthLux line of products flicker-free, including the shop light fixtures?

The new 5000K fixtures are both flicker-free and have a frosted cover.

In case the shop light fixtures don't work out for me, is it possible for Waveform Lighting to schedule a pickup for the return from my home? I'm located in California. 

We offer free return shipping via a pre-paid USPS Priority Mail shipping label. USPS offers complimentary pickup at most residences so if this works for you, we should not have any issues accommodating the pickup request!

Is it safe to plug the shop light fixtures into an extension cord, even when daisy-chaining multiple fixtures? My studio ceiling is very high and the 60-inch power cable won't reach any outlets without an extension cord.  

Yes, as long as you do not exceed the amperage rating on the extension cord, you should not have any issues. The amperage is calculated based on the individual amperage ratings of each fixture (0.4 amps) multiplied by the number of fixtures you plan on daisy-chaining.

For example, four fixtures would have an amperage of 1.6 amps (0.4 amps x 4 fixtures) so you will want to make sure the extension cable has a rating that exceeds 1.6 amps.

Flicker-free Bulb for Color Rendition and Artwork

I'm looking for a flicker-free bulb that has good color rendition, for alertness and artwork. What do you recommend?

Though we, unfortunately, do not have 100W bulb products available at this time, we're happy to confirm that we sell many products that offer a high CRI which could be beneficial for artwork creation.

For example, our D50 5000K A19 LED Bulb for Color Matching (ISO3664:2000) product is flicker-free and offers a high CRI of 95+, as well as an R9 value of 80+.

This product is also designed to be compliant with the D50 CIE Standard, which may prove to be useful. For more information on D50, we have a terrific blog post on our website, which I have linked below.

What is D50 for graphic arts & printing?: https://www.waveformlighting.com/color-matching/what-is-d50-for-graphic-arts-printing

Are there any flicker-free floodlights?

Unfortunately, we do not currently sell any flicker-free floodlights aside from our realUV™ LED Flood Light product at this time.

However, based on the details provided, our NorthLux™ 95 CRI T5 LED Linear Light Fixtures might be of interest as an alternative. These integrated lighting fixtures can be easily mounted onto many surfaces, contains all electrical components within the housing, and are available in both the 5000K and 6500K color temperatures.

5000K Lighting for Oil Painting Studio

I just found your website and would like to purchase an LED tube light for my oil painting studio, but noticed that your NorthLux™ 95 CRI LED Shop Light Fixture is sold out until 2-1-21. This sounds like the best option for me, but could you recommend an alternative? I'm noticing that you have T8 bulbs that would work with a regular fluorescent fixture. Could you point me to a fixture that would work well with these bulbs? Or is the NorthLux™ 95 CRI LED Shop Light Fixture a much better solution because of the diffuser and the integrated LED tubes? I'm interested in 5000K, but maybe you could suggest why I would want to go to 6500K?

We can confirm that our LED Shop Light Fixture is a great option for your lighting needs. You may take advantage of our 30-day return policy if you would like to try the product in your studio.

We can also confirm that our T8 LED tube light products can be utilized in any existing T8 fixture, though we do recommend installing these products within fixtures that do not utilize ballast or bypass the ballast entirely. More information about these installation types can be found on our T8 product specification sheet, which I have linked below.

Specification sheet link: https://www.waveformlighting.com/datasheets/UM_4020.pdf

We also have a terrific article on our website which describes the differences between 5000K and 6500K in detail, which might prove to be useful in your planning.

Difference Between 5000K and 6500K Bulbs: https://www.waveformlighting.com/art-painting/difference-between-5000k-and-6500k-bulbs

Do you sell 5000K light bulbs for track lighting? See attached image. I probably need to get you some sort of code off the bulb itself. See attached image.

Based off of the photo that was shared, it appears that the lights within your track system are BR30 bulbs​.

We're happy to confirm that we sell the 5000K Full Spectrum E26 BR30 LED Bulb products, which are often installed within similar track lighting systems. This product also features compatibility with dimmers.

NorthLux T8 LED Tube Lights for Art Studio

I presently have fluorescent tubes in my art studio I have 2 ceiling flush-mounted units, each with 4 fluorescent bulbs of 40 watts each. How many of your LED tubes do I need to replace the light of 8 fluorescent 40-watt tubes? Also, can I install these new LED tubes into the fluorescent unit that houses 4 tubes and has a ballast? I do not want to use the ballast anymore as it is over 30 years old and hums make the fluorescent lights flicker.

Our NorthLux T8 LED tube lights sound like a great fit for your lighting upgrade project.

It sounds like you currently have 4-ft T12 fluorescent lamps. If so, our T8 LED tube lights can be used in the same fixture, as long as the ballast is either bypassed, or completely removed. (The new T8 LED tube lights are NOT compatible with T12 fluorescent ballasts, and should be wired directly to line voltage).

Since you mention that the existing ballasts are old and in need of replacement, hopefully this should not be too much of an inconvenience. Additionally, the flicker-free feature of our LED T8 lamps should provide you with a very nice improvement in the lighting environment.

For further instructions on installation and wiring, please reference our installation manual:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/datasheets/UM_4024.pdf

In terms of brightness, each one of our T8 LED tubes will produce the same or slightly more light than a T12 fluorescent tube. As such, if you felt that the existing 8 fluorescent tubes provided you with sufficient brightness, a one-to-one replacement with 8 of our T8 LED tube lights should be a good starting point.

Dimmable T8 LED Tube Lights for Art Studio Lighting

I am interested in the CRI 95 5000K Northlux LED Tube, but I need a dimmable one if possible. 

Unfortunately, our T8 LED tube light products are not compatible with dimmers.

However, our LED Strip Light products are compatible with dimmers and could prove to be a valuable alternative depending on your installation.

I decided to, for now, purchase several packs of the 4000K CRI 95 Centric Daylight Bulbs. What is the R rating for these bulbs?

We have attached the photometric report for the 4000K CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free A19 10W LED Bulbs below, which lists the R values.

Photometric report link: https://www.waveformlighting.com/photometrics/TR_4005.40.pdf

realUV™ LED Flood Light for a Music Studio Installation

I'm trying to find a way to incorporate a black light in a music studio, since the walls and ceilings are upholstered in a sound-absorbing fabric I cannot fix anything to these surfaces. I am looking for a pure black light to highlight a piece of art - a painting with fluorescent paints- and this is going to be placed inside a music studio. As there are live recordings taking place here, the light must be silent. For that reason, I would prefer that it is as small as possible- for aesthetic reasons! 

It’s also important that the light doesn’t omit blue light, it needs to be pure. Do you have any suggestions/advice for me? Looking at the website “realUV LED flood light seems to be the best option.

Based on the information provided, it does seem that our 365nm realUV™ LED Flood Light product could be a great option for your studio.

We can recommend the realUV™ LED Flood Light product, which should not emit any noise while operating.

I also wonder if it gets quite hot when in use. I would like to build a cubic wooden box and have the light placed inside so that it is not so visible. It could be A) a box with only walls or B) a box with walls and a base so that all sides are encased except the side omitting the light. Would this be possible?

This product would require a moderate amount of airflow so that the small amount of heat generated by the light can escape. Without the ability to dissipate heat, the components within the product can encounter issues. 

Choosing LED Northlux vs Centric Daylight for Painting Studio

I have a question about choosing Northlux 95 CRI bulbs vs the Centric daylight full spectrum bulbs either in 5000K. 

I am using these lights in a painting studio so I'm looking for high as possible color quality as can be. I also read your site said if I care more about a CRI I should use a fluorescent fixture choosing one of those bulbs above which fixture below would suggest for my situation and how many fixtures of each would you suggest to obtain the ideal illuminated result in the painting studio? Further information to give more background in my situation. I have a 12" x 16" space with 15-foot ceilings and I will be making work on both 12-foot walls as well as one 16-foot wall. 

The primary difference between the 5000K A19 bulbs can be found in the CIE D50 standard which the NorthLux product was designed to be compliant with. This is an international color standard which many find value in, due to the low amount of variability in light spectrum output across compliant products.

Here is a great blog post from our website which explains this standard further, which might be helpful: https://www.waveformlighting.com/color-matching/what-is-d50-for-graphic-arts-printing

However, in the event that you would prefer to utilize a T8 LED tube light fixture, I am happy to confirm that both fixtures provided appear to be compatible with our products.

The two LED tube light products that I recommend for your studio are the D50 5000K T8 LED Tube Lights for Color Matching (ISO3664:2000), and the NorthLux™ 95 CRI T8 LED Tube for Art & Studio. The D50 5000K option has a higher R9 rating than the NorthLux (95 vs 91), which could be beneficial for working with color.

Based on my calculations using our lumen estimation calculator, it appears that your space would benefit from 15,981 total lumens. As each of the T8 LED tube lights emits 1800 lumens, we recommend 9 lamps in order to sufficiently illuminate the space.

LED Lights Recommendations for Digital Photo Studio

I'm converting a utility room in our garage to be a dedicated digital photo studio. As such, I know I need much more controlled/accurate lighting. Note, that I do not plan to shoot photos/video in the room, just edit, evaluate, and display.The skylights have remote-controlled blackout shades. My initial thoughts about your products are as follows:

I was thinking of using your 16' LED strip mounted in an aluminum channel on the ceiling ridge, e.g. Centric Daylight strip 5000K. For the LED strips, do your aluminum channels have a system to interlock end-to-end or would you recommend other types of aluminum channels for reasonably diffuse light?

While the linear light fixtures could allow for an easier installation than the LED strip lights, the linear light fixtures are not dimmable. As such, your space might benefit from the LED strip light products, which allow for dimming functionality.

Further, the aluminum channel products unfortunately do not feature the ability to interlock. However, there may be third-party products available elsewhere which would allow for a continuous length of mounted LED light strips for installation along the trusses of the room.

I was thinking of using your FilmGrade Hybrid LED strip mounted in your corner aluminum channels mounted under the bottoms of the trusses in the photo to illuminate the right side wall where I would hang/display prints. How accurate are the hybrid strips in simulating various color temps, etc.? Equally important, what's a simple solution for a controller that would allow me to specify the desired color temperature and it would set the appropriate LED values? Is this doable, what would you recommend?

The FilmGrade™ HYBRID LED Strip Lights could be a great option for your space, and I am happy to confirm that this product can be used to simulate any color temperature between 3200K and 6500K by adjusting the intensity of each color temperature.

However, it might be valuable to know that a LED strip light product featuring a single dedicated color temperature is able to emit more light per foot than the individual colors of the HYBRID LED Strip Lights are able to. For example, the HYBRID LED strip lights emit 225 lumens per foot, per color, whereas the single-color FilmGrade™ WHITE LED Strip Lights emits 450 lumens per foot.

This product can be controlled using several different methods. Though the easiest implementation would likely be to utilize a color tunable LED controller, which would allow for you to easily adjust each color point. The below article contains detailed descriptions for each configuration method available for the product.

How to Connect Hybrid CCT Tunable LED Products: https://www.waveformlighting.com/film-photography/how-to-connect-hybrid-cct-tunable-led-products

You sell your T5 Linear light fixtures (D50) in 4 ft. I was thinking of using a couple of those to set up a dedicated print viewing station. Your website says they are out of stock but will ship on 12/14. Is availability still accurate as I would like to go ahead and order them to start experimenting?

We can confirm that the 5000K 4-ft NorthLux™ 95 CRI T5 LED Linear Light Fixture product is currently expected to be available by December 14th. In the event that you would like to place your order prior to that availability date, we would process the shipment as soon as the items become available.

Do all of your 5000K lights actually meet D50 spec or only where specifically indicated?

Not all of our 5000K color temperature products are designed to be compliant with the D50 standard. However, if you had a specific product in mind, I would be happy to review the item to check for D50 compliance.

Anything else you would advise or suggest that I consider?

Regarding installation suggestions, the primary consideration which comes to mind would be to test the LED strip light products within the space prior to cutting the product into segments or installing them completely, as we are unable to accept returns for these products as soon as they have been cut or altered.

Our second suggestion is to keep in mind that the FilmGrade™ HYBRID LED Strip Lights requires a 24V power supply.

Third, the HYBRID LED Strip Lights product has a maximum run of 32.8 ft, and draws a variable amount of power per foot depending on the color point adjustment. Details regarding this can be found on the product specification sheet. As such, you may want to consider a power supply which is capable of outputting enough power to accommodate the power draw needs of the lengths of your installation.

On the FilmHybrid LEDs, I saw the referenced setup with the two dimmers. But to use that, I need to figure out the dimmer settings that correspond to different Kelvin temperatures. I'm assuming to do that I would need to have a spectrophotometer that can measure incident light which I don't have. Is there another 3rd party solution that you could recommend that wouldn't be too complicated or expensive that would allow me specify the color temp and then set the appropriate values on the two LED channels of the hybrid film strip?

Any 3rd party aluminum channel manufacturers you recommend that might have interlocking sections? I'm still going to take a look at yours as well.

Unfortunately, the dimmer uses an analog dial to control the relative brightness levels of the two channels, so there is no way to digitally map the two output levels to a specific color temperature level. You may want to think of this as being similar to a traditional shower faucet, with one for hot and one for cold, without the ability to set a specific water temperature.

We are not aware of any third-party products or solutions that could incorporate our LED strip light to achieve the lighting controls you are looking for, but do hope to be able to offer such solutions in the near future. For the time being, we may recommend searching for cinematography and photography lighting products such as those manufactured by ARRI or Kino Flo, although these will likely be a much higher price point.

I've got a few questions on your 24V dimmable transformer that I purchased:

Is this designed to be driven at 100% rated load (96W) for a prolonged period of time? Is there any issue with splicing a pigtail and plugging it into an outlet (that has an AC dimmer upstream)? Is there a minimum load requirement on the transformer? Any issues if there is a GFI on the circuit?

The 24 volt dimmable power supply load is de-rated at 100% (full 96 watt capacity) until ambient temperatures exceed 105 F. Maximum allowable ambient temperature is 140 degrees F, at which the power supply output load is de-rated to 60% (59 watts capacity).

​We do not maintain a minimum load requirement on the power supply unit, but all dimmer tests are performed at 85% load.

With respect to your questions regarding installation through a wall outlet and the use of GFI components, I would consult with an electrician for further recommendations. From what I understand, there may be code compliance issues arising from:

From a pure electrical standpoint, I do not believe there would be any performance issues, but such installation methods would be beyond the scope of our safety and reliability assurances.

.

Difference between the NorthLux and D50

I am interested in purchasing some light bulbs for a fixture being installed in my studio to supplement our North light window into the evening hours. I am looking at the NorthLux and D50 bulbs and wondering what the distinctions between the two bulbs are. It seems the NorthLux is best suited to our needs, however, our electrician is recommending the D50. 

Our NorthLux products are offered in both 5000K and 6500K. The 6500K color option is likely to be an excellent match for the natural light you currently have coming in from your north-facing window. Some visual artists and other professionals do prefer 5000K as it provides a bit less blue and is a more neutral color point.

For additional insights into the difference between these two color temperatures, please see below:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/art-painting/difference-between-5000k-and-6500k-bulbs

Our NorthLux products in 5000K are actually the same product as the D50, and the products are listed on multiple product pages for marketing purposes. We do apologize for any confusion caused!

NorthLux vs. D50 for Oil Painting Studio

I'm an oil painter based in Finland (Europe). I'm looking for a high CRI true-to-natural light lighting solution and am very interested in your NorthLux product range. The thing is, your NorthLux bulbs don't seem to come in E27, and I'm unsure whether I can use them in my Andoer softbox-fixtures. The only product that seems to come close is the D50 colour matching bulb. How close is this to the NorthLux bulb, and would you recommend it for a painter's studio as the next best thing? 

Our high CRI daylight bulbs sound like a great fit for your needs!

Our E27 D50, CENTRIC DAYLIGHT and NorthLux A19 lamps all feature the same 95 CRI and spectrum, and are listed on different product pages for marketing purposes. We do apologize for any confusion caused!

​The part numbers 4007.50 or 4007.65 will correspond to the 5000K and 6500K color variants that are available.

​Below is the link to the CENTRIC DAYLIGHT A19 page from which you can purchase both color options directly:

Does NorthLux™ 95 CRI LED Shop Light Fixture include the bulbs or do they need to be bought separately?

I am an artist and am interested in your product. Two questions, does the product include the bulbs or do they need to be bought separately? Which is better for an artist, the 5000K or the 6500K?

We can confirm that the LED Shop Light Fixture contains the lighting within the product housing. As such, there is no need for additional hardware to utilize this product.

Regarding the color temperature options, we might recommend 5000K for artwork creation, though this selection may come down to preference as both can be very good options for artwork. The 5000K color temperate option will emit light that is similar to neutral daylight, with a balanced white color.

Alternatively, the 6000K color temperature option will be more similar to north-facing full daylight.

Does the 4026.4f.50 4 ft do the same thing? Do I need to order a separate bulb or is it included? 

We're happy to confirm that the T5 Linear Light Fixture products contain integrated LEDs, and do not require any modification for operation.

However, the product does contain mounting accessories that can be used for installation.

Difference Between the BR30 Bulbs

Other than color temperature, what is the difference between the Ultra High, Full Spectrum, and the NorthLux 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulb? I'm about to move into a large studio condo and am considering my lighting options. In my previous places, I've used SoLux 4700k 12V MR16 halogens and loved their light, but they are not compatible with our fixtures. 

We can confirm that the color temperature options available are the only differences between the three products referenced, as they are of the same product family. This can be noted by the shared part number on each product page.

However, each product offers the same benefits of full spectrum, high CRI lighting, as well as a low flicker rate.

We do apologize for any confusion which may have arisen, as these products are displayed on multiple pages for marketing purposes.

Light Fixtures for Wall Wash Lighting in Dropped Ceiling

I am designing lighting for artwork in my remodel. I have to use a dropped ceiling so I need lights that can be installed in the ceiling. I can only find light bulbs. Do you sell light fixtures to be installed in ceilings to light up artwork?

Unfortunately, we do not currently sell light fixtures which can be installed directly into ceilings.

However, we do sell T8 LED tube lights, such as the NorthLux™ 95 CRI T8 LED Tube for Art & Studio product, which are designed to be installed within ceiling light fixtures.

NorthLux™ 95 CRI T5 LED Linear Light Fixture CRI Rating

On the specs for the 4ft NorthLux Linear Light Fixture 5000K, it says it's only 90 CRI. Is that correct? I am replacing the ceiling lighting of my studio: four 48" two-bulb fluorescence light fixtures. Would four of the 4ft Linear Light Fixture 5000k be enough?

We're happy to confirm that the 5000K NorthLux™ 95 CRI T5 LED Linear Light Fixtures actually have a CRI of 95+. However, these products do have an R9 value of 90+, which may be what you are referring to. Based on our review of the most recent Photometric Report for this product, the CRI is listed at 97.4, and the R9 is listed as 95.

​For further photometric information, here is a link to the product report: https://www.waveformlighting.com/photometrics/TR_4026.50.4F.pdf

Based on the description provided, it does sound as though four of these products should work well for your space! Further, the Lumen Estimation Calculator tool on our website may also be valuable for planning the number of lighting products for your space.

However, please know that we offer a 30-day return policy. If these products do not work well for your space, we would be more than happy to issue a return label for an exchange or a refund.

T8 LED Tube Lights and Shop Light Fixture for Art Studio

I am building a brand new studio for my art practice and I have been recommended your NorthLux™ 95 CRI T8 LED Tube for Art & Studio. Please could you advise on the light fixtures I should be looking at? I see that you say any T8 fitting will work but do you have any ones you prefer that work the best with your tubes, I am looking at a suspended 4ft system that will run in a line. 

We can confirm that our T8 LED tube lights will indeed function in any fixtures which utilize the G13 Medium Bi-Pin connection style.

While we do not have any specific light fixture recommendations, we do recommend installing the T8 LED tube lights within fixtures that do not use florescent ballasts, as the ballasts may cause issues depending on the model.

In case they prove to be useful, I have provided links below for the ballast-bypass installation instructions, as well as the list of supported ballasts.

Installation instructions: https://www.waveformlighting.com/datasheets/UM_4020.pdf

Tested ballast list: https://www.waveformlighting.com/files/CD4020.txt

I want to know if your NorthLux™ 95 CRI LED Shop Light Fixture has the same light output and color as the tubes, can they be joined or held together in a line (probably 4) and can they be hardwired so I can switch all on together vs hang cords?

We can confirm that the NorthLux™ 95 CRI LED Shop Light Fixtures feature the ability to be daisy-chained together using the included cord.

However, as the product comes with a wire and plug already installed within the unit, it cannot be hardwired without modification.

How to interconnect the 6 6500K 95 CRI Shop Light Fixtures for Art Studio

I need to put 6 of the light fixtures in a row, spread out in a 45-foot-long room. How do these interconnect? Can I install 1 receptacle and connect the rest? There should be about 3 feet between fixtures.

The lamps can be daisy chained up to 8 fixtures, so installing 6 of these in your location using just one receptacle should be no problem at all.

​The power cable length is 5 ft, so bridging the 3 ft distance should also be perfectly fine.

Please see below for additional installation information:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/datasheets/UM_4025.pdf

6500K Flicker-free Lighting for Art Capture, Color Correction and Fine art Printing

I perform art to capture, color correction, and fine art printing. I am using Ikan Lyra LEDs at this time but not so happy with their results. They are okay, but I am looking for 6500K lighting, also flicker-free. I see you have bulbs and strips. 

We suspect that the primary reason for the difficulty in judging color differences is due to an incomplete spectrum emitted by the Ikan product. Specifically, this will likely be reflected in a low CRI value, possibly in the 80-90 range. (You may also want to look into the R9 value, which provides even more data about red color rendering in particular).

As a starting point, we would recommend experimenting with a few of our 95 CRI products. Here are the A19 bulbs which are daylight calibrated to D50 (5000K) and D65 (6500K) with a 95 CRI rating and would be a great starting point for your tests:

If you would like to consider our LED strip lights, we would recommend our FilmGrade LED strip lights which are offered in both 5600K and 6500K:

Our 5000K LED strip lights (also in 95 CRI) are listed under our retail & commercial section:

Installing the LED strip lights will require a bit of additional assembly and installation work. For additional guidance, we recommend referencing our layout maps which can be found at the link below:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/layoutmaps

​Finally, ​we would recommend taking advantage of our returns policy to test out several of the color temperature options and determine if our products do indeed offer an improvement over your current setup. The full policy can be found below:

https://store.waveformlighting.com/pages/returns-refunds-policy

LED Lights for Art Painting Studio

We have a studio with existing lighting. This is an artists painting studio so color is paramount and we have never got it right. We would like you to recommend a lighting scheme or bulbs to put in our existing lighting to improve the painting light quality.

Most household lamps have a low color temperature which can be nice and relaxing for a typical residential installation, but for a color-critical application such as yours, having a daylight-calibrated color temperature bulb is definitely crucial.

All of our NorthLux products are daylight-calibrated and will offer a nice approximation of natural daylight, which will help tremendously in being able to accurately see colors in artwork creation.

Since it sounds like you do not have any specific fixtures already in place, you do have quite a bit of flexibility in terms of installation location and types of lamps.

​If you have an table or desk lamps, we would perhaps recommend our NorthLux A19 lamps. Alternatively, if you would like to mount some additional lighting onto a ceiling beam or even a shelf, we would recommend our NorthLux T5 fixtures which may be a great option for you.

Do you have a high CRI T8 replacement in a 2-foot length?

I see you have a T8 CRI in a 4-foot tube. I am looking for a direct replacement for 2-foot T8 Fluorescents in the Studio. We need a total of 8 lamps for now. Do you have a suitable product? 

Unfortunately, we do not sell T8 LED lamps in the 2-ft length at this time.

Light Color Spectrum Behind a Prism

I'm doing research for an art installation. With your lights, if I put the behind a prism, will it diffract the entire color spectrum to see the rainbows?

Because our products are designed with a CRI higher than 95, it means that they provide full spectral coverage and emit full spectrum light which is extremely similar to the spectrum of natural daylight.

As such, if our lighting products are placed behind a prism, the light refracted by the prism should produce an effect similar to what you would see with natural daylight.

LED Bulbs for Art Studio with Track Lighting System Compatibility and E26 Base Standard

I'm trying to choose between 2 of your wonderful products to light my art studio. I have 2 rows of track lights with E26 Edison sockets. I'm not sure if I should get the regular bulb (NorthLux™ 95 CRI E26 A19 LED Bulb for Art & Studio) or the floodlight version (NorthLux™ 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulb for Artwork & Studio). 

We can confirm that both our NorthLux™ 95 CRI E26 A19 LED Bulb for Art & Studio and NorthLux™ 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulb for Artwork & Studio bulbs are compatible with track lighting systems that utilize the standard E26 base.

Regarding the differences between the two products, the BR30 does offer a narrower beam angle than the A19 bulb. Other customers have let us know that this feature has been beneficial for their track lighting fixtures.

Lighting for Small Artist Studio Space

I need directions to set up a painting area in the garage. I am looking at the NorthLux lighting CRI 95 or above, around 7000 Lumens and 4,000-6,000K. The area will be around 10 x 8; the ceiling and outside wall is white, and the rest is concrete. The ceiling hight is 7' with 5' deep as my space is under a bulkhead for furnace vents. I want lighting to extend to area approximately 7/8' deep. Could you present me one or two proposed diagrams showing light placement? What is the height of your linear fixture?

Since it sounds like your space currently does not have any existing fixtures, that gives us the maximum flexibility in terms of installation and lamp type options, which is great to hear.

I would recommend our T5 linear fixture at this point, given that it will provide you with all of the necessary housing and mounting accessories without needing to buy any separate components such as a track light tracks and heads for a track light system.

To achieve the 7000 lumen target, you will want one of the following (or a combination of the following):

Unfortunately we're not equipped with any interior design software, so I'm unable to create any layout diagrams showing light placement, but if you have a rough sketch of the space along with some input on where you think the lights can be placed and installed from a practical standpoint, we would be more than happy to offer some additional input.

Generally, you will want to space the lights out as much as possible in order to prevent any excess shadows or hotspots / dark areas. If you will be performing most of your work in one specific area, in addition to the fixtures, you may also want to consider installing a few A19 lamps for localized task lighting:

The height of the T5 linear fixture is approximately 1.4 inches.

The difference between NorthLux and Centric Daylight Lamps in color-accurate lighting application.

What is the actual difference between the NorthLux and Centric Daylight lamps? Is it just that NorthLux has RedBoost and R9 >90 whereas Centric does not, and is only R9 >80, or is there more?

I'm an artist and looking for the most color-accurate lighting option to redo my studio and the entire house. I use 4" T8 tubes in the studio. Would the D50 5000K series render more accurate colors than the NorthLux 5000K? 

I see you have the Absolute Series as well, but it appears to only be available in strips. Do you, or will you have bulbs and tubes available in this series as well? 

The primary difference between the NorthLux and the Centric Daylight is that the NorthLux has chromaticity points calibrated to D50 and D65 color points, for the 5000K and 6500K versions, respectively. While the Centric Daylight also offers 95 CRI, the exact color point is not as precise.​The NorthLux and D50 series are the same product listed on multiple pages. If you are looking for a color point that matches ISO standards, we would recommend the NorthLux / D50 product lines.​Unfortunately we do not have any lamps with the 99 CRI Absolute Series at this time.

Are the NorthLux indeed R9 > 90?

The NorthLux A19 has an R9 value of 90+.

Also, I'm just curious why, if the NorthLux are more finely tuned, are they and the Centric Daylight bulbs the same price? 

We intend to consolidate production for both the CENTRIC DAYLIGHT and NorthLux lamps into a single part number in the future, such that all products would meet the same D50/D65 standard. As such, the pricing was set to the same price point preemptively as we expect to offer the same product in the future.

Are there plans to make any Absolute series bulbs, even just as 4' T8 tubes?

We do have a few plans for future product development in the ABSOLUTE SERIES, but unfortunately, there are no specifics on that yet.

Recommended bulbs for Studio Lighting

I need assistance with LED lights choosing the correct bulbs for my art studio and how should setting up my lights for my application. I want to be able to render pencil/charcoal/and paint with the lights. I will be using 8ft ceilings unfortunately but do not currently intend to do many large paintings so hopefully, I will have enough height. I was personally thinking of your 5000K LED Art Studio Tubes or the LED 5000k bulbs but I was not sure if tubes or bulbs made more sense. And if I get either the tube or the bulb what fixtures to mount them with and what wiring info? 

It does indeed sound like our NorthLux LED products with 95 CRI and daylight-calibrated color temperatures will be an excellent option for your space.

You are correct that you're in perhaps one of the more tricky stages of planning your lighting, and we'd be more than happy to offer some recommendations.

​The first question would be to determine what kind of fixtures (if any) you would be interested in utilizing in the space. For BR30 lamps, for example, you will require residential/commercial style recessed can lights, which typically will go directly into the ceiling, meaning there will be some construction and electrical work needed.

​With the tube lights, you can also consider similar ceiling fixtures such as 2' x 4' fixtures, but there are also options such as strip light fixtures and other ceiling mount fixtures that won't require as much involved construction or electrical work.

One of our new products that might be most convenient and the best fit for you would be our integrated T5 LED linear fixtures. These lights have the same 95 CRI NorthLux LEDs inside, but also include screw or magnet-based mounting systems, which means that you do not need any additional accessories or electrical work. They simply plug into a wall outlet, and can also be daisy-chained to connect multiple fixtures.

I've included the product link below - please let us know your thoughts!

Do you have to daisy chain the end of the light to end or can you use a jumper wire to set the lights up parallel to each other? 

You can daisy chain them end-to-end, or they can be connected using a daisy-chain wire. See below:

​https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2793/2316/products/4026_512x512@2x.jpg?v=1595978321

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2793/2316/products/4026-3_512x512@2x.jpg?v=1595978321

Have you had the artist install the NorthLux 95 CRI BR30 LED bulbs in adjustable lamp track lighting? Like gallery Style? Would you recommend a track lighting system or a tube light system for an oil painting studio with an 8 ft ceiling?

The BR30 lamps are generally used in ceiling fixtures (e.g. recessed can light) and not track light fixtures. One of the concerns is that the BR30 beam angle is very wide and spread out, making them less suitable for track light fixtures which generally are designed for narrow beam angle spotlights generally seen, as you mention, in gallery settings.

For art studios, the tube lights would definitely be a great option, as they can provide full and evenly distributed light coverage. 

To get a sense of how much light you will need, we would recommend using our Lumen Estimation Calculator, which can be found at the link below:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/lumen-calculator

Do you think if you used the BR30 bulbs with the track light fixtures you could get a wider distribution of light from the track light system giving you the wide soft light without hotspots but also being very adjustable in where you direct the lights? 

If adjustability is an important feature, the track system may indeed work well for your needs! The LED strip lights are quite permanent and fixed in place, so that would definitely be a big downside.

Can you suggest a 5000K bulb with about 1600 lumens in a BR30 fixture for my studio?

I have a small area that I use for a studio and have a BR30 fixture about 9 feet above my easel. I would like a 5000K bulb with about 1600 lumens with good color. Can you suggest a product?

Unfortunately we do not offer any lamps with 1600 lumens, and the closest option would be our BR30 lamp which puts out 800 lumens at 5000K and 95 CRI. Please see below for the product link:

Does the NorthLux™ 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulb fit an E27 or E26 base?

I have a question about NorthLux™ 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulb for Artwork & Studio. Does it fit an E27 or E26 base? The product page doesn't say.

The NorthLux BR30 lamps have an E26 base. Therefore, we would recommend using it with E26 base lamp fixtures only.

I am a painter and cannot simply change the bulbs. Do I need to order bulbs and a different fixture, or just buy a full fixture from you?

I am a painter with a small (about 3.5 m by 1.5 m) space where I paint. It's a sunroom and has amazing natural light, but I have been struggling to paint at night. Due to uninteresting reasons, I cannot simply change the bulbs- and I am thus going to replace the entire fixture. Do you think it would make more sense to order bulbs and a different fixture or just buy a full fixture from you?

We may recommend utilizing our bulbs within another replacement lighting fixture, as the current fixtures we offer are not dimmable.

If your replacement fixture accepts BR30 bulbs, we would be happy to recommend using our NorthLux™ 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulb for Artwork & Studio. We recommend this product because it has dimming capability, offers a high CRI, and emits light that is similar to daylight.

This product has two color temperature options, 5000K and 6500K. 5000K will have a neutral daylight color point, while the 6500K has a color point similar to full daylight. You may find that one option is better suited for your space than the other.

95 CRI light that can change from 5000K to 6500K - used for painting

I want to buy a light that has 95 CRI and ideally can change from 5000K to 6500K. The function is for painting and I want to know what kind of lamp fixture I need to buy to use a light of yours. I would prefer a floor lamp because my table is crowded with my paper and paint materials.

While we currently do not offer lighting products which can adjust between the 5000K and 6500K color temperatures, we do offer many 95 CRI products which can be used in a wide variety of lighting fixtures, from floor lighting to track lighting.

For example, some customers who use our products for illuminating their canvases or artwork spaces have chosen to utilize floor lighting fixtures which are directional.

These customers have utilized our NorthLux™ 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulbs for Artwork & Studio, which are available in both the 5000K and 6500K color temperatures. 

Can these bulbs be used in most floor lamps?

Regarding power requirements, our BR30 lamps also require 120V AC to operate.

Need assistance selecting LED lights for painting and sculpture studio

We are interested in utilizing your LED lighting products and are searching for assistance in the selection of proper lighting for a painting and sculpture studio.

We had anticipated that we would utilize LED tube lighting flush with the ceiling primarily for our working lighting. What would you recommend?

We offer numerous full-spectrum, daylight-calibrated LED lights that would be an excellent fit for your painting and sculpture studio.

If you are seeking an LED tube lighting solution, our NorthLux™ T8 LED tube lights would be your best bet. These lamps work in existing 4-ft fluorescent fixtures with compatible or bypassed ballasts. If you prefer not to worry about fixture compatibility, or you need to purchase new fixtures for a new studio construction project, these LED tube lights can also be used in our LED-ready T8 fixtures.

Alternatively, you may also want to consider our NorthLux™ LED shop lights and T5 linear fixture options. These alternatives offer the same 95 CRI, daylight-calibrated light quality, but depending on the aesthetics and wiring requirements, may also be viable options.

What is the difference between CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ 5000K/6500K and D50/NorthLux™?

Several of our products are listed on multiple product pages for marketing purposes. This is also the case for the CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ (5000K/6500K), D50 and NorthLux™ product lines.

The 5000K products below are the same underlying product:

The 6500K products below are the same underlying product:

All of these products are calibrated to the D50 and D65 color standards for color viewing and other vision-critical applications at 5000K and 6500K, respectively. These products are all great lighting solutions for professional or color-critical applications, as well as specialty indoor lighting applications such as light therapy.

Note: this product page was updated in November 2021 to reflect the most recent changes to our product specifications and offerings. For customers who purchased these products prior to 2021, please reference the archived article here.

Are bulbs included with the LED shop light fixtures?

Do I need to purchase separate bulbs for the shop fixture or are they included?

Our LED shop light fixtures does not require any additional bulbs, due to the fact that the LED emitters are integrated within the unit. Simply plug the lights into an electrical socket, and pull the hanging chain to turn the unit on.

Replacing fluorescent lighting for art studio

We have an art studio which currently uses fluorescent lighting. I'm doing research on what to replace those with. I see that you have non-flicker LED tubes that fit into fluorescent fixtures.

However if I'm understanding correctly, these will flicker if put into the old fluorescent fixture?

Not necessarily. The lamps we designed are guaranteed to be flicker-free when used in a fluorescent fixture without a fluorescent ballast. The lamps can be used with existing fluorescent ballasts, but the flicker-rate would then depend on the fluorescent ballast and therefore we would no longer be able to guarantee flicker-free operation.​

Also I'm not sure what the difference is between 4000, 5000 or 6500K? What would best match for what is currently being used?

The difference between 4000K, 5000K and 6500K refers to the color temperature. The best match would depend on what color temperature rating was used prior. Generally, 5000K and 6500K are the best options for an art studio.

Please see below for additional links that should help clarify:https://www.waveformlighting.com/art-painting/difference-between-5000k-and-6500k-bulbshttps://www.waveformlighting.com/home-residential/which-led-light-color-temperature-should-i-choose

[Archived] What is the difference between CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ 5000K/6500K and D50/NorthLux™?

[ARCHIVED ARTICLE] This article has been archived as of November 2021 due to recent changes in our product specifications. Please see this article for the most up-to-date information on our current offerings. Customers who purchased our lamps prior to 2021 (lamps marked with PN 4005.XX rather than PN 4005C.XX) can continue to reference the archived information below.

Several of our products are listed on multiple product pages for marketing purposes. One major exception is our 10 watt A19 bulb product line, for which we offer the two part number variants for each of the 5000K and 6500K color points:

5000K:

6500K:

You will notice that the D50 and NorthLux™ product lines have a "D" prefix in the color temperature designation inside the part number. This signifies that these products are calibrated to the D50 and D65 color standards for color viewing and other vision-critical applications at 5000K and 6500K, respectively.

The CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ products are also available in 5000K and 6500K, but they are not designed for color viewing applications. Specifically, they have a slightly greener tint (elevated Duv values), which is a closer approximation of the ANSI chromaticity targets for daylight color points.

In short, if you're looking for a lighting solution for a professional or color-critical application, we recommend the D50 / D65 designated NorthLux™ lamps. On the other hand, if you're using the lamps for indoor lighting such as light therapy, the CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ lamps will be a great option.

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