Glossary

A-Size

A standard industry physical dimension for gobos (typically around 100mm outer diameter), commonly used in larger profile fixture gates.

Accent Lighting

Extra, focused light used to draw attention to a specific object or spot—like a spotlight pointing at a statue in a gallery, a corporate logo on a wall, or a...

The industry-standard vector graphic file format. Because .ai files maintain mathematical lines and anchor points rather than pixels, they are the ideal source format for precision laser-cutting metal gobos.

Adobe Photoshop (.psd)

A native, layer-based raster editing format. While not ideal for laser-cut metal designs, high-resolution .psd files are excellent for creating intricate grayscale or full-color imagery for premium glass gobos.

Aerial Effects / Beam Effects

Visual textures created in mid-air when a textured gobo pattern cuts through a path of thick atmospheric haze or fog, common in live concerts and music festivals.

Ampere (Amps)

The measurement of how much electric current is flowing through a power line. Think of it like water flowing through a pipe—knowing your amps helps you figure out how much...

Aperture

Aperture, in optics, the maximum diameter of a light beam that can pass through an optical system.

Application (Lighting Application)

A fancy industry term for "where are we putting this light and what is it doing?" For example, an industrial warehouse use is a "high-bay application," while a clothing boutique...

B&W Glass Gobo

High-contrast, single-layer glass patterns used to project exceptionally sharp, black-and-white images with zero grid lines.

B-Size

The most widespread architectural and theatrical standard size (typically around 86mm outer diameter), compatible with the vast majority of standard ellipsoidal spotlights.

BMP (.bmp)

(Bitmap) An older, uncompressed raster image file format that stores color data for every individual pixel. While it retains quality, it results in unnecessarily large file sizes and lacks the...

Ballast

A hidden control device required by fluorescent and high-intensity lights to supply the exact right voltage to start up and run safely. If you want to dim a fluorescent fixture,...

Bench Focusing

The process of adjusting a lighting fixture's burner alignment and internal reflector before loading a gobo to create a perfectly uniform beam of light, eliminating destructive hot spots.

Bezel

The outer rim or ring of a glass gobo or its holder that secures the optic without blocking the light or the image area.

Black-Field Gobo

A gobo design where the background masks out all light, allowing only the isolated pattern, text, or logo to appear floating cleanly on a surface.

Breakup Pattern

A non-descript pattern (like leaves, branches, or abstract textures) designed to break up a flat wall or beam of light, scattering texturing uniformly across a scenic space.

Bridging

The narrow, strategically placed lines of raw material left in a laser-cut metal gobo design to physically secure floating inner elements (such as the center of a zero or an...

Candela / Candlepower

An old-school measurement used to describe the pure intensity of a beam of light in a specific direction. Historically, one candlepower was literally the brightness of a single standard whale-wax...

Coated Side (Glass Gobo)

The highly reflective, mirror-like side of a glass gobo designed to face directly toward the lamp to bounce away destructive infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) heat energy.

Color Temperature

Measured in Kelvin (K), this tells you how "warm" or "cool" the light looks. Warm light (2000K–3000K) looks cozy, orange, and golden (like a candle or sunset). Cool light (5000K+)...

ColourScenic® (CS)

Ultimate premium full-color glass gobos capable of rendering high-fidelity photographic images, gradients, and intricate multi-tonal artwork.

Custom Gobo

A gobo made completely from scratch using your unique design, like a corporate logo, wedding initials, or a specific event graphic.

D-Size

A popular glass and metal standard size (approx. 53mm outer diameter) used frequently in medium-sized automated moving fixtures.

Dichroic Glass

Ultra-thin glass coated with microscopic layers of metallic oxides that filter light by reflecting unwanted wavelengths, creating vibrant colors that never fade under high heat.

Diffuser

A translucent cover or lens placed over a raw light bulb to soften the harshness of the beam and eliminate glare. (Tip: Apollo MFG produces a series of colorful, themed...

Direct Lighting

Any lighting fixture where 90% or more of the light shoots straight down. Think of recessed ceiling cans or track lights. It creates high drama, sharp shadows, and excellent texture...

Donut

A flat metal masking plate with a central hole placed in front of a lighting fixture lens to crisp up the focus and reduce stray ambient light halo rings on...

E-Size

A smaller structural pattern sizing (approx. 37.5mm outer diameter) built specifically for compact architectural profile spots.

Ellipsoidal (Leko)

The standard profile theatrical lighting fixture designed with a reflector, framing shutters, and an internal gate specifically engineered to hold and sharply project gobos.

Encapsulated PostScript (.eps)

A versatile vector file format that contains PostScript code and vector paths. It is highly recommended for custom gobo artwork submissions as it preserves sharp lines across different design platforms...

Focusing / Focus Session

The specific production period where technicians physically pan, tilt, shutter, and adjust the lens barrel of every fixture to ensure all gobo projections and light washes match the designer's intent.

Followspot

A powerful, manually operated lighting instrument positioned to track a performer moving across a stage, occasionally fitted with a manual gobo slot for specialized beam textures.

G-Size

A niche, larger diameter size category utilized occasionally in specialized or historic projector lines.

Gel

A gel (short for gelatin filter, though today made of heat-resistant plastics like polyester or polycarbonate) is a transparent, colored sheet used in lighting design. It is placed directly in...

Gobo

A “Gobo” is a small, stenciled circular or square disc, and used in lighting fixtures to create a projected image or pattern.

Gobo Schedule

An organized spreadsheet or master document detailing every gobo used in a show, including its pattern ID, manufacturer, location, orientation, holder size, and assigned fixture number.

Halation

An undesirable fuzzy glowing halo effect around the edges of a projected image, usually fixed by adjusting the fixture's internal lamp or focal lens train.

Halftone

A technique that simulates continuous gradients or shading by using grids of tiny, varied-size dots of a single color. It allows complex images or photographs to be chemically etched onto...

High End Systems (Gobo Catalog)

High End Systems is a premier brand of high-performance moving light fixtures used in major concerts and theaters. Because Apollo officially adopted their pattern catalog, we have their complete library...

Hot Spot

An undesirable concentration of extreme light and heat at the dead center of a light beam, usually corrected via bench focusing to prevent uneven gobo illumination or glass damage.

IP65-Rated

An international protection rating certifying that a lighting fixture is completely dust-tight and protected against water jets, making it fully safe for outdoor gobo projections and long-term exterior installations.

Image Area (IA)

The maximum usable inner circular area where the actual artwork, pattern, or text is etched. This is the only part of the gobo that light passes through; anything designed outside...

Keystoning

An optical distortion effect where a projected image appears as a trapezoid rather than a perfect square or circle; caused by the fixture projecting onto a surface at an uneven,...

Lighting Plot (Light Plot)

A detailed, scale architectural drawing indicating exactly where every lighting fixture is hung, plugged, patched, and colored, including notes on which gobos are assigned to which slots.

Line Art

A clean, high-contrast graphic consisting strictly of solid black lines or shapes against a plain white background, with no shades of gray or gradients. This is the optimal artwork style...

Lumens

The total amount of actual light a bulb spits out in all directions. If you want a brighter room or a sharper projection, you look for a higher lumen rating.

M-Size

A compact standard sizing category (typically 66mm outer diameter), optimized specifically for smaller, low-profile, or specialized automated moving lights.

Metal Gobo (ME)

Traditional stencils etched out of durable stainless steel or aluminum, ideal for classic monochromatic silhouette projections.

Moving Head / Intelligent Fixture

An automated lighting instrument capable of motorized pan, tilt, color changing, and programmatic gobo wheel rotation via a lighting control console.

Outer Diameter (OD)

The total physical measurement across the entire outside edge of the gobo plate. This determines whether the gobo will physically fit inside your fixture's holder or gate without jamming or...

PDF Documents (.pdf)

(Portable Document Format) A universal file type that preserves formatting, vector lines, and embedded text exactly as designed. Excellent for submitting custom artwork, though the file must contain true vector...

PICT (.pict)

A legacy graphics file format originally developed by Apple for standard Macintosh graphics. It has largely been replaced by PDF and TIFF formats in modern professional lighting and design workflows.

Pencil Test

A practical field trick used to find a glass gobo's coated side; if a pencil tip touched to the surface meets its reflection with no gap, it is touching the...

PostScript

A page description language developed by Adobe that translates text and vector graphics into precise instructions for high-resolution output devices, such as laser cutters or platesetters used in gobo production.

Pre-Distortion

The practice of intentionally warping or compensating graphic artwork during the design stage so that it looks geometrically correct when projected onto a surface at an extreme angle.

Rasterized Formats

Graphic files composed of a fixed grid of colored pixels (such as JPG or PNG) rather than mathematical lines. These formats can become blurry or pixelated when enlarged, making them...

Resolution / DPI

(Dots Per Inch) The measurement of pixel density in a raster file. For custom glass gobos, artwork submitted in raster formats must typically be at least 300 to 600 DPI...

Rotating Gobo Wheel

A motorized, dynamic internal wheel inside intelligent fixtures that spins individual gobo holders to achieve animated effects like rotating patterns or logos.

Rotation / Indexing

The mechanical capacity of an automated lighting fixture to either continuously rotate a gobo pattern or index it precisely to a specific stationary degree angle.

Static Gobo Wheel

A fixed structural wheel or tray inside an automated moving head fixture that holds multiple stock or custom gobos in a non-spinning, stationary position.

Static vs. Rotating Gobos

Static gobos project a fixed, stationary image, whereas rotating gobos are housed in motorized gear assemblies within moving lights that allow them to spin for dynamic, animated visual effects.

Stock Gobo

A library of ready-made, pre-designed patterns (like stars, autumn leaves, or window panes) that Apollo has sitting on the shelf and ready to ship.

SuperResolution® (SR)

High-definition glass patterns engineered with ultra-fine, microscope-grade resolution parameters to deliver pristine image clarity without distortion.

TIFF Files (.tiff)

(Tagged Image File Format) A high-quality, lossless raster image format commonly used in professional printing. It preserves maximum detail and photographic depth, making it suitable for high-resolution glass gobo production.

Tabbed (Tabs)

An alternative industry term for bridging. It refers to the practice of leaving small, thin structural connecting pieces (tabs) of raw metal intact within an enclosed area of a design...

Textured Glass

Specialized clear or frosted glass substrates with deep-etched patterns that distort, ripple, or refract passing light beams rather than projecting a flat, distinct graphic.

The Gate

The precise physical focal plane inside an ellipsoidal lighting fixture where the gobo holder slot is located, positioned directly between the lamp module and the lenses.

The Rig / Rigging

The structural overhead system of trusses, pipes, motors, and clamps used to safely suspend lighting fixtures, audio equipment, and scenery above a stage or event floor.

Throw / Throw Distance

The physical distance from the front lens of a lighting fixture to the surface where the light or gobo image is being projected.

Two-Color Glass (C2)

Specialized glass optics fabricated with two precise colored dichroic layers to create crisp, dual-tone projections.

Uncoated Side (Glass Gobo)

The dark, matte side of a glass gobo that does not have the reflective treatment and must face forward toward the lens barrel.

Vector Art / Vector Graphics

Images created using mathematical formulas (points, lines, curves, and shapes) instead of pixels. Vector art can be scaled infinitely without losing sharpness, which is a hard requirement for the laser-cutting...

White-Field Gobo

A gobo pattern designed to project a bright background field behind a dark image, creating a defined circular or shaped frame around the artwork.