We admit it – for years, we took circles for granted. Not only are they easily in our Top 10 of basic shapes, but they are also totally cool to project onto! Spheres too! Better late than never, we’ve put together everything you’d want to know about digitally decorating on circles and spheres. It’s easy!
Projecting on a Circular Frame
How easy? Think of a hula hoop. That's easy. Then, stretch tight over it Window Projection Material, or other semi-opaque material. You now have what looks like a tambourine - minus the cymbals, of course. (Hollusion Projection Material Works great here too, but make sure the hoop on which you stretch the material is painted a dark color that helps it melt into the darkness.) You now have a circular frame that has countless digital decorating opportunities.
And note, there’s no reason you can’t go larger than a hula hoop. PVC pipe can be shaped to make a circle of any size. Think big!
Once you have your circular frame with its stretched material on it, it’s time to find a great place to set it up. For obvious reasons, many people choose to put this circular frame on their roof, to take advantage of the “moon mode” effect. The full glowing moon of Halloween Moon Digital Decoration Collection is the classic example of this - as the day turns into darkness, it looks as though a full moon has permanently arisen above your home, with many Halloween-themed antics playing out in its shadow.
For something a little more mysterious, the recently released AtmosFX Digital Decoration, Inferno, has a great individual decoration that works well in this mode. Called “Ring of Fire,” it is exactly that. Imagine how ominous it would be to see that fiery ring endlessly glowing above your house throughout the October nights! A ring outfitted with Hollusion Projection Material works particularly well here - you want the circular frame to disappear into the darkness.
If you do place your circular screen atop your roof, make sure you do NOT take it down in November. This effect isn’t limited to just Halloween. For Christmas, Santa’s Sleigh Ride Digital Decoration also has a moon mode effect. Here, you will see Santa Claus riding his sleigh delivering gifts – and encountering a little turbulence - on a glorious full-moon Christmas Eve night.
One last thing. Do not feel like you are limited to placing your circular screen on your roof - it looks great anywhere! We have seen these screens look spectacular on front lawns, in driveways, hanging from trees, and elsewhere.
And, too, just like all AtmosFX Digital Decorations, you don’t need a circular screen to create a cool effect. Circular windows work great and, of course, on walls, ceilings, and TVs, too.
Projecting on Spheres
Projecting on circles is not only limited to flat surfaces. When you project on any object, you can create incredible depth and a three-dimensional feel for your display.
This is where it gets fun. What spherical object do you have around the house? Exercise balls work great, as do beach balls and balloons. (Lighter colors work best.) Things that are shiny will also look great, like bowling balls. We’ve seen creative decorators re-purpose Halloween crystal balls by projecting on them, too.
What does projecting on a sphere look like?
Take Halloween Moon or Santa's Sleigh Ride for instance. We already know what it can do when you project it onto a flat circular surface. If you take that same digital decoration and project it onto an exercise ball, for example, the moon will have a fuller, more rich, three dimensional feel. And the characters that the moon silhouettes? Those too!
For the holiday season, while Enchanted Snowman Digital Decoration Collection doesn’t technically have a moon mode, it does have “snow globe mode.” It is a clever effect that is deployed exactly in the same way as the others. However, in this case, when you project those digital decorations on a sphere, it will look like the friendly namesake of this digital decoration is entertaining you from the inside of a large blustery snow globe.
Here’s one last quick tip, especially if you are thinking about decorating for Halloween. Remember, several digital decorations work quite well when you project onto three-dimensional surfaces (like a sphere), even if it doesn’t say “moon mode” on it. Look for digital decorations with ghosts that have more ethereal qualities to them, like Phantasms or Ghostly Apparitions 2. Eerie Eyes works really great. Select an individual digital decoration that doesn’t have a background in it, like “Hollusion mode,” and project onto the sphere. It will look like a spirit or creature is trapped in the ball, and if you hide the projector well, nobody will know how you got it in there!
There is only one rule when projecting on circles or spheres – or, for that matter, projecting on anything. Experiment! You will never know how good something can look until you give it a try. And remember this, too: The more unusual places on which you can project digital decorations, the more likely those who view them will be baffled and surprised! And isn’t that the point?!
Have you been projecting on circles and spheres? Maybe you have found something else unusual onto which you can project a digital decoration. We want to see it! (And so do many other digital decorators around the world.) Send us photos and videos using this easy submission form!
