# How To fix Projector Light Bleed



## Gatorman (Sep 4, 2014)

I feel like I've searched everywhere for this, so if it's been discussed on here before, can anyone direct me to it?

I'm using the AtmosFX 3DFX form and I'm getting quite a bit of light bleed around the form. Not the image itself, just the dreaded white rectangle in the background. I've seen quite a few good examples of the Pumpkin Jamboree for example that don't seem to have this problem. I've played around with the projector settings (a Dell 2000 lumen) but no real change. What's the secret?


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## BillyVanpire (Apr 22, 2015)

usually it is a contrast setting, 
try cranking the contrast up and brightness down?

*edit* ok now i get it..

seems like an overscan / zoom issue..
you could crop then re-encode your vids if your proj can't do it.


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## Longmont Haunt (Jul 26, 2016)

Not ideal, but have you considered putting a bit of something near the lens to block the light around the corners? I can imagine a few strips of masking tape (not on the lens itself, but on the plastic housing surrounding the lens) shading just enough around the edges that it would cut down on the bleed (or at least make it less squared and bright).


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

You might snap a photo of the projected image and send it to AtmosphereFX, the may have a solution for you. Being able to crop out that annoying frame from the original image sounds like the ideal way to go, but that may be beyond your own capabilities.

Beyond that, all I can think of is matting/framing the projector's lens to crop out the white frame you are seeing. I would use something that is flat black, so that it doesn't/can't reflect any of that unwanted light anywhere.


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## David_AVD (Nov 9, 2012)

A projector with a poor contrast ratio will do this.

You don't say what the playback source is, but using a digital (HDMI / DVI) connection instead of analog (composite / VGA) will often get you better blacks.


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## Gatorman (Sep 4, 2014)

Hmmm. It seems obvious but maybe I can try placing tape over the lens casing to matte out the image. Since it's a 3DFX animation, it doesn't move out of the envelope of the form. I'll try that. Thanks! 
I saw a tutorial that specifically talked about this, but now I can't find it of course.


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## sanityassassin (Mar 15, 2008)

Using foam core or cardboard make a hole in the rough shape of your projection and place it close to the lens of the projector. You can use cheap bamboo skewers and adjust the distance from the lens to get it just right.


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