{"id":18135,"date":"2016-02-25T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T13:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/?p=18135"},"modified":"2016-02-11T10:41:08","modified_gmt":"2016-02-11T15:41:08","slug":"get-better-paint-correction-results-by-improving-your-lighting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/get-better-paint-correction-results-by-improving-your-lighting\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Better Paint Correction Results by Improving Your Lighting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paint correction is the art of removing defects from paint in order to produce a more perfectly reflective surface. \u00a0This procedure requires specialized tools, pads, and products as well as a knowledgeable detailer.<\/p>\n

When you ask yourself “what tools do I need for paint correction?”, the most likely thing that comes to mind would be a random orbital polisher, pads, compounds… but\u00a0how much thought do you put into your\u00a0inspection lighting?<\/p>\n

\"ATD<\/p>\n

Inspection lighting<\/a> is a critical part of the correction process. \u00a0If you cannot see the defects, you can’t be sure you are removing them. \u00a0It is as simple as that.<\/p>\n

Throughout the years, I have used, and still do use, a variety of light sources during the correction process of our services. \u00a0The main types of light we use are harsh natural light (direct sunlight), LED lighting, Xenon lighting, fluorescent lighting, and halogen lighting. \u00a0Each type of light is different, and therefore effects what you are able to see on the paint.<\/p>\n

\"ATD<\/p>\n

My personal experience\u00a0is that LED lighting in the daylight color temperature (~5000K) tends to be the most revealing, and therefore is the light source that we use most often when correcting paint. \u00a0The\u00a0LED\u00a0lights have revealed flaws that are otherwise invisible, or at least very difficult to see, with other light sources. \u00a0In fact, many people will claim that a bright LED light source is more revealing than direct sunlight, which is the ultimate test as that is the light that the vehicle will be seen in most often.<\/p>\n

\"ATD<\/p>\n

Another variable when selecting a light source is the light output angle. \u00a0Different bulbs and fixtures will emit light at various angles depending on their design. \u00a0I have found that I prefer a narrower beam (spot light) for my more powerful work lights as they work very well at highlighting swirls, scratches, and most other blemishes in the paint. \u00a0I also use\u00a0hand held LED lights with a zoomable light pattern that can be changed from very narrow to very wide. \u00a0I have found that in some instances, a very wide light pattern can be beneficial in identifying light marring, product smearing, and other very hard to see details in the paint that strong directional lighting may wash out.<\/p>\n

Choosing the proper lighting can take your detailing to an entirely different level. \u00a0To reiterate, if you cannot see the defects properly, you will never know if you’re removing them. \u00a0If you’re still using the same old halogen work lights from 5 years ago, consider upgrading to a more specialized lighting system. \u00a0I’m sure you and your customers will appreciate the enhancement in your results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you looking to get better paint correction results? Zach McGovern of Attention to Detailing highlights why improving your inspection lighting is key!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":19222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[32,27,64],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18135","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-imperfection-removal","8":"category-professional-work","9":"category-submitted-questions"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24582031016_6bfbc91771_b.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1kPO7-4Iv","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18135"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19221,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18135\/revisions\/19221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}