Diffusion over a honeycomb grid
If I put a sheet of opal or 250 diffusion directly on top (output side) of a honeycomb grid for example, a 6×6 frame with honeycomb, or a 4-foot Astra panel with a clip-on grid it seems to completely kill the directionality. The light wraps everywhere and loses that focused, structured quality.
Is there ever a valid creative or practical reason to do this on a real set, or is it always just destroying what the grid is meant to do?
What about using a very light diffusion instead? I’ve noticed that if you use something like 1/8 or 1/4 grid cloth (not opal), some directionality remains the light just gets a bit softer and the edges feather out. That seems like a deliberate way to soften a grid’s crisp shadow without losing all control. Is that a recognised technique, or does it still compromise the grid more than it’s worth?
- Diffusing from large source to smaller source I’ve also heard of people “diffusing down” like using a large 6×6 frame with opal and then putting a smaller 4×4 diffusion (or a solid/mask) in front of it to shape the light further. What’s actually happening there? Is that just a way to crop a large soft source without making it hard again, or is it a meaningful two-stage diffusion technique? Does the light retain its softness?
Basically, I’m trying to understand when you should never put diffusion in front of a grid, when a very light diffusion might be the exception, and when layering diffusion sizes is actually useful and not just killing output for no reason.
Any rules of thumb or real-world examples would be super helpful. Thanks!