SKILL: Neon & Practical Lighting

Version: 1.0 | Hermes Agent Lighting System

DESCRIPTION

Mastery of gas-discharge and incandescent practical light sources as primary or motivated illumination. Covers neon tubing (argon/mercury blue, neon red-orange), LED practicals, tungsten practicals, and fluorescent sources. Emphasizes color bleed between sources, bloom/glow control, and iris specification for bokeh character.

TRIGGER KEYWORDS

practical lighting, neon tube, neon light, neon sign, practical light, motivated lighting, neon glow, colored light, LED light, tungsten bulb, fluorescent, glow, bloom, halo, in-frame light source, color cast

CORE RULES

• Practical lights must be visible in frame — they are both source and subject
• Neon red-orange (610–640nm) and argon blue (450–490nm) are the two signature gas types
• Bloom and glow are characteristics, not errors: overexpose practicals slightly for authenticity
• Color bleed from neon contaminates nearby surfaces — specify which surfaces pick up which colors
• Iris at T2–T2.8 creates bokeh from out-of-focus practicals in background
• Mixed sources create complex color environments; describe each source independently
• Fluorescent flicker at 50–60Hz creates subtle strobing — use for unease or period authenticity