Best Light Painting Tools in 2023 for Mesmerising Photos

If you’re new to the exciting world of light painting, you may be wondering what light painting tools to buy first.

Many light painters start off by using a simple torch or the light from a smartphone screen.

However, you’ll find that there’s so much more to light painting when you use the right accessories.

In this short roundup, I’ll tell you about the best brands for classic light painting accessories, such as swords or tubes.

I’ll also include some exciting tools that will get you thinking out of the box – from juggling pins to laser projectors.

There are options for all budgets and skill levels – light painting needn’t be expensive or complicated.

Let’s get you started using light in ways you can’t even imagine!

What are the Best Light Painting Tools in 2023?

LITEBLADE®

If you want to experiment with light swords, LITEBLADE® is one of the top brands.

The products are designed by two light painting photographers, so you know they’re tried and tested.

The setup includes a Klarus XT11 GT Pro flashlight, a KYO BLADE V2.0 attachment, and all the Liteblades you want.

 

The Kyo Blade is the attachment system that allows you to connect up to two Liteblades to the flashlight.

The Liteblades come in different shapes and sizes. The Kyo Blade is very sturdy and resists even the most energetic movements.

Light Painting Brushes 

One of the best Light Painting Brushes tools is the universal connector.

The starter kits all come with a flashlight. However, you can use the universal connector to use their tools with any flashlight that is 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter.

Amongst its light sources, you’ll find fibre-optics brushes, collapsible light swords, opaque and translucent light writers, light pens, and plexiglass brushes.

 

You can watch tutorials on their website to learn how to create amazing illumination techniques using the Light Painting Brushes tools.

Also, you can check the work of their brand ambassadors. They are light painting photographers who will give you inspiration for you to create your own work.

Luminosify

Luminosify sells a wide variety of light painting tools called Choobs. The Choobs are light tubes you can use with a flashlight no bigger than 2.8cm in diameter.

The fact that they only sell light painting tubes doesn’t mean that you’ll be limited. The Choobs can be single-colored, including ones that mimic famous heroes and villains.

 

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There are also tri-colored, rainbow, and candy cane Choobs to create beautiful effects. You’ll also find a wide range of other tools to modify the choob length, create patterns, etc.

You’ll find a guide to their products on the Luminosify website to understand which light painting tools are best for you.

You’ll also find a gallery that shows what professional light painters have created and which tools they’ve used.

Threeworlds

Threeworlds is an Australian brand dedicated to sound and motion healing and meditation.

I chose to include them in this short list because they have very original tools for light painting – both with LED light and fire.

Many elements are interchangeable components, so you can build your own tools for light painting.

There’s also a dedicated part of their e-shop to buy DIY parts to give free rein to your creativity.

 

You’ll also find hula hoops, juggling balls, clubs, and rings. There are also fans, wands, diabolos, frisbees, and many other fun tools.

While they’re not necessarily in the light painting business, you can definitely use their products for light painting photography. You’ll find all of these in the Move section of the website.

Ants on a melon

Don’t be put off by the unusual name – light painting with Ants on a Melon all starts with the RGB Critter 2.0.

This is an LED color-changing flashlight with 39 colors and 93 color patterns.

You can also customize the speed of the color patterns.

 

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It has a built-in microphone for sound reactivity and a built-in sensor for movement reactivity.

It’s also rechargeable via USB, so you don’t have to worry about batteries. It charges in less than two hours.

Ants on a Melon has over 120 light painting brushes and accessories you can easily attach to the RGB Critter to create unique designs.

LaserCube

LaserCube is a portable laser projector that allows you to do all kinds of incredible things with light.

Amongst the many features, you can do 3D mapping and tracing of any object, laser shows, banding effects, light calligraphy, holograms, etc.

 

There are many creative accessories, such as the diffraction lens, and technical accessories for the LaserCube, such as the rain cover.

LaserCube is fully compatible with the LaserOS app, MadMapper, Touchdesigner, and other popular software.

You’ll find many tutorials on their website, together with the user guide.

What Do People Use for Light Painting?

 

When you’re starting, you don’t need fancy light painting tools – all you need are light sources.

You can start with a torch, sparklers, the torch from your smartphone, etc.

Once you become more skilled, you might want to start exploring other tools, such as light painting brushes.

At this point, you need to consider color, shape, and size so you can choose the right light painting tool.

For example, use small translucent light painters to do light calligraphy because it leaves a very defined trace.

Instead, you can use swords or tube light painting tools if you want to create ribbons and waves.

Not just that, you’ll also need to consider the space you have available and the movement you plan to do.

If you’re working in a tight space, maybe a long sword isn’t the best idea – look for shorter light painting tools so you have more range of motion.

Starter kits are the best way to understand light painting tools.

Most brands have them, and they have a wide variety of light painting brushes and tools that will give you enough possibilities to experiment.

As you get more experienced as a light painter, you’ll know which length and shape the tools need to have to create what you need.

I also advise you to follow the social media accounts of different brands.

They usually publish the work of a professional light painter and say which one of their products they were using.

Also, on their websites, they often have a guide or sample images associated with the product.

This way, you know what to expect from the tools and decide which one to buy for your light painting.