Step 1: The Equipment needed to get started.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PROJECTOR
There are many projector options out there and understanding the differences between them is very important.
PROJECTOR ENCLOSES (optional)
Projector enclosures are a good thing to invests in if you don't want to set up your projector each night and re-align. There are a few key things to keep in mind when looking to make or purchase an enclosure. Weathertight, theftproof, and breathable.
Weathertight: When we say weathertight, we mean if a storm happens to come through, you'll have confidence that the projector will stay dry. Of course these boxes will have openings and vents but as long as the projector doesn't get direct rain or snow, it will be fine.
Theftproof: There are many things that are recommended to help your box from being stolen. The first thing is putting a lock on the door so no one can just open it up and steel the projector. Another one I strongly recommend is Earth Anchors. I personally use 4 earth anchors per box to help it stay in the ground. There are many different kinds you can find on amazon but these will help from someone walking off with your whole setup. Lastly we use window alarms. They go off based on vibrations. So if anyone tries ripping the box out of the ground, taking a sledgehammer to it, or even unscrewing the box apart, the window alarm should go off and trust me, these things are loud and should definitely scare the thief's away.
Breathable: These projectors put off a lot more heat than you could imagine. Simply putting air vents on your box isn't enough and your projector will overheat without adding a couple USB fans in there as well. Also make sure your box is large enough to where there is several inches of empty space all around the projector.
LAPTOP FOR MAPPING/CONTENT CREATION
You'll definitely need a laptop to bring out to where the projector is at for the mapping part. It is also important for content creation for building your show if you plan on doing that yourself. These are covered in the following steps.
Step 2: Outlining/Mapping of the house
Now that you know all the hardware you need for projection mapping, understanding the mapping part is extremely important. Once you find the exact spot the projector will project from, make sure it doesn't move from there, or at least make marks where it was placed at if you plan on bring in every evening.
There are many different projection mapping software's out there, many that cost money but here is a free one that is a very popular option.
https://fxprojections.com/outliner-software
After you download this program to your computer, plug your computer into your projector via HDMI and open up the program. Make sure you go to your computers settings and mirror the 2nd display, not extend. Then the whole screen turns white and simply using your curser, drag and drop lines around the boarder of your house, windows, doors, and trim. Instead of looking at the computer screen, you'll actually be looking at your house the whole time while doing this.
The image below is now your mapped house. You can either importing this into a video editing program and create the show yourself, or you can send this image to a professional and have they create the show for you. Well talk about these options in the next step.
Step 3: Creating your own show or paying for your show.
To create or pay, that is the questions... In this next section we will go over the pros and cons to creating your own show vs paying the pros to build you a show.
To Create:
To create is a very exciting and self rewarding but be prepared to put the time in learning. In order to create, you must have a good computer that can handle a video editing software program. The two most popular programs are Adobe After Effects and DaVinci Resolume. After Effects is the go-to for many because it is such a good and powerful program but does have a monthly fee of $30. This is the same program that many movies are made in for the effects part such as Avengers and Avatar. The second is DaVinci Resolume. This is also a very good program and has a free version that you can use and get you very good show as well. Now both of these programs have a bit of a learning curve so expect to spend some time messing around with them and learning how they work.
Pros to creating yourself
- You have complete control how you final video looks
- You can always add more later on or even do simple edits
- Self rewarding to know you accomplished it by yourself
Cons to creating yourself
- It usually ends up costing a bit unless you stick with the free software
- Very time consuming learning the software
To Pay:
To pay is simply the easiest and quickest way of getting a show done and put on your house. The amount of time spent learning these video editing programs is the main reason people end up just buying pre-made shows fitted to their house. Also if you don't have a good computer that can handle the programs and rendering, it would be much cheaper just to pay for the show than buy a brand new computer. Plus finding good content isn't always easy and often times cost money.
Pros to pay
- Saves time from having to learn
- Usually saves money in the long run
- They usually are using content that typically would cost you extra to get
Cons to pay
- Might look perfect from behind the computer but once projected on house, they might have missed details that you would of caught doing it yourself
When it comes down to it, it really depends on how much time and money are you willing to put towards this. If you have the time to learn the programs and are alright with spending the money for the computer and programs, then creating yourself is the way! But if your not wanting to spend the money on a good computer and programs and want it done quickly, simply send over the outline to the pros and they can quickly put a show together on your house.
