Calibration adapts movement and colours to the actual venue. Create profiles and add physical lights first. Then calibrate moving-head directions and limits, and adjust fixture-model colours where needed.

Guide version: development version dated 2 October 2026. This covers the shared desktop editor in normal and developer views. Older installation packages may look different.

1. What does calibration change?

• Movement calibration belongs to an individual physical light in the current stage. It describes its installation, directions, limits and home positions at this venue.
• Colour calibration is saved in the fixture profile. It applies to lights and stages using that profile within the project.
• Test values help test a light, but are not all saved as show settings. Additional calibration channels and test brightness are temporary, for example.

Important distinction: copying a stage preserves its movement limits, but those must be checked at the new venue. A profile colour change can also affect previously saved venues.

2. Prepare for calibration

1. Stop the show and open Stage Setup.
2. Select the correct Project and Stage setup.
3. Check the light's profile, location and DMX address in Stage Fixtures. A moving-head profile needs correct Pan and Tilt channels.
4. Check the Art-Net connection in Network Outputs.
5. Enable Enable Art-Net output when ready to test the actual light.

With output enabled, changing controls can move the light immediately. Check its direction and keep the test area clear. Use low test brightness where needed. Entering calibration values without a real light does not verify directions or limits.

This guide covers DMX fixture calibration. WLED devices do not use mechanical Pan/Tilt limits.

3. Select the moving head and open its shutter if needed

1. Open Moving Head Calibration.
2. Select the physical light in Moving head.
3. Confirm by its name and actual response that you are adjusting the intended device.

If the list is empty, check that the light is added to the current stage and its profile includes Pan and Tilt. A saved profile alone is not a stage light.

Additional calibration channels provides two temporary auxiliary channels. Use these, for example, to open a shutter or select an operating mode needed for testing. Channel numbers are fixture-relative, not absolute DMX addresses.

Auxiliary values are not saved to the profile or show settings. If the show also needs a shutter-opening value, configure it in Fixture Editor's Channel defaults. Always use the actual device's manual.

4. Set directions and movement limits

Left and Right always mean the lighting operator's view from the audience towards the stage. Use that same viewpoint when aiming into the audience area.

Enter values based on where the light actually points. The left-limit number may be higher than the right-limit number; no separate Reverse setting is needed.

Rear movement area

Rear and middle fixtures display Rear movement area. Despite its name, this section also defines normal movement limits for middle-area fixtures.

1. Set Light points fully left to the desired area's left boundary.
2. Set Light points fully right to its right boundary.
3. Set Light points as high as allowed to the highest permitted direction.
4. Set Light points as low as allowed to the lowest permitted direction.
5. Set Home position — pan and Home position — tilt to a suitable position within those limits.

Limits define the area you want to use at this venue. Do not automatically use the fixture's full mechanical travel.

Band area for front lights

Front fixtures display Band area. Set their band-facing movement limits and home position there. Available sections depend on the Location selected in Stage Fixtures.

If the fixture is mounted differently or moved to another location category, recheck directions and the applicable calibration areas.

5. Movement group, performer and audience area

Position in movement group

Select Left, Center or Right. Left and Right fixtures can move as mirror images; Center fixtures move in the same direction.

This does not replace Stage Fixtures' Location or From left settings. It is not speed direction either. Configure Movement speed direction in the profile using the fixture's channel table.

Default performer target

For a front moving head, select Stage target in calibration and aim at that performer with Pan and Tilt. General stage means no separate performer target is selected.

The target position is a default position. Show movement effects can temporarily override it.

Audience area

The audience area is separate. Define its limits only for intentional audience use.

For middle-area and rear-floor moving heads, Audience area requires per-fixture enabling. It is off by default, with its controls dimmed. Enabling permits use of the area; it does not mean the light will always point into the audience.

Calibration alone does not make every light beam suitable for audience exposure. Assess use according to the device and venue.

6. Save and check every light

1. Click Save calibration for selected light.
2. Select the next moving head and calibrate it.
3. Return to Stage Fixtures and click Save stage setup.
4. If needed, select the lights again to check the saved configuration.

Both steps matter: Save calibration for selected light updates the editor's fixture calibration. Save stage setup writes the complete venue configuration to disk.

Copy calibration and Paste calibration can speed up similar-light setup. Treat the copy as a starting point: check each light's actual direction, mounting, limits and home position before saving. Identical models do not necessarily have identical physical orientation.

7. RGB colour calibration

Colour calibration matches a fixture model's output to named colours. Different models can produce different hues from the same channel values.

1. Open Fixture Editor → Color Calibration.
2. Select the profile and named colour to calibrate.
3. Adjust supported Red, Green, Blue, White, Amber and UV values. Use only channels defined in the profile.
4. Set suitable Test brightness — Dimmer before testing.
5. Use Test color on all matching stage lights and assess the actual output.
6. Click Save color calibration. Repeat for the named colours you need.

Testing affects all lights using that profile in the current stage, not just one physical fixture. Test brightness is temporary and is not saved as the colour's show brightness.

Load universal defaults supplies starting values, not measurements for your specific model. Check the real output and save the desired calibration.

8. Colour-wheel calibration

Profiles with Color wheel display Named Color wheel values.

1. Select the correct profile.
2. Mark Available for named colours the device provides.
3. Enter each colour's Color wheel DMX value from the manual.
4. Test the hue and adjust within that colour's range if needed.
5. Click Save color calibration. The named colour-wheel rows are saved together.

With output enabled, changing a row can test that colour on matching lights. Choose a stable colour value, not a rainbow-rotation or other special-function value.

Use the named-colour view for a profile with a colour wheel. Assigning a Color wheel channel alone does not tell the application which value represents red, for example.

9. If the result is unexpected

• The light is missing from Moving head: check that it is added to the stage and its profile has Pan and Tilt.
• The light does not move: check selection, address, channel mode and Art-Net output.
• It moves but stays dark: check dimmer, colour channels and the shutter-opening value. Temporary calibration channels do not replace a profile's permanent default.
• Left and right appear reversed: use the audience-to-stage viewpoint and assign values for actual directions. Numbers do not need to increase from left to right.
• Movement speed is reversed: correct Movement speed direction in Fixture Editor, not the numerical ordering of movement limits.
• Several lights change during a colour test: testing matching-profile lights together is intentional.
• Calibration seems lost: check project and stage, and that Save stage setup was used. Save colour calibration separately with Save color calibration.

10. Checklist

• Each moving head was checked in its actual mounting position.
• Left, right, upper and lower directions were observed on the fixture.
• Home positions and any performer targets are appropriate.
• Audience-area permission and limits were chosen intentionally.
• Any required show shutter default is in the profile, not only in a temporary test channel.
• Movement calibrations and the stage are saved; colour calibrations are saved to the profile.
• Tests are stopped before returning to normal show operation.

Next: Venue settings. Finish the configuration for this space and check the complete rig before the show.

Verification: this guide is based on inspection of editor and persistence source code. No physical lighting or colour tests were run, and no user calibrations were changed, while writing this guide.