A lightbox is a

translucent In the field of optics, transparency (also called pellucidity or diaphaneity) is the physical property of allowing light to pass through the material without appreciable scattering of light. On a macroscopic scale (one in which the dimensions a ...

surface illuminated from behind, used for situations where a shape laid upon the surface needs to be seen with high contrast.

Types

Several varieties exist, depending on their purpose: * Various backlit viewing devices: ** A container with several

lightbulb An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the so ...

s and a pane of

frosted glass Frosted glass is produced by the sandblasting or acid etching of clear sheet glass. This creates a pitted surface on one side of the glass pane and has the effect of rendering the glass translucent by scattering the light which passes through ...

on the top. It is used by photography professionals viewing

transparent Transparency, transparence or transparent most often refer to: * Transparency (optics), the physical property of allowing the transmission of light through a material They may also refer to: Literal uses * Transparency (photography), a still, ...

films, such as

slide Slide or Slides may refer to: Places * Slide, California, former name of Fortuna, California Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Slide'' (Lisa Germano album), 1998 * ''Slide'' (George Clanton album), 2018 *''Slide'', by Patrick Glees ...

s. This device was originally used to sort

photographic plate Photographic plates preceded photographic film as a capture medium in photography, and were still used in some communities up until the late 20th century. The light-sensitive emulsion of silver salts was coated on a glass plate, typically thinn ...

s with ease. When laid flat, it may be called a light table. Generally, a lightbox uses light similar to

daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunligh ...

(5,000–6,000

kelvin The kelvin, symbol K, is the primary unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside its prefixed forms and the degree Celsius. It is named after the Belfast-born and University of Glasgow-based engineer and phys ...

s (K)) and has uniform light strength on the glass pane. **In the form of vertical panels, they can also be found mounted on the walls of hospitals and medical offices to review

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

images (X-ray illuminator). ** In the science field, lightboxes are often used for looking at bacterial growth and allow better visualization for PCR plates. ** A lighted display panel used for advertising purposes. The panel can be illuminated by fluorescent light bulbs or LED lighting strips. The efficiency of light boxes improved dramatically after the introduction of LED technology. The user inserts a graphic, which can be changed easily. Some light boxes are designed especially for outdoor purposes so they are more weatherproof. * An advertising format at

Google Ads Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) is an online advertising platform developed by Google, where advertisers bid to display brief advertisements, service offerings, product listings, or videos to web users. It can place ads both in the result ...

that allows users to click and expand an ad in order to engage with it. * The fabric reflectors that attach to studio lighting via a connector to create soft lighting by diffusing the strobe flash are called "light boxes". They generally come in various rectangle or octagon shapes. Interior reflectors can be white, silver or gold to alter the temperature of light. Baffling inserts are also available. * A variation of this is a box, with one open end, made of diffusing material, to allow the photographing of a sample object with no shadows. It is also called

light tent A light tent is a box used for taking photos of objects without casting shadows. It can, for example, be used to take pictures of a physical product for use in an encyclopedia, for documentation or for marketing. The combination of evenly distribut ...

or photo cube. * A folder used on

stock photography Stock photography is the supply of photographs which are often licensed for specific uses. The stock photo industry, which began to gain hold in the 1920s, has established models including traditional macrostock photography, midstock photography, ...

to allow a user to organize digital photos. Photos can be assigned to a viewable lightbox folder by subject, for later convenience, or used to compile unrelated photos for a specific project layout. Lightboxes also allow graphic designers to show clients options for a project in one simple uncluttered folder. * The card-reader near the door in a hotel room, used as the main electric switch

References

{{reflist Photography equipment ru:Лайтбокс

Types

See also

References