Picture Lights: Everything You Need to Know

When you’ve got a stunning piece of art, you want it to shine—literally!

Picture lights are your go-to solution for showcasing your favorite artworks and photographs. They’re not just functional; they add a layer of elegance and focus that transforms your space.

Choosing the right picture light can be as much an art as the pieces you’re illuminating. With options ranging from sleek, modern LEDs to classic, antique-style lamps, there’s a world of choices out there.

Let’s dive into how to highlight your art in the best light possible.

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What are Picture Lights?

Picture lights are specialized lighting fixtures designed with a singular focus: to cast the perfect light on wall-mounted artwork.

When you’re looking to enhance your art displays, these lights should be at the top of your list.

The design of picture lights ensures they’ll illuminate your pieces without causing damage or casting harsh shadows – definitely not something you’d want!

Types of Picture Lights

There are three broad types of picture lights you can choose from, each suited for different applications. Within these three types there are hundreds of different styles, but the three ‘main categories’ are:

• Hard-Wired Picture Lights: These are picture lights that need to be wired into your home, much like you would a normal wall light. These are arguably the most common type of picture light.
• Battery Operated Picture Lights: Next up we have battery operated picture lights, which as the name suggests are picture lights powered by batteries. These can be beneficial if you don’t want to do any drilling or wiring to install your lights – especially handy if your art is already on the wall and you don’t want to risk damaging it with tools while working above it!
• Plug-In Picture Lights: Lastly we have plug-in pendant lights, that can be plugged in to a regular plug socket. These can be handy if you have a plug socket nearby, but are the least common type of picture light due to the need to have a piece of furniture underneath your wall art to hide the wiring.

As we say though, there are likely hundreds of different picture light styles, from a standard gold stick with the light embedded within to picture lights with adjustable arms, to name a few examples.

Why Do You Need Picture Lights?

Picture lights have one main purpose – to highlight something on the wall by directly shining light upon it.

With that in mind, why specifically picture lights? Can this same thing not be achieved with regular wall lights or a pendant light hanging down from the ceiling?

Well, not really. The main reasons for this are:

Picture Lights Preserve Artwork

Picture lights emit little/no UV light, which is incredibly useful when that light source is going to be shining on your precious artwork all day.

UV light causes a whole host of problems for artwork, the main ones being that it causes the artwork to fade, as well as causing a photochemical reaction that damages the paint, leading to cracking and lifting.

Not things you want!

Picture Lights Reduce Shadows

Picture lights aren’t just placed willy-nilly on the wall. They’re positioned in the perfect position to cast a beautiful light upon the art, while limiting the shadows you normally get when light shines on something.

Shadows in the middle of a large artwork piece can really take away from the beauty of the art, so you really want to avoid shadows where possible – which is exactly what picture lights are deigned (and positioned!) to do.

Picture Lights are Designed Solely for Highlighting Artwork!

Lastly, picture lights are designed with one single thought in mind – to make artwork look as beautiful as possible.

Normal wall lights aren’t built with this in mind. Instead, they’re designed to cast as much light as possible around a room. As a result, they’re usually way too powerful to use for highlighting artwork, and they lead to many shadows (which we spoke about in the previous paragraph).

Factors to Consider When Choosing Picture Lights

When selecting the perfect picture lighting for your artwork, it’s essential to consider several factors to ensure your art is shown in its best light, literally.

Size and Structure of Your Art Piece

Start by assessing the size and structure of your art piece. The picture lighting should complement the dimensions of your artwork without overwhelming it.

For larger pieces, you might opt for lights with a wider distribution, while smaller works might only require a single art light.

• Large artwork: broader picture lighting
• Small to medium artwork: smaller, more focused art lights

Light Quality

Another factor to consider is light quality. The quality of the lighting is paramount – poor quality light really is going to be doing a disservice to your artwork.

Look for picture lights that offer a high Color Rendering Index (CRI) — the closer to 100, the better. CRI is basically a measure of how natural a color is rendered under artificial lighting vs sunlight.

In short, it ensures your art’s colors are true to life.

For a quick and easy recommendation, look at LEDs – they’re often favored for their superior CRI and energy efficiency.

Brightness and Control

Adjustable brightness levels can greatly impact both the ambiance and visibility of your artwork.

When you can adjust the brightness of your art lighting, you’re able to fine-tune the intensity to match the ambient light of the room, ensuring your art remains the focal point.

As well, there may be certain times of the day when you want quite a powerful light, such as when its dark outside in the evenings and you’ve dimmer the main lights in your home.

Or there may be other times where its bright enough in the room to not want the dedicated picture lights shining brightly as well, so having the option to adjust the brightness can be a life-saver.

Installation and Power Source

Another (quite important!) factor you’ll want to consider when choosing your picture lights are what type you go for – hardwired, battery operated, or plug-in.

Hardwired options are seamless, but not always feasible – especially so if you’re someone who loves to change up their interior design a lot. You don’t want to be filling in a load of holes where your picture lights used to be and then go through the hassle of re-wiring in the new location!

Battery-operated art lights offer flexibility but may require more maintenance, as the batteries can die quite frequently if your picture lights will be on 24/7.

Lastly, plug-in picture lights are a great option, but if you’ve not got any furniture to hide the cable behind, it can be quite unsightly – even more so if you’re planning to have more than one picture light in close proximity to one another.

What Size Should Picture Lights Be?

Selecting the right size for your picture lighting is crucial for illuminating your art in the best possible light.

The rule of thumb is that art lighting fixtures should measure approximately half the width of the picture they’re illuminating. This ensures an even distribution of light across the artwork without it spilling over the edges and detracting from the piece itself.

When thinking about size, consider the following:

• Slim vs. Broad Fixtures: Slim fixtures work well for minimalist or contemporary art, while broader ones can match the grandeur of classical or large-scale pieces.
• Light Coverage: Ensure the light covers the entire artwork but doesn’t create a glare or illuminate the surrounding wall excessively.

Here’s a quick reference guide for an optimal art light size relative to the artwork’s width:

Artwork Width	Recommended Light Size
Up to 14 inches	7 inches
15 to 30 inches	7 to 15 inches
31 to 48 inches	15 to 24 inches
Over 48 inches	Custom-fit sizes

Remember, picture lights shouldn’t overpower your artwork but complement it. Adjustable picture lights are invaluable for finding the perfect angle and position, catering to both the picture’s size and the nuances of its frame.

Also think about brightness and quality of light. LED picture lights in particular provide a superior level of brightness and color accuracy, ensuring your art stands out.

Plus, they’re known for their longevity and energy efficiency.

Closing Remarks

To wrap up then, picture lights are a must-have if you have wall art you want to show off.

There are a number of different options to choose from, and within those options you have hundreds of different styles, so there’s no shortage to finding the perfect picture light for your setup.

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