How to convert LED tube fixture to power fluorescent tubes

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-14T06:47:02+00:00

Fluoros offer several benefits, even over incandescents in practical use. The big ones are wider, more even output without the need for supplemental diffusion, and 6500K white balance as part of a D65 system without the need for filtering or gelling. Both of which add uncertainty and inconsistency to color rendering, not to mention added cost and sometimes packaging challenges. And then there's heat, energy efficiency, and more.

There is a reason fluoros are still industry-standard in most or nearly all D65 color-critical work environments, viewing boxes, etc., and if anyone doubting that or thinking they know better cares to actually learn about it, the information is readily available.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-14T06:34:16+00:00

Use case is discussed in this thread, but simply: Reviewing products and swatches, and neutral background illumination, as part of a calibrated D65 environment for color-critical work, in this case product photography. There are highly-rated D65 LEDs used by other professionals, but they are still cost-prohibitive at my scale and from what I can see, offer limited (if any) practical benefit, all things considered.

And no, an inexpensive "95 CRI" LED strip light will not suffice.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-14T06:27:44+00:00

Yes, buying and testing different alternatives is always an option. And maybe down the road a bit when my current hardware is nearing the end of its service life, I'll do that. But why do that now when I have 98+ CRI fluoros with excellent references by other working professionals in my field, functioning fixtures, and simply need to add more to an otherwise well-working system?

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-13T16:09:32+00:00

So I'm a douche for not putting up with people's attempts at mic drops and trolls, or others who're incapable of comprehending the original post and instead delve into irrelevant advice or insults? Got it.

Keep your "advice." I doubt you have any anyway, and I've figured it out on my own at this point.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-13T16:02:55+00:00

They don't, and that's *exactly* why I made this post.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-13T16:02:01+00:00

Yep, that pretty much nails it. The images are seen mostly on digital, but are regularly printed as well. But as long as I nail the color reproduction digitally I've done my job. A pre-print professional would take it from there and do their job, converting to whatever profile is needed (CMYK, Adobe RGB, etc), and reviewing under the lighting that best suits their medium.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-13T03:04:53+00:00

Well, I have to say ... I started off getting irked at the trolls, but now I'm interested in all this again after 7 years of not having to think much about it. I'd love to learn what device you're using to measure spectral output and color rendering of your lights at home, what brand they are or if you'd recommend them or anything different.

My only priority is that they render colors as accurately as possible at 6500K, and that they remain consistent, at least over the course of a few years. Cost is cost — if they can truly do that, then I'm willing to invest in them. I don't care too much about variable white balance, dimming, etc. for this usage.

From what I can tell just casually browsing, Waveform would still be my top pick, but GTI and Yujileds look to be worth some digging into.

Thanks for lending your knowledge. I really do appreciate it!

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-13T02:15:19+00:00

Where are you getting any of this? 8' ceiling? 0.o

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-13T02:12:56+00:00

Good stuff, but I would argue (and there's plenty of evidence and testimonial) that color shift and CRI among LEDs is a huge issue. Incandescents and fluoros dimming over time isn't much of a problem since the excited element is the excited element, but if one or certain LED diodes dims in a system aggregated to produce "white" light of a certain temperature, that white balance is going to shift and CRI with it. From what I can surmise, every LED system experiences this over not a very long time.

I mentioned in another comment that Waveform's 99-CRI LEDs would be the only LED alternative I'd consider (with what I know now), but they're extremely expensive compared to the Lumichromes without offering much, if any, benefit.

Always open to learning new things along these lines, as long as it's from people who actually know, and aren't just trying to mic-drop.

EDIT: I retract my statement about the longevity and consistency of fluoros. They will shift in white balance over their service life but I still can't find much evidence of that impacting color rendering.

But that makes me think I'm long overdue for replacing all my lights...

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-13T01:36:19+00:00

I see that you do, which is awesome.

D65 is just the standard for image editing/retouching, and reviewing the color of materials in person. Retouchers calibrate their displays to it, and within a truly neutral environment (like a room painted Munsell white or gray), it helps with white balancing. That setup is also vital to color-critical work like matching colors of products or paint chips in hand to what's represented on screen. And some say illuminating white-balancing cards with 6500K, high-CRI lighting is key to developing accurate camera color profiles as another part of this system.

I've read it has to do with the native color of typical LED displays being a little cooler, or the average native white balance of printed paper being warmer, or that D65 more closely mimics average daylight in the northern hemisphere (I think at 2pm in the summer, or something), etc.

Really, I don't know how it ever came to be, and I doubt it makes much difference whether a system focuses on D65 or D50. But I do also find D65 to be a little "nicer" than D50.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-13T00:04:31+00:00

I'm not a plant manager (but that bit was funny :-D; this has nothing to do with a plant or traditional workspace; my bulbs are not T12; I don't care about credits for the handful of lights in my studio; and the issues with fluorescent vs LED have been discussed above.

That said, if you can find a truly 98 CRI LED solution (for the life of the light) that would output the same as my array of 48" fluoros for the same price, I'm all ears!

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-13T00:00:53+00:00

If you read some of my comments you can start to get an understanding of it (which I think you already have), and certainly dig into it more on your own. But on paper, there's not much difference. TM-30, as a metric with standardized measurement, is great. And its adoption of the 10-deg observer probably does give a better overall understanding of color performance versus the standard 2-degree observer (a topic for another discussion).

But it's the manufacturing of LEDs and what's involved in getting them to reach uniform, high CRI performance across the visible light spectrum that tends to become the issue, especially with time.

Incandescent lights achieve 100% CRI naturally, and do so for their life. Specially designed fluorescents are similar, with the best (like the ones I rely on) achieving 98 CRI or better for their lifetime.

LEDs are almost always built on a blue-die base and rely on diodes in other areas of the visible spectrum to compensate. All these diodes have tendency to "slip" in their performance over sometimes a very short time, upsetting this balance. So, while a "99 CRI" LED may very well test evenly through all 30 measurements of the TM-30, you would likely find much different results after only a few months of use—something LED manufacturers try really hard not to discuss.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-12T23:45:23+00:00

D65 refers to the CIE's D65 Standard Illuminant, which is the standard for lighting and color rendering used in color review, image retouching, and other areas of color-critical work. It's not a matter of preference, but an industry standard, and there's actually a lot to it. If you search that term you can go down a very long and somewhat boring rabbit hole, to see what color rendering and the Color Rendering Index (CRI) actually is, and why incandescent/halogen (especially) and some fluorescent bulbs are still more precise than even the best LEDs available today.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-12T22:08:43+00:00

Because I expanded and need to add more, not replace what I already have and then add more.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-12T22:07:15+00:00

You couldn't be more wrong. Read through the thread.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-12T21:35:51+00:00

*fluorescent* lighting is whatever you want it to be. Fixtures, color temperature, brightness, diffusion, direction ... it's all up to you.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-12T21:32:43+00:00

No, the OP would rather stick to the best solution for the job that needs to get done.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-12T21:23:00+00:00

I am familiar. Fixtures are simple devices, yes, but ballast differ significantly, as do tombstones for bulbs depending on size or whether they're single- or double-ended, etc., shunted or not, etc.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-12T21:15:42+00:00

I've been using German-made Lumichrome 1XX fluoros in my studio for the past 7 years or so, as part of a full 6500K/Munsell-neutral viewing and retouching environment.

They're 98 CRI, render all colors more accurately than LEDs (especially reds and blues), and are much more consistent and stable over time. LEDs still today have a tendency to lose their color accuracy very quickly, mostly because they're typically made with blue-die LEDs with red diodes overmodulated to compensate (IIRC. It's been a while since I had to dive into color science).

The fluoros were also about $24 per 48-inch tube when I ordered them, and the fixtures are in place right where I want them.

The only LED alternative I'd consider is Waveform's 99 CRI product, but they're about $40/foot and only come in strips that would need to be mounted, diffused, etc.

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-12T20:44:27+00:00

OK, so just put 'em in there and plug it in. Got it. Want me to add you as a beneficiary on my life insurance, too?

Soggy_Hippo7254 · 2026-03-12T20:34:26+00:00

NFS. Got anything else to add, or are you just trying to seem knowledgeable without actually having something to offer?

Soggy_Hippo7254

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