When should you use a CTS (straw) gel instead of CTO?
Asked 1/6/2011
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Rosco offers both CTO (Color Temperature Orange) and CTS (Color Temperature Straw) gels in similar strengths. Since CTS looks more yellow than CTO, when would you choose CTS instead of CTO? What kinds of ambient light does CTS match, and how does it differ from CTO in practical use?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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The CTO and CTS series gels have the both have the same amount of color temprature correction power (e.g. a 1/2 CTO and 1/2 CTS gel will both convert 5000K to approximately 3800K), so they will both correct for Tungsten lighting casts equally well. The only real difference between them is that the CTO has a bit more red, and CTS has a bit more yellow...
From a portrait photographer's point of view the practical usability difference is that CTO will tend to give subjects a bit of a tanned look (depending on the strength of the CTO gel), whereas a CTS will not. My personal 'rule of thumb' is to use CTO on pale subjects who I want to add a bit of 'healthy glow' to, and CTS on folks who already have a tan, and don't need any additional help in that department. :-)
Originally by user2838. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2838
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
CTS and CTO are both color-temperature correction gels with roughly the same correction strength at a given grade. For example, a 1/2 CTO and 1/2 CTS will shift daylight-balanced light by a similar amount toward tungsten balance. The main difference is the hue: CTO is a bit redder/oranger, while CTS is more yellow/straw.
In practice, you’d choose between them based more on the look you want than on a completely different ambient source. Both can be used to warm flash toward tungsten-type light, but CTO tends to add a warmer, slightly tanned look to skin, while CTS gives a warmer result without as much red/orange.
A useful portrait rule of thumb: use CTO if you want to add a healthy warm glow to paler subjects; use CTS if your subject already has a tan or you want a cleaner yellow warmth without making skin look extra orange.
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