A little bit of light diffusion in front of the NeoPixel strip makes it photograph better. This blends adjacent pixels, helping remove the dark striations between the tiny focused points of light.

Hardware stores were scoured in search of just the right diffuser material that could be bought ready-made or didn’t require too much extra work or precise cutting. Acrylic? Vinyl? Something higher tech and laser-cut? As it turns out, the easiest solution wasn’t in the hardware store at all, but over at the craft store…
3/4 inch white elastic! It’s already the right width, and it’s super easy to cut and attach.

You don’t even need a whole roll like this. It’ll be stretched out, so a piece about 2/3 the length of the bar will suffice.
The ends of the elastic are folded over to prevent fraying, then stapled to the ends of the bar.
Optional: for better control over the light direction, create a channel to prevent stray light out the sides.

A few 1" strips were cut from black foam core board (mat board or illustration board can work as well) then glued to the sides of the frame to create a shallow channel. It ain’t rocket surgery!

This guide was first published on Dec 10, 2013. It was last updated on Nov 09, 2013.

This page (Finishing Touches) was last updated on Dec 06, 2013.

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