mapplight.com / Guides
Projection mapping guides
Practical, free guides for lighting a stage, a room, an event, a building or your house with a projector: the gear, the setup and the ideas, with real renders from the app.
Guides
Projection mapping for beginners
What projection mapping is, the gear you need, and a first project you can finish in an evening with any projector and a browser. Plain-language guide with no jargon.
Free projection mapping software
The free options for projection mapping in 2026, what each one limits, and how to map a stage, a room or a house front for free in your browser with no watermark.
Best projector for projection mapping
How to choose a projector for projection mapping: real ANSI lumens for each job, throw ratio and distance, laser vs lamp, inputs, and what to buy at each budget.
Stage backdrop projection
Project scenery onto a stage backdrop and set flats for a school play, church or community theatre: projector placement, avoiding shadows, cueing scenes, and a free setup.
Wedding cake projection mapping
Map light onto a wedding cake: which cakes work, the projector and stand you need, how to trace each tier, timing it with the first dance, and what venues ask for.
Building projection mapping
How to projection map a building facade for a light festival, an opening or a church: brightness per square metre, throw distance, permits, tracing the architecture, and content that reads from the street.
Halloween house projection
Ideas and setup for Halloween projection on your house: ghost windows, a haunted facade, which visuals scare from the street, and a timeline so it is ready by October 31.
Christmas house projection
Christmas projection on your house: projector vs lights, mapping snow, candles and string lights onto the walls and windows, running it all season, and a New Year switch.
House projection guide
A practical guide to projecting on your house for Christmas or Halloween: how many lumens you need, throw distance, where to put the projector, step-by-step mapping, and troubleshooting.
Comparisons
Projection mapping software compared
A plain comparison of projection mapping software in 2026: mapplight.com, MadMapper, HeavyM, Resolume Arena and Lazy Lighting. Platforms, pricing model, learning curve and who each one suits.
MadMapper alternative
When MadMapper is the right tool, when it is more than you need, and how mapplight.com compares on price, platforms, setup time and features for stages, rooms and events.
HeavyM alternative
How mapplight.com compares with HeavyM for projection mapping: platforms, phones and tablets, pricing, built-in visuals and when HeavyM is the better pick.