Best Lighting Gobos of 2026
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Lighting gobos are a versatile and creative lighting solution that can add a unique touch to any event or performance. These small, circular discs are placed in front of a light source to project a specific image or pattern onto a surface, such as a stage or wall. They come in a variety of designs, from simple shapes to intricate graphics, and can be customized to fit any theme or branding. Lighting gobos are commonly used in theater productions, concerts, and corporate events to create a memorable and visually stunning experience for the audience.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Lighting Gobos
ZHIYUN Mini Spotlight ZY Mount
The ZHIYUN Mini Spotlight is a lightweight and portable lighting accessory designed for photographers and videographers on the move. Weighing only 99 grams, it easily fits into your backpack or pocket, making it perfect for travel and outdoor shoots. It is made to work seamlessly with Zhiyun’s X-series video lights, ensuring a secure fit and unlocking new creative lighting options. You’ll also appreciate the 10 included light pattern templates that instantly add artistic effects to your shots, helping you create unique atmospheres. Additionally, the adjustable four-way barn doors let you customize the shape of your light, giving you full control over how your scenes are lit.
Alluneitter 12pcs Round Metal GOBO Kit 2.3"
The Alluneitter GOBO Lighting Set includes 12 metal discs, each with unique cut-out patterns that help you create striking light effects. With a 2.3-inch diameter, these round plates fit well with many optical snoots, giving you flexibility in your lighting setup. Using this set, you can add artistic shadows and shapes to your photos, making your shoots more creative and visually interesting. Whether you’re photographing people, food, or products, these GOBOs help you explore different lighting styles and bring a fresh look to your images.
DIFESURO Bowens Mount Optical Snoot Kit
The DIFESURO Optical Snoot Kit is a versatile lighting accessory designed to boost your creativity. It includes 25 pattern cards and 4 color filters, allowing you to add unique lighting effects to food, portraits, products, or videos. Its universal Bowens mount fits many popular lights like Aputure, Godox, and SmallRig, making it easy to integrate into your setup. The magnetic dual gobo frame lets you quickly swap patterns, saving time during shoots. Plus, the adjustable silver ring helps you focus the light precisely, so you can achieve soft or sharp effects exactly how you want. This kit is perfect for photographers looking to elevate their lighting game.
Bowens Mount Optical Snoot Kit by NULBOFU
The NULBOFU Optical Snoot Kit enhances your photography with advanced projection capabilities. You can manually adjust the aperture to create sharp patterns or wide angles, making it ideal for portrait and product photography. The kit includes five vibrant color filters that allow you to experiment with various lighting effects, while the 34 included gobos give you diverse graphic options for creative visuals. With a convenient Bowens mount design, you can easily switch between accessories during shoots, ensuring a smooth workflow and improved efficiency.
Bowens Mount Spotlight Conical Optical Snoot Kit by NULBOFU
The NULBOFU Optical Snoot Kit offers a user-friendly Bowens mount design, making it quick and easy for you to install or swap the snoot on most studio lights without hassle. Its unique 360° rotatable front lets you smoothly adjust the direction of your light patterns, giving you precise control over your shots. With a built-in shutter blade, you can shape and control the light exactly how you want, much like painting with light. Plus, the advanced optics allow you to sharpen or widen the projected patterns by adjusting the aperture ring, perfect for capturing detailed portraits or product photos with creative lighting effects.
Alluneitter Bowens Mount Optical Snoot Kit
The Alluneitter Optical Snoot offers versatile lighting effects for photographers and video artists. You can combine gobos and color gels or use them separately, allowing you to create unique and creative lighting designs. The snoot features an adjustable focus ring, which helps you sharpen your projected image for clear results. Additionally, you can easily change the aperture size to switch between narrow spot and wider light projection, making it perfect for portraits and product photography. Designed with a Bowens speedring, it is compatible with various speedring types, giving you flexibility to fit your existing equipment.
DIFESURO Bowens Mount Optical Snoot Kit
The DIFESURO Optical Snoot lets you creatively control your lighting with 31 pattern cards and 5 color filters, perfect for adding artistic effects to food, portraits, products, and videos. It fits a wide range of popular lights thanks to its universal Bowens mount, giving you flexibility with your gear. The adjustable silver ring helps you focus your light exactly how you want it, from soft glows to sharp beams, making it easy to get the perfect look. Plus, with four framing shutters, you can shape light into different geometric patterns, turning simple backgrounds into exciting setups that enhance your shots.
YSKE Optical Snoot Attachment with Gobos and Color Gels
The YSKE Optical Snoot is a versatile lighting tool designed to enhance your photography and videography. Made entirely from durable aluminum alloy, it offers excellent heat dissipation and is lightweight enough to carry easily on location. The advanced Fresnel lenses inside provide bright and clear light with minimal loss, helping you achieve professional-looking images. With the adjustable focus ring, you can smoothly switch between sharp shadows and soft lighting, giving you creative control over your shots. Plus, it fits most Bowens-mount LED lights, making it simple to set up and compatible with popular brands like Aputure and Godox.
Wellmaking Bowens Mount Optical Snoot with Gobos and Color Gel
Wellmaking Optical Snoot is a versatile accessory for photographers looking to create unique lighting effects. With the ability to use gobos and color gels together or separately, this snoot provides abundant resources for creative shooting. The focus ring design allows for clear projections, and the manual aperture size adjustment enables users to change the projection from spot to wide, making it perfect for shooting portraits and products. This snoot is compatible with Bowens, Profoto, and Elinchrom speedrings, and comes with various bayonet chucks. Made of premium metal and stainless steel, it is suitable for use with almost all powerful LED and strobe flash lights on the market. The kit includes one optical snoot, one Bowens speedring, one gobo holder, six stainless steel gobos, and four color gels (red, yellow, green, and blue).
NANLITE Bowens Mount Projection Attachment Pj-BM-25-45
The NANLITE Projection Attachment offers versatile lighting control with its easy-to-use zoom ring, allowing you to smoothly adjust the beam angle between 25° and 45°. This means you can switch from a wide light spread to a more focused beam depending on your shooting needs. Its Bowens mount compatibility ensures it works with many popular Nanlite and Aputure lights under 800W, giving you flexibility across different fixtures. The rotating barrel design lets you fine-tune the light shape precisely, while the 360° rotatable pattern feature lets you change the beam’s angle without hassle. This makes it a convenient tool for photographers and videographers seeking quick, precise light adjustments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are the different types of gobo lighting?
Gobos come in various materials, including steel, glass, and plastic. Steel gobos are the most durable but may require modifications. Metal gobos use a template to cut out the desired image.
2. Can I make my own gobos?
Yes, you can create your own gobo by following a step-by-step process. After registering your details, you can receive a proof before the gobo is manufactured. There may also be an option to join a mailing list for future offers and discounts.
3. What is an example of a gobo light?
Gobo lights can create various effects. For example, a gobo shaped like tree branches can simulate a forest setting, while a gobo with a geometric pattern can give a futuristic feel. Gobo lights can also replicate natural elements, such as sunlight filtering through leaves or the reflection of water.
4. How long do gobos last?
Gobos made with a metal plate can last over two years when used in standard lighting applications.
5. Can you put a gobo on an LED light?
Not all LED fixtures can accommodate plastic gobos. It is recommended to check with the fixture manufacturer to determine if the specific model can handle a plastic gobo in the gate. Some LED fixtures have been successfully used with Cool Ink or Cool Ink HD gobos.
6. What size gobo do I need?
The size of the gobo you need depends on the light fixture that will project it. Traditional theater-style lights like Source 4 ellipsoidal lights or LEKO lights typically use a size B gobo, which is approximately the diameter of a coke can.
7. Where do you put a gobo?
A gobo is first placed into a gobo holder or frame, which is not usually included with the lighting instrument. The size of the holder or frame may vary depending on the type of lighting fixture used. Once loaded into the gobo frame, it can be inserted into the light or rotator wheel.
During our lighting gobo research, we found 16 lighting gobo products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 6,800 customer reviews through our big data system to write the lighting gobos list. We found that most customers choose lighting gobos with an average price of $133.40.
The lighting gobos are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of lighting gobos, including ZHIYUN, Alluneitter, DIFESURO, NULBOFU, YSKE. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 99 consumers with an average rating of 4.8.
Alan Eaton is a seasoned writer whose expertise is in anything related to electronics, such as headphones, monitoring equipment, computer, and so on, built over a 15-year career in the technology industry. Working in the trade during his youth, he accumulated a great deal of knowledge about machinery.