Gels really are nothing more than sheets of polyester that have been dyed certain colors. The term gel came from, gelatin. Back in the days of early theatre, they would dry colored gelatin and cut it into sheets. You are unable to use these now because they would burn up, thus, "tough" gels were born. Tough Gels are commonly used in lighting today.
When working with video and film there are three types of gels. Color Conversion gels, Color Correction Gels, and Color Effect Gels.
Just a quick misconception on how gels function. Most people believe they add light, this is untrue. What they actually do is absorb certain colors and transmit others, they are filters really. Gels actually remove certain colors , they doesn't add colors. Let's explain each gel category to fully understand.
Color Conversion gels are used when shooting a scene indoors but a large window is in the scene and you can see outdoor lighting. You can handle this in two ways. You can place a CTB(Color Temp Blue) gel on you indoor lights to match the exterior. But this isn't the best way. The best way is to get a large sheet of CTO(Color Temp Orange) gel and place it over the window to change the light coming in.
Color Correction gels are mostly used over fluorescent lights to offset the large amount of green the light throw off. You would place a Magenta(minus green or plus green depending on the light source) over the lighting structure.
It is important to apply both of these gels to the light source then manually white balance the camera. Why? Because you want to create light which the camera sees as white.
Finally, my favorite gel, the Color Effects gel. I use these constantly. First set your manual white balance then throw a gel over the light source. Depending on your scene. For a night mood, maybe throw on a blue on for moonlight. These gels set the mood of the scene.
I would also like to make a brief mention of Neutral Density Gels. I have two ND filters on my camera so I use these more than the gels. However, you would use these gels to absorb all light equally. It doesn't change the color of the light at all, it just reduces the light level. I usually use these when working on interior shots. Well, that's it for now. Happy gelling.
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