Difference between Par Cans & LED uplights?

Idk about Par Cans but LEDs put off light like the little laser pens wouldn't really saturate the room

LEDs are super bright and will give you lost of light. LEDs will saturate a relatively close area. Par Cans are like spot lights (I think) and so will kind of just saturate a certain selected area.

Par Cans are stage lights and really saturate. Prob is the colors are limited and cannot be altered throughout the night. LED's are bright, but more concentrated and can be changed to all kinds of different shades of different colors. They can also be changed throught the event. We are having LED lighting to illumiate the room in orange and yellow hues, which will change throughout the night. Oh, one more thing, stage lights are bigger and harder to make inconspicuous.

The major pro for using LED lights is that they don't give off any heat. Traditional cans burn a lot more energy and give off extra heat & sometimes a funky smell. LED's use less energy and there are tons more color options available.

Also Par Cans can get very hot and could be a fire hazard. LED lights are really the way to go

The major advantage of PAR cans is that they are less expensive than LED spotlights. Thus, if you buy them for the wedding, and resell them afterward, they are the most economical alternative.

The major advantages of LED spotlights are:

• They require less power than PAR cans. Depending on the wiring at you venue, PAR cans may overwhelm the wiring and blow fuses.

• They are cooler than PAR cans. If you've got drunk guests or small children, you will have to be very careful about the placement of PAR cans.

• They can be changed over the course of the reception. For example, if you wanted pink lights during the dinner hour, and blue lights for the dancing, you could program that with LED lights. With PAR cans, you would physically have to remove one color gel and replace it with another. LED lights can also be programmed to change colors in a pattern, if you want more dramatic effects.

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If you want to do uplighting, the first thing you need to do is to talk to the venue about its requirements. Some will not allow uplighting except by professionals. If your venue will allow DIY uplighting, then you need to think about a) whether you want more complex effects than PAR cans will allow, and b) whether the heat of PAR cans would be an issue for you. We used PAR cans, and loved the effect and the economy of them, but YMMV.

Some differences: LED don't generate heat, and a conventional will. LED CAN be used for more colors at once BUT you need a controller in order to make that happen. With a conventional, you'll need gel for each light. Either one can create a narrower beam or more of a wash IF YOU ORDER THE CORRECT BEAM SPREAD but you need to know what that is before you order. If you want more of a wash, uplights won't give you the effect, regardless of which type you use. The beam needs to spread out, and the only way to do that is to elevate them and aim them across the room. That means stands. If you try it with uplights on the floor, you'll need a minimum of 50 degree beams, and most LED are more like 14 - 25 at best. And with a spread that wide, the light will be so diffuse you won't see it.

Basically, there's some math involved in achieving these effects. And some skill. You can DIY, but it's more than just set a light on the floor and plug it in.

Thank you all for your help. We are definitely having it done professionally. I just want to make sure we choose the right company. One is offering Par Cans and the other LEDs. Just want to get the best for the money and want to make sure the whole room is lit in deep blue only

One more thought: LED range in price from under $100, to over $1,000 to purchase. There are huge differences in output, beam spread, feature set, etc. While the average consumer may not appreciate or even need all the features of a more expensive product, a professional should know the capabilities AND LIMITATIONS of the equipment they use. So make sure you and the person you hire are on the same page, and get it in writing.

Great question!! Thanks for asking because I'm just now starting to think about lighting. I know what I want to do and think it will be easy to DIY but not sure. Didn't even know of the options! Some of you seem to know a lot about this so maybe you can help me. The 1st pic is of the beach house we are renting. The 2nd is the effect I'm thinking of. I want to do blue uplighting on the decks....I was thinking in between the windows/doors/etc. Ideas? Suggestions?

Hey LenW, it looks like you're in my area. I was thinking about doing my own uplighting, but perhaps you could provide me with a quote.

Be happy to. Where is your wedding? E-mail me for details. BTW, we travel all over the midwest.

If you are thinking DIY uplighting at all go with LEDs so you don't deal with the heat of halogen fixtures or finding the right gel. Wireless uplights are a great option because you don't plug anything in, don't have to worry about dead outlets or bad outlets at the venue, and the colors are rich and saturated. These DIY lights have a wireless controller to allow for getting various shades of blue or any color. They use 1w LEDs so the colors are more rich than cheaper 10mm led fixtures.

Led par cans like this : http://en.ofweek.com/Product/Hot-70W-Rgba-LED-Par-Cans-prod-11745-437762.html

led uplights is what?