PhosphorProjection mapping with free software, step by step
You have a projector, a wall or an object, and a Mac. Here is how to map video onto it with Phosphor, which is free and open source, in about ten minutes: no plug-ins, no second app, no licence.
1. Connect the projector and send an output to it
Plug the projector in as a second display (HDMI or USB-C). In Phosphor, open the Output & Stats panel, add an output and choose the projector in "Send output to screen". The output covers that display edge to edge with no menu bar, and your laptop screen keeps the controls.
2. Add a surface and drag its corners
In the Mapping panel add a surface (a quad). Four handles appear on the output: drag each corner until the picture sits on the wall, box or doorway you are mapping. You can drag them on the projector itself (Edit on output) or on the small canvas in the panel. Each surface shows the whole mix or one layer, so one projector can show several pictures on several things.
3. Bend it: mesh warp, masks and soft edges
Curved or uneven? Turn the surface into a mesh (up to 8×8 points) and pull the inside points, the picture warps smoothly between them. Add masks (polygons, circles, triangles, with soft edges and inversion) to keep light off windows, people or the parts of the object you want dark. Colour-correct each output so two projectors match.
4. Two projectors? Blend the overlap
Give each projector its own output and overlap them a little. Edge blending fades the overlap on both sides with an adjustable curve, so the seam disappears. Venue presets remember a whole room (outputs, surfaces, masks) so a return visit is one click.
5. Play something on it
Drop movies, images or sound files into the clip grid, or use the built-in generators and ISF shaders. Phosphor finds the beat in the music by itself and locks the clips to it, so the mapping moves with the sound. A phone becomes a remote by scanning the QR code in the Session panel: walk to the wall and adjust from there.
LED strips too
The same picture can drive LED strips and matrices over Art-Net or sACN: place fixtures on the picture in the LED / DMX panel and the pixels under them go out to the lights.
Questions
Do I need MadMapper or Resolume Arena for this?
No. Phosphor does corner-drag mapping, mesh warp, masks, edge blending, several outputs and LED mapping in one free app, and plays the content too.
Can it map onto 3D objects?
Yes: surfaces, meshes, masks and line slices for most objects, and 3D models (OBJ with UVs) seen through a virtual projector for the rest.
What hardware do I need?
An Apple-silicon Mac and any projector that shows up as a display. Capture cards, cameras, Syphon and NDI work as inputs if you want live sources.
Is it really free?
Yes, free and open source (GPL), no watermark or trial. A free account keeps a few projects online; paying only adds storage.
More: free VJ software for Mac · coming from MadMapper · coming from Resolume · coming from VDMX.