Turns out you can build your own RGB LED tubes with parts straight from AliExpress. And in some ways, they’re even better than the expensive ones made for photographers. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Hey, I’m Vlad, and I’m a total nerd when it comes to DIY projects. About a year ago, RGB tubes were _everywhere_. Everyone was using them, and I wanted in. But man, those things are pricey. So, I thought—why not make my own? All you really need is an RGB strip, a power source, a way to control it, and some wires. So, I grabbed everything from AliExpress, spent about $15, and before I knew it, I had my first DIY RGB light mounted to a stand.
But here’s where it got _really_ fun. While building these, I fell down a rabbit hole: USB-C power delivery, ESP32 boards, the insane variety of RGB LEDs, CRI, USB chargers… stuff I never imagined could be this deep. And honestly? I loved every second of it and i still want to build a few more with even better capabilities
Now, fast forward to today’s photo. I shot this with **seven** lights ( four of them DIY, and one is a $3 sunset lamp). All this to create this _vaporwave_ portrait full of neon nostalgia, like I stepped straight out of a retro-futuristic fantasy. And if you want the full behind-the-scenes breakdown, you can check it out here: https://youtube.com/shorts/HebTzdWUc0Y
The biggest challenge while working with so many lights was balancing them out as power output and finding the perfect hues so they would work well together. All this while making sure I don't trip over any wire and ruin everything
For editing, I leaned on the film emulation tools I built for Lightroom. Since vaporwave is this surreal, alternate universe rooted in ‘90s tech, I wanted that printed-magazine-from-the-90s vibe. A touch of my fancy grain masks, some Kodak 200 Color Response Curves, and there it was. The perfect blend of old-school aesthetic and digital fantasy.