Halloween Hollusion hologram projection tutorial DIY how to

Halloween Hollusion hologram projections are illusions created by projecting an image onto a sheer, nearly transparent fabric to give the appearance of a hologram-like image that you can see through.
00:00 Example
01:10 Introduction
02:50 AtmosFX.com
04:25 Projectors
11:16 Fabric
12:20 Bleed-Through
13:08 Demonstration
14:14 My Set-up
15:14 Angles & Line-of-Sight
18:35 Final Thoughts

[@mauriceandrea7203]

8 years later and this is still extremely helpful

[@jco685]

I'm very glad, thanks!

[@sivinelupia4950]

Dude. You're the best. You're saving me a few dozen hours in testing. I am creating a hollusion outside this Halloween at my wedding. I also watched your fabric comparison video too and bought the Casa Collection chiffon from Joann today. Thanks so much for taking the time to make these videos.

[@jco685]

I've never tried the Chiffon (or anything else) outdoors. If you think the Chiffon is too visible I'd look at something from www.mosquitocurtains.com/mosquito-netting

[@sivinelupia4950]

Thanks for the tip. The stand to drape the chiffon arrives in a few days. I'll test it out and let you know how it goes.

[@donaldwatson6621]

That was the best video on the subject I have seen, informative and to the point. Thank you.

[@hexkusmey1894]

Finally watched this video. I can't begin to tell you how helpful it was! Thanks for sharing!

[@herffjonesandhanf]

Great stuff and tutorials :) Thanks for your attention to detail - very helpful!!

[@trovyt]

Vid starts at 4:25 - 4:26

[@lindsayh1910]

Great video! I also wanted to mention to those that want to project outside.....if you are using any fog keep it away from the project or your light beam will become visible.

[@t-royb]

Thanks for making this video great stuff!!!

[@wayneladrido6297]

thx you were very good on explaining do's and don'ts

[@IaEnstera]

Great tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to make it :)

[@14Mentalist]

Brilliant. this it what i would do if i had a house. now i am in a flat i am gonna miss the knocks. but still having a set up.

[@jojomascalero]

very informative. thank you!

[@thomasleemullins4372]

I think that is really neat.

[@gregorydavis6737]

great video

[@EvesLegacy]

new subscriber here. I will be saviing this video cause I plan on using this this year.

[@ablogger7174]

amazing I'm trying right now

[@thomaspatsalis8167]

very well done.

[@sicfxmusic]

Thank you! Keep 'em coming cowboy :=)

[@sicfxmusic]

@Jamir George Yes shut the fuck up

[@SynAndVice]

This is not a hologram, nor is it a Pepper's Ghost illusion. It IS a rear or hidden front screen projection onto a thin scrim material. The rest of this video is amazing! I use several projections in my haunt, and the best ones are indeed from AtmosFX. My experience is that you do need a fairly decent projector. The new ones are using LEDs instead of the old incandescent lamps. Find a high lumen LED projector. Using low lumen projectors means that your projection area cannot have ANY ambient light around it, and that is sometimes difficult to arrange outside, particularly with street lights, or with neighbors' security lights.

[@overlycreative1]

thanks for thinking this out and sharing.

[@christinemorris7356]

hi. this has been a great help. i am a newbie to this but really want to make it work. am going to buy the dvd from Atmosfx . i have brought a projector on line and it hasnt arrived as yet but wondering if i have brought something that is not going to be powerful enough. it is a 1080 full HD 7000 lumens wifi wireless HMDI USB LED portable home theater projector. does thiis sound as though it will be strong enough to project onto a window?

[@jco685]

WAY more than enough! AtmosFX recommends 2000 lumens and I've heard people who say they use projectors less bright than that and still get good results.

[@madzik22888]

wow 😊 super 😊😊😊

[@Fitter562lu]

thank you for the tips Atmosfx should incorporate this tutorial into their web site.

[@23drowell]

Thank you so much for this video! I ordered some downloads of ghostly apparitions, and I was given the option of vertical and horizontal. What do you recommend?

[@jco685]

Horizontal, unless you specifically want to show it in a doorway or narrow window.

[@bloko808]

I think there is a type of plastic that they use in tv's now that will stop bleed thru Im going to try and find some ill let you know if it works

[@anotherluckydad]

Thanks JCO.

[@frankleonhardt3332]

Hi great tutorial. How do you stop the bleed through down a hallway

[@jco685]

You can't "stop" bleed-through. The only way to deal with it is to have it hit somewhere the spectator can't see it.

[@GeorgiaBoi70]

Get creative with black fabric. It will absorb most of the bleed-through, and you can put it on floors, ceilings, walls, etc.

[@Guyfromhe]

AtmosFear released a kit to do this with a projector, screen, remote, tripod and a SD card with a starter pack of videos. The projector is nowhere near the brightness or quality of a real projector and the material is not translucent so you can't really do the ghost with the real room effect completely but you can put it on a window and have it look like things are going on in the room. it works adequately well in a dark room and the whole shebang is only like $80. I picked up a kit at home depot to try out this year, so far I'm pretty impressed for the price. (The projector can play video, audio, and picture from a SD card or USB stick but doesn't have video input at all)

[@SpaceWizardCosplay]

I bought the same kit from Home Depot after Halloween for only $17 last year and I'm going to use it this year to see how well it works.

[@isquirtmilkfrommyeye]

I’m hoping to do his outside. Have you tried it with black chiffon? I feel like that would hide better outdoors but may also be too dark for a screen.

[@jco685]

Black Chiffon didn't work very well when I tried it. Maybe try this for outdoors - www.mosquitocurtains.com/outdoor-projection-screens/

[@blaketech512]

NEC makes some good projectors theme parks use them 24/7 for small screen effects

[@YngPup]

you wouldnt want to use HDMI on doing something like this anyway because HDMI would be too crisp and detailed so you want to use something that makes it a little more blurry anyway! if you did use HDMI you would have to offset the focus to make it a bit blurry to get that ghostly effect

[@actionchiropractic4238]

Hey man I asked a question before about displaying the image at ground level while avoiding the hot spot showing and you REALLY helped me out. I was able to place an object in from at the perfect ankle to block the light from the spectator while not blocking the image. My next issue is I’m noticing my images are small. They aren’t life size like a lot of the ads and videos I see. I got the AtmosFX USB with the two girls coming out of the well series. Looks great but small. Is this a function of the projector or do I need to purchase a different Atmos set of videos so the ghosts are more life size to fill the window space? Really appreciate your help bro. Thanks

[@jco685]

Make sure any "zoom" setting on the projector (if it has one) is maxed out, but the main thing is distance from the projector to the window. If you have room to back the projector further away from the window, that's the preferable option.

[@ColeenWoo]

Any recommendations for a good budget quality projector? Preferabbly available in Philippines

[@nathangray8354]

Check on amazon and read the reviews. Just be careful- there are cheap children's projectors that use small bulbs and they are HORRIBLE quality. So steer clear of the cheap childrens ones like the Discovery Wonderwall.

[@AT-nb6sy]

If you go on eBay, anything over 1800 lumens is a quality projector

[@MrLeemac32]

This is amazing but can you clarify which is best, do i need the white or black and if so why, thanks, lee

[@jco685]

Neither. White is too visible and black makes the image disappear if you're not looking straight at it. A medium shade of gray is best.

[@actionchiropractic4238]

Man thanks a BUNCH for this! Best video I’ve seen on this. But wondering if you can help my out. I also have the Atmos videos (they’re AWESOME), I have a Growview 4K capable projector that I believe is really good. I also have the atmos gray screen. My problem is I’m finding it dam near impossible to project through the window downstairs in my house without the hot spot showing. I know on your video you had it at an upward angle, but I can’t aim it up high enough to keep the image in the window frame while also hiding the light. I believe your video was done on the second floor of your house so that no one at ground level can see the hot spot. Is that the only way? Because I do have a second story home but wanted to display it downstairs. But my downstairs windows are close to street level, with only about a foot of space between my inside floor and the window. So not enough bottom wall to hide the light. Any suggestions ?

[@jco685]

Boy, that's a tough one. All I can think of would be to block off the lower section of the window with a prop or a "Happy Halloween" sign or some such thing. That would block the spectator's view of the projector and still allow you to project images onto the upper section of the window. Other than that I don't know, you might be stuck having to use the window upstairs.

[@mazscience9518]

Where did you get such a large fabric from? The one next to your pool table looks huge which is what I need. Everything at Joann’s is only 5 ft wide

[@jco685]

atmosfx.com/products/hollusion-projection-material

[@smxdisplay4636]

we have 8x30meter

[@DrakeSteve]

I'm going to project outdoors, from the edge of my roof on my side yard, to a screen (fabric) that will be hung in a gateway. This means that the bleed-through will show up on the ground just past the screen. After watching your video, where you showed at least one fabric that does NOT work well to project onto, it made me think-- maybe the material that's not suitable for projecting onto, would be a good material to lay on the ground to eliminate bleed-through showing on the ground. Do you have any thoughts on this? Thanks. Great video, by the way!

[@jco685]

That's an interesting idea and I can't really give you an answer, just have to try it and see. I would tend to think if you have the fabric on the ground, the bleed-through would show on that as well. But who knows, maybe I'm wrong.

[@DrakeSteve]

Thanks for your reply and so quickly, too! I have to tell you, of all the KZbin videos I've seen on this subject, I like yours the most. I love your direct and very frank comments where you say there's no point in setting up this illusion if it's obvious to the spectators how the illusion is being created. I couldn't have said it better myself-- you are absolutely correct! One final question, if I may... My thinking about a fabric on the ground (and I should have mentioned this before) is that if it were a material that doesn't work well for projection, or maybe if the fabric is black, my idea might work. You're right, I just have to try it and see. My question is, have you ever tried to project onto a black surface? If so, will an image appear or is the color too dark to allow a projected image to appear? Thank you again! And Happy Halloween to you this year!

[@jco685]

When I was first researching chiffon I was trying different colors and one of them was black. The result was unsatisfactory because it was very angle-dependent. It looked fine when viewed straight on, but if you took two steps to the left or right the image vanished. Now - that was when you were looking at a rear-projected image. I never really paid attention to what it looked like from inside the room (front-projected) because that wasn't the presentation I was going for. I don't know, I just have this feeling that the projection will show up on any object it hits, regardless of color. But like I said, I could be wrong. Good luck with it and Happy Halloween to you, too!

[@DrakeSteve]

That's very helpful, my friend. Thank you.

[@davidoconnell4100]

THANK YOU

[@stacystahl3860]

i tried to project last night, don't know if the lights from cars or street lights were to bright or if it was the black chiffon material. Maybe should have been white chiffon.

[@jco685]

Medium shade of gray is best.

[@drew4702]

Good video

[@AnimalExplorer]

I'm kind of stumped you said you couldn't connect HDMI cable becacause it does not have that capability but on your projector it has HDMI printed on the top back at 6:53?

[@jco685]

Yeah, that was my mistake, that's why I put the word "oops" on the video at the 7:15 mark. I also briefly mentioned it at the 18:40 mark.

[@theduckthatdraws4381]

Can I use the hologram screen for other hologram videos? I got a projector that connects to my phone and I need a screen for it. Would this work for it?

[@jco685]

I don't see why not.

[@phonebook45]

Are there any cool non-halloween projections that can be used? Anything with a black background?

[@jco685]

The company I get the Halloween projections from, AtmosFX, has other projections that aren't Halloween-themed. They have other holidays, dinosaurs, birthdays, Star Trek, lots of stuff. You can project any image or video onto the material you want, the thing to keep in mind is that any area of the image that is black will be invisible to the viewer, allowing them to see whatever is behind the material.

[@meganbrowning3198]

This may be a dumb question, since I only know how to connect my laptop via HDMI. What do you use? Is there a way I can display a projection without use of my laptop? ( I know Atmos fx offers digital downloads but I wouldn't know how to use them) I didn't see a place to use a SM card on your projector, so how do you do it?

[@comanche1313]

just copy the files to a USB drive.

[@jco685]

There are projectors that accept HDMI (including mine, I just don't use it). Personally I use a VGA cable because that's what the output of my laptop is and my projector is able to accept it. But of course you don't need a laptop. SD card, USB (flash) drive, DVD player, etc etc. Not all projectors have the same input connections. You have to decide on what media you want to use to play the videos, then get a projector that accepts the connections used by that media.

[@joelwerline3294]

Looks great! where do you get the videos of those characters?

[@jco685]

AtmosFX.com

[@cybergrrl]

What about using a rear projector screen for the windows? No bleed-through right?

[@jco685]

That's correct, but then you won't get the see-through hologram-like illusion. If all you're going for is a character walking around with a black background, then yes, definitely go with a solid screen, not a see-through fabric.

[@cybergrrl]

@@jco685 Thank you so much. I'm a newbie and just going for a window casting this year. The Hologram illusion seems really cool though, might experiment with that for next year.

[@ksoriano9766]

I have a large and difficult to move hometheater projector and also a very tiny portable projector but is only 200 lumens. Should I try to use the small one? Or better go with the large one. My window is towards a small 10 by 8 living room. Thank you!

[@jco685]

I seriously doubt the 200 lumens model would give a satisfactory result. Do a test run with it and judge for yourself.

[@TheJennyWalaShow]

Could the mesh screen be at a 45 degree similar to the Tupac hologram technic

[@jco685]

Not sure, but I doubt it. If I'm not mistaken, the Tupac thing was an actual Pepper's Ghost setup where you weren't seeing the actual projection but rather a reflection of it in clear glass. Anyway, in this application the image looks best when viewed straight on, at a perpendicular angle. The more you angle the screen away from the viewer, the "thinner" the character will appear. You can place the projector off to the side and use keystone correction, but the screen itself should be as close to a 90-degree angle to the viewer as possible.

[@JediPolock]

Entry teams of the world. You have got to realize this could be a great distration device! If you have hostage takers in a room with hostages and you know who your dealing with and a fear of goasts is a physiological weakness you could very well lower a very hard to see screen over a window along with some nearby speakers and you could very well captivate and distract some hostage takers while your other team breaches and clears. If it's too custom tailored to their culture they might see through the ruse. But just make it mysterious and distracting and have it backed up by video and/or audio feed into the situation to make sure it's working and it's a sure fire(pun welcome) way to get them off their gaurd.

[@97warlock]

Me & My whole band want to find a way to project something like that onto a Flat wall ., is this projector what we need or something else?

[@jco685]

I would imagine just about any projector would work for that.

[@roxanac2502]

I’m trying to get a huge size 16.5 by 7.5 not even the site you are suggesting has it .. is there an alternative material ?

[@jco685]

www.mosquitocurtains.com/outdoor-projection-screens/ has large screens. They look pretty pricey and I can't vouch for the picture quality because I've never seen it live in use. Here's a KZbin video of their stuff in action: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ2ulqaca82Gabs

[@roxanac2502]

@@jco685 thank you for replying …I found it in a fabric store .. but it didn’t work out .. you can see the entire inside of my garage ..

[@maxtonight]

LED projectors are the only way to go!

[@anthonyhodgson3427]

Do you know how to remove the “ next” and file names from projecting when running from usb ?

[@jco685]

I play a flash drive through a Micca Speck for one of my projections. Once I run through all the menus and get the track I want playing, it loops on it's own. That probably doesn't help but it's all I can tell you.

[@DarkMagickan]

I was too distracted by the fact that I couldn't see you.

[@08Budweiser]

So what material is it and where do you get it that you were showing next to the pool table?

[@jco685]

The stuff next to the pool table was Hollusion material from AtmosfearFX.com. The stuff on the window was Casa Collection Chiffon from Joann's Fabrics. Both work extremely well, the Chiffon is the cheaper of the two.

[@joebribiescas2687]

What color chiffon did you use?

[@08Budweiser]

Joe Bribiescas platinum he says farther down

[@therondgabriel5511]

is it possible to put any video ? im thinking about a macro video through the projector.

[@jco685]

+therond gabriel I don't see why not.

[@nicholasweaver1215]

I'm having a horrible problem with bleed through. I'm trying to project my atmosfx ghost in a normal room door way but the image keeps bleeding into the adjust room. I'd there any way to stop this?

[@jco685]

There is no way to "stop" bleed-through. The way to deal with it is to have it land on a surface the spectators can't see. It either needs to land on a surface out of the spectator's line of sight, or on a surface that you have blocked from view with another object. When I show Hollusions in my living room window I get major bleed-through on the fascia underneath the gutters right above the window. I dealt with that by making a sign and hanging it off the gutter, just big enough to block the view of the fascia but not block the view of the window. Every situation is different. Bleed-through is going to happen, it's just inherent in the nature of the method. Most of the time you can engineer the situation to keep it out of view, but sometimes you have to just bite the bullet and admit it won't work in the conditions you're being forced to deal with.

[@jessi330]

Have you tried rear-projecting?

[@jco685]

That's what this entire video is about.

[@AUTMUSENETWORK]

What was that material called

[@jco685]

I use either Chiffon from JoAnn's Fabrics or Hollusion material from AtmosFX.com. I prefer Chiffon but both work well.

[@morley247]

Can you estimate the total cost of making this? thanks

[@jco685]

Totally depends on how much you want to spend on a projector. I got all mine off eBay, the cheapest was under $200. The most expensive material to project onto (Hollusion material from AtmosFX.com) is $50.

[@allcav3607]

Do you think the black will work?

[@jco685]

No. Not when I tried it, anyway. The image when viewed head-on was ok but as you moved to one side or the other, the image would fade away into nothing. White is ok for viewing angles but it makes the room look "milky" or smoke-filled. If you're getting chiffon, a medium to light gray color is the way to go.

[@allcav3607]

what about if I die the white to grey? Think that would work

[@jco685]

Maybe. I never tried it.

[@diamondbackenterprises1001]

I realize this is a not really important unless you want to use HDMI, I mean YOU want to use HDMI on the projector you have, because about the time you were telling us that you didn't have HDMI you were pointing right at the HDMI plug. Just sayin.

[@jco685]

That was very confusing and I don't know what you're saying. Anyway, I made a mistake while making the video. I don't use HDMI so I wasn't looking closely enough when I said the projector didn't have it. That's why I later added the arrow and the word "oops."

[@Lumen04]

U sound so sad! HAPPY PLACE BRO!

[@djpenetration83]

try this in garden at night with a fog :)

[@maxdavidson1217]

you need to turn the light on mate

[@jco685]

You'd all turn to stone if I did.

[@nsvaluto48328]

Will this work with a 100 lumens projector

[@jco685]

Can't be 100% sure, but I very much doubt it.

[@gustavgans1263]

100 Lumen is very very weak!!! you should have 2000 Lumens at least!

[@cjimenez1203]

Hi ! Can you tell me the dimensions of the chiffon fabric you setup for your test ? Jo-Ann and another fabric store they usually sale like around 60 inches wide. Thanks in advance !

[@jco685]

The bolt was 58" wide at my time of purchase.

[@cjimenez1203]

Your looks like 8 by 10 ft

[@jco685]

If you're talking about the stuff by the pool table, that's Hollusion Material from AtmosFX. Comparable to chiffon but more expensive.

[@DonalRomano]

Use a mirror to bounce image and you won't see hotspot

[@DrakeSteve]

Sounds like a great idea. I would love to see a diagram on how you'd do that-- a diagram showing the position of the projector, screen and mirror.

[@lorenzoiotti]

sorry i can't understand the name of the material because I'm not English, can you please tell me that name ? thx...

[@jco685]

+Guitar Lori The material is called Chiffon. You want to find some in a medium gray color. The Chiffon I use came from JoAnn's Fabrics and is called "Casa Collection Chiffon." The color I used is called "Platinum." AtmosfearFX (the makers of the Ghostly Apparitions videos) offers their own material called "Hollusion" material. It's just as good as the Chiffon (some say better) but is more expensive.

[@lorenzoiotti]

JCO thank you very very much man :)

[@jc-details5125]

Casa collection chiffon in Platinum color

[@dwg116]

thanks i was looking for something cheaper then atmosfearfx

[@whooops6147]

Hey look again on your projector... you DO have HDMI capabilities

[@jco685]

That's why there's an arrow pointing to it with the word "oops."

[@whooops6147]

GREAT informational video however. I am going to try a few of your technics. Thanks for posting!

[@christianshauntvideos6728]

The bleed through is the worst going to have to figure something out.

[@dejavu2007]

Dry ice and low powered fan. Just watch an episode of scooby doo.😂

[@allcav3607]

wouldn't you know it, you cant get the fabric anywhere. Is there an alternative I can search for?

[@jco685]

??? www.joann.com/casa-collection-chiffon-many-colors/zprd_08528820a.html#q=casa%2Bchiffon&start=1 Tulle can also work, so can Hollusion material from AtmosFX.com.

[@allcav3607]

I've tried that, you can't add it to the bag.

[@doransmolias7503]

Try Vogue Fabrics online they have platinum Chiffon cheaper than Jo Anne

[@zoegodines8338]

would this work for watching movies hahaha

[@SallyGrayson]

Do you think this could work at a live music venue if we brought the screen and projector?

[@hoaxmusic3376]

What if you realise that the projector isnt on xD

[@jco685]

I assume you mean the projector wasn't set to produce images in High Definition? I wouldn't worry about it. Most people won't notice and I've heard some people say that "soft focus" actually improves the appearance of a "ghost," that it might actually look more realistic.

[@jco685]

By the way, for whatever its worth, NONE of the material in this video was projected in High Definition.

[@hoaxmusic3376]

Ok i cant believe how realistic it would look in high defenition i would jump out the window 🤣🤣 but good job with That👍👍👍👍🤔🤔

[@MrLeemac32]

Its to go on a window

[@evdm7482]

I can't believe you advised people to build a wall to trap the bleed through, especially so close to the street. You realize the wall would just act as a canvas exposing the bleed through perfectly? I was hoping to learn some bleed through tricks but that was not the case. Thanks for your great videos otherwise, very informational and useful.

[@jco685]

Erik, you're only going to see the bleed through if you're on the same side of the surface it lands on. In my diagram in the video yes, from inside the house you'll see the bleed through; but all the spectators are on the other side of the wall (or prop or whatever it is you're using, something solid and opaque). That's the entirety of my advice - you can't stop bleed through, its going to land SOMEWHERE, the trick is to have it land in a location the spectator can't see.

[@stephenbeecher7545]

Too many variables to say what will and won't work to minimize bleed. Take advantage of the natural settings in your yard and customize for your particular application. Learn about Inverse square law with regard to lighting; distance is your friend. Projector placed close to scrim will have a certain brightness. Light passing through will get gradually less bright the farther it travels; double the distance=1/4 the light. Each situation is unique. I liked your example of the garage door and the strategic placement of objects to optimize the effect.

[@lout3921]

Great video not too many people talk about this topic in detail