What is Pixel Mapping?

Think of pixel mapping as the bridge between standard lighting and video. It’s one of our favorite ways to bring a structure to life because it allows us to treat individual lighting fixtures—like LED strips, pars, or washes—just like the pixels on your TV screen.

Instead of just turning a light on or off, we can play video content across thousands of fixtures at once. This turns static architecture into a dynamic canvas where colors flow, textures ripple, and patterns dance. It’s not just about illumination; it’s about giving a building or a stage a personality that can change instantly to match the music, the crowd, or the moment.

At 10th Floor Productions, we love using this tech to turn environments into immersive experiences. A massive example of this is our work with the Xfinity Mobile Arena. We create the animations for the exterior LED strut lights that wrap around the entire building. With pixel mapping, we can completely transform the exterior to match the home team’s colors, create specific animated textures for a concert, or spread holiday cheer with looping content visible from the parking lot.

We also use it to dial up the hype inside the venue. For the Philadelphia Flyers Player Tunnel, pixel mapping helps us create an electric entrance moment. By animating the lights to chase alongside the players as they walk out, we generate a rush of energy and momentum that gets the team—and the fans—pumped up before skates even hit the ice.