What is projection mapping? Full guide to creating 3D projection mappings at home

Projection mapping is the technique of fitting projected video onto real objects instead of a flat screen. The projector still throws a rectangular image; software warps that rectangle so its edges land exactly on the edges of a wall, a box, a piece of furniture or a building. Done well, the object itself appears to light up, change material and move.

You have seen it on concert stages and building facades. The same technique scales down to a living room: one projector, one phone, and an evening.

A projector has no idea what it is pointing at. It projects a flat image in a fixed pyramid of light, and anything in the way catches part of that image. Mapping software divides the image into shapes and lets you drag each shape's corners until its projected outline sits on a real edge. From then on, whatever plays inside that shape lands precisely on that surface.

That is the whole trick. Everything else, from stadium shows to a mapped cardboard box, is this idea repeated with more projectors and more shapes.

• A projector. Any model with an HDMI input works. Around 300 ANSI lumens is enough for small objects in a dark room; 1000+ handles a living room with some ambient light.
• A phone or tablet. Mapping used to require a laptop and desktop software. Apps like Lazy Lighting now run the whole pipeline on iPhone, iPad and Android.
• A connection. A USB-C to HDMI cable is the reliable, zero-latency option. AirPlay, Chromecast, Miracast or an Android TV receiver app work without wires.
• A surface. Matte and light-coloured is best. Start with a wall or a plain cardboard box.

1. 1

   Set the scene. Put the projector on a stable surface, point it at your object and darken the room. Contrast makes or breaks the effect.

2. 2

   Connect the phone. Plug in the HDMI adapter or start screen mirroring. The projector now shows the app's output.

3. 3

   Add a shape. Create a quad and drag each corner until the projected outline matches a real face of the object. Take a minute to be precise; accuracy at this stage is what sells the illusion.

4. 4

   Add content. Fill the shape with a generative visual, a video or a camera feed. The content stays inside the mapped outline.

5. 5

   Sync it to sound. Set a BPM or let the app follow the room's audio so the light moves with the music.

The full quick-start guide →

Mapping one flat face is 2D mapping. The 3D version covers several faces of a volume, a box being the classic example: three visible faces, each mapped, each playing content that respects the shared edges. Corners of a room work the same way in reverse.

The workflow is identical, just with more shapes and more care at the shared edges. A dedicated guide covers it end to end.

Guide for creating your first 3D projection mappings →

• Do I need an expensive projector? No. Geometry problems are fixed in software, so cheap projectors map as accurately as expensive ones. Brightness is the only spec that costs real money.
• Do I need a computer? Not anymore. Phone hardware handles real-time warping and rendering comfortably.
• Does the room have to be dark? Dark helps a lot. Dimmed is workable with a brighter projector; daylight is not.
• Can I map moving objects? Not with consumer tools. Home mapping assumes the object and the projector stay put.