# Stagehand — the stage gel swatch reference > Digital reference for theatrical lighting gel swatches from multiple manufacturers. (iPhone/iPad app by Patrick Angle.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stagehand/id493887739 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Patrick Angle](https://appshunter.io/developer/375504667) - Category: Reference, Entertainment - Price: Free - Rating: 4.60/5 from 19 App Store ratings · 27 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 4 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2012-04-19 - Data updated: 2026-08-04 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stagehand/id493887739/reviews.md ## What is Stagehand? Stagehand brings the Roscolux, GAM, Lee and Apollo swatch books together on your iOS device! Gels are viewable by their swatch book, or all together sorted by hue, letting you find the perfect color without worrying about manufacturer. Each gel is complete with manufacturer information including transmission and description as well as samples of neighboring colors in the swatch book. The entire collection of gels in Stagehand is searchable not only by its name, number, and description, but also by color with the built-in color search that allows you to select a color from the color wheel and see the closest matches available to the selected color. Stagehand is provided as a free reference for professionals and amateurs alike, and we hope you enjoy the app! Stagehand is already used hundreds of times a day and has been downloaded to over 20,000 devices since it launched 10 years ago! ## Key features - Consolidated swatch books - Searchable by hue, name, number - Color wheel search - Manufacturer information - Neighboring color samples ## Recent user reviews (10 of 27) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stagehand/id493887739/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Frosts not a color? *2024-02-16* Hello Patrick. Long time user, first time caller. Probably a long shot, but i was thinking the reference database is incomplete, as it doesn’t contain any diffusion info. Obviously it won’t use a color reference, but simply having the company item #s available, as well as any light lost, as stops, would make for a more complete and more useful pocket reference. ### 5/5 — I love this *2023-08-04* My only complaint is that you named it Stagehand and I had no idea it existed. A thousand times thank you. ### 3/5 — Add Favourite Gels *2022-10-18* Apps cool, can you add favourite gels and then filter by favourite ### 5/5 — Doesn't work with new update *2017-09-28* I really liked Stagehand before your update today. Opens and closes in 2 seconds! Please fix! iPhone 5S and iOS 7.1 Update: all got fixed! Fast and easy to use! **Developer response:** Glad you got this issue resolved! If you have any issues in the future, please feel free to contact us using our support form at https://patrickangletheatrical.com/support/ so that we can respond as quickly as possible to issues. Thanks for using Stagehand! ### 2/5 — Limited search functionality *2017-09-20* I want to be able to search a color when the Lee tab is selected and have Lee gel pop up. Doesn’t happen. I would encourage the developer to include Lee gels into searches. **Developer response:** We've resolved this issue in the latest version of the app (2.0.1). If you have any further concerns, feel free to contact us using our support form at https://patrickangletheatrical.com/support/ so that we can respond as quickly as possible to issues. Thanks for using Stagehand! ### 5/5 — Nice design and layout! *2017-06-10* Easy to use and nice layout! ### 5/5 — Keep this in your LD toolkit *2014-11-26* I'm so thankful for this. Great for search terms and inspiring ideas. Have this handy when creating a lightning plot with conventional lights! ### 3/5 — Not quite what it shows *2014-10-03, version 1.4* The app does what it says, and it has a full data base. The samples on view three appear as only half, cut off the bottom. The fourth screen shot, which is the full colour, which could be handy, doesn't seem to exist. Maybe I doing something wrong, but I tried touching everything. Still, it is a great price as a reference tool! ### 4/5 — Technical Theater Assist. *2014-09-25* Being my 3rd year as a theater technician and having three backpacks for different jobs, be it lights, sound, or scenic equipment specific, getting a gel book out isn't always easy or safe, depending on your location. This app does give a general color tone that surprisingly matches 80/20, 80% correct and 20% that's close or not right at all. Offering the top industry gel manufacturers is a great feature to compare gels, though they vary less than 2-5% in hue mostly. For free it's a good reference to get a general idea, though I wouldn't bet my reputation on it, I still pack in 2-3 gel books into every one of my bags. ### 1/5 — App still broke *2014-07-18* Loved this app but stopped working, even reinstalled it ## Frequently asked questions about Stagehand ### What does Stagehand do? Stagehand brings together theatrical lighting gel swatch books from manufacturers like Roscolux, GAM, Lee, and Apollo onto your iOS device. It allows you to view gels by their specific swatch book or sorted by hue, making it easy to find the perfect color. ### How can I find a specific gel color? You can search for gels by their name, number, or description. Additionally, the app features a built-in color search that lets you select a color from a color wheel and find the closest matches available in the collection. ### Is Stagehand free to use? Yes, Stagehand is provided as a free reference for professionals and amateurs alike. There are no costs associated with downloading or using the app. ### What information is available for each gel? Each gel entry includes complete manufacturer information, such as transmission values and descriptions. It also provides samples of neighboring colors within its original swatch book for context. ### Who would benefit from using Stagehand? This app is designed for anyone involved in theatrical or stage lighting, including lighting designers, technicians, and hobbyists. It's useful for quickly referencing and comparing gel colors without needing physical swatch books. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.1 — 2020-03-24 Stagehand 2.1 brings a variety of updates and changes to improve the overall user experience, and make room for features that are in development, including: • A new and refreshed background image now invokes memories of a certain light lab at a certain university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina • A new way to find colors by provided the number of a color, like `R21` to see similar colors • User interface tweaks for better compatibility with Dark Mode • The flashlight mode now sets the display brightness to full while open, to better imitate the original colors • Resolved an issue where the button to open the color picker during search was larger than intended • Resolved a small handful of reported problems with colors to make information more accurate ### 2.0.2 — 2017-10-02 This update includes the following additions and fixes: • Reintroduces the 'Share' button to send a color and its name to a colleague, your own note, or the photo library. Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on Stagehand or reported problems with colors in the app! ### 2.0.1 — 2017-09-25 This update includes the following additions and fixes: • Reintroduces the RGB and HSB color information for programming into non-conventional lighting instruments • Reintroduces the ability to swipe left and right in the details view to quickly view the next or previous color • Resolves an issue where search results were not being correctly filtered by the selected brand • Resolves a small handful of reported problems with colors to make information more accurate Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on Stagehand or reported problems with colors in the app! ### 2.0 — 2017-09-19 Stagehand 2.0 brings full compatibility for the modern devices to the app, as well as compatibility with the latest version of iOS. We've redesigned the entire user interface to look better on modern devices and take advantage of the available screen space on newer devices. We've also added the ability to report a problem with a color so we can correct any inaccurate information. Hope you enjoy this update! We have an even bigger update in the works right now to bring even more useful information to the application! ### 1.4 — 2014-09-03 Stagehand 1.4 brings the Gam series of color filters to Stagehand in the G#. Stagehand now also features four-digit Roscolux colors with the classic colors serving as the balance to the R# section. Storaro colors appear in the Roscolux four-digit series. This makes over 700 different gel colors available in total in Stagehand. Additionally, we put our nose to the grindstone and now have transmission data for almost all of the Lee filters. Hope you enjoy! ## Apps similar to Stagehand | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Rosco myColor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rosco-mycolor/id6448793918) | 3.4 (9) | Free | Reference | | [Gel Swatch Library](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gel-swatch-library/id285259613) | 4.6 (13) | $9.99 | Reference | | [ICG Safety](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/icg-safety/id928292727) | 5.0 (7) | Free | Reference | ## Related topics [stagehand](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/stagehand) · [stagehand pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/stagehand-pro) · [stage lighting](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/stage-lighting) · [stagehands](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/stagehands) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-04.*