FAQ

A cyc is short for cyclorama: a curved studio background used for photography, video, broadcast, and virtual production.

Instead of a hard 90-degree corner where the floor meets the wall, a cyc uses a smooth curved transition called a cove. That curve hides the edge, so the background appears continuous on camera. When properly built, painted, and lit, the viewer cannot tell where the floor ends and the wall begins.

Cycs are used for white infinity backgrounds, green screen, blue screen, product photography, interviews, broadcast sets, commercials, and virtual production. Learn more about cycloramas and Pro Cyc systems.

The right cyclorama size depends on what you are shooting, how wide your frame is, and how far the subject needs to sit from the background.

For small products, the cyc only needs to cover the area visible to the camera. For large products, vehicles, furniture, groups, or wide camera moves, you need a larger radius and more wall coverage so the floor-to-wall transition does not reveal itself through shadows or hard lighting changes.

Subject distance matters too. The farther the camera and subject are from the background, the more surface area appears in frame. Larger-radius systems make that transition smoother and easier to hide.

Lighting also affects the decision. Smaller radii work best with controlled, even lighting. If you plan to use dramatic, directional, or graded lighting, a larger radius gives the light more room to fall smoothly across the background.

For large products or vehicle work, Pro Cyc’s larger-radius systems, such as the Super 5EZ, are usually the better starting point. Not sure which size fits your room? Request a custom quote.

A cyc radius is the size of the curved transition between two surfaces, such as floor to wall, wall to wall, or wall to ceiling.

The radius matters because the curve is what makes the corner or floor line disappear on camera. A smaller radius creates a tighter curve, which takes up less space but is harder to light evenly. A larger radius creates a smoother transition, which makes it easier to hide the curve, reduce shadows, and shoot wider angles without revealing where one surface becomes another.

Think of it this way: a tight curve shows its shape quickly. A broad curve disappears more gradually. That is why larger-radius cycloramas are easier to light and usually better for talent, vehicles, furniture, and larger products.

A smaller radius saves space. A larger radius is easier to light.

Not always. The best radius is determined by what you are shooting and how you plan to light it, not just by the size of the room.

A small radius creates a tighter transition between the floor and wall. That saves floor space, but it also makes the curve harder to hide on camera. Unless you are shooting small objects or using very controlled, even lighting, a small radius can reveal a shadow line where the floor becomes the wall.

A larger radius gives the transition more room to disappear. It also gives your subject more natural separation from the wall. With larger Pro Cyc systems, the subject can stand near the beginning of the curve and still be several feet from the vertical wall, which makes lighting easier and reduces background shadows.

Smaller also does not always mean cheaper. Some smaller-radius systems cost about the same per linear foot as larger-radius systems. The better choice is the radius that gives you a clean shot with the fewest lighting compromises.

Simple rule: the larger the radius, the easier it is to light.

You need a corner when the camera, subject, or lighting needs to move beyond a straight-on setup.

A single straight wall works well when you shoot from one primary angle and keep the subject centered in front of the background. A corner gives you more usable shooting area by extending the seamless background onto a second wall. That matters for fashion, video, interviews with camera movement, group shots, product work, and any setup where the subject changes position.

The tradeoff is field of view. When you shoot into a corner, both walls angle toward the camera, so the background can leave frame sooner than expected. The right corner size depends on lens choice, camera position, subject movement, and the width of the shot.

Pro Cyc’s patent covers a non-parabolic corner system. That means the wall-to-floor curve and the wall-to-wall corner curve can use different radii.

That difference matters on set. Traditional parabolic corners force the same curve in both directions, which limits the shape of the corner and often creates harder lighting and sound reflections. Pro Cyc’s design allows a wider, smoother corner transition, making it easier to light evenly, shoot from multiple angles, and reduce problematic sound reflections.

For green screen work, the result is simple: fewer hot spots, fewer shadows, and a cleaner key.

Pro Cyc corner modules are not sold as standalone parts for incompatible or site-built cycs.

A corner has to match the radius, wall-to-floor coves, wall angles, and installation geometry of the full system. When a corner is added to an incompatible or site-built cyc, the transitions often do not align cleanly. That creates visible seams, uneven curves, cracking, and lighting problems.

For that reason, Pro Cyc corners are sold as part of a complete system or a compatible system expansion. This ensures the corner, coves, and walls work together as one seamless surface.

Built-in systems are best when the room already gives you straight, permanent walls. Freestanding systems are best when the room does not.

A built-in Pro Cyc system is usually the lower-cost option when the existing walls are straight and the space allows permanent installation. A freestanding system is the better choice when you need new walls, cannot modify the building, need access behind the cyc, or expect the system to move later.

Freestanding systems also help with lease restrictions, uneven walls, and cases where local construction costs make a built-in system more expensive than expected.

For large stage or motion picture applications, contact Pro Cyc to confirm the correct system, height, and support requirements.

A portable cyclorama system is the right choice when you need a clean studio background without permanent construction.

Pro Cyc PC Series portable cycloramas are designed for temporary studios, small production spaces, interviews, product shoots, schools, events, trade shows, and location work. They give you a seamless background that can be set up, taken down, moved, and reused without building into the walls or floor.

The tradeoff is scale. A portable cyc is not a replacement for a full built-in or freestanding cyclorama when you need large camera moves, vehicles, large products, or heavy daily studio use. It is best for controlled setups where portability matters more than maximum shooting area.

If your studio needs a permanent seamless room, choose a built-in or freestanding system. If you need a flexible background that can move with the production, a portable cyc is usually the better fit.

A wood-and-plaster cyc can be cheaper upfront. That is not the same as being cheaper to own.

Site-built cycs depend on the builder’s ability to create smooth, consistent curves that hold up under lighting, foot traffic, cleaning, repainting, and production use. When the curve is uneven, the surface cracks, or the transition catches light, the savings disappear into repairs, repainting, and downtime.

Pro Cyc systems use molded components designed to match one another. That gives you predictable geometry, faster installation, cleaner transitions, and the option to move or reconfigure the system later.

A custom cyc makes sense when you have a skilled builder and a permanent studio plan. A modular system makes sense when consistency, speed, repairability, and future flexibility matter more than the lowest material cost.

Paint cannot hide a bad surface.

For chroma key, white cyc, and gray cyc work, the background has to read as one continuous field. Texture changes, seams, uneven curves, and hard corners catch and reflect light differently. The camera sees those differences, and the result is a harder key, a visible transition, or a background that needs more correction in post.

Pro Cyc systems use molded components to create smooth, repeatable transitions from wall to floor and wall to wall. When the system is properly installed, painted, and lit, the background behaves like one continuous surface instead of a collection of walls, corners, and seams.

Use paint designed for studio backgrounds, not standard wall paint.

A cyclorama surface has to perform on camera. That means the paint needs consistent color, controlled reflectance, and an even finish across the full background. Generic wall paint can create problems with sheen, uneven coverage, color shifts, hot spots, and inconsistent keying.

For best results, apply Pro Cyc Grey Bonding Primer before using Pro Cyc chroma key paint. The primer helps prepare the surface for better adhesion and more consistent paint coverage, especially on new or freshly finished cyc surfaces.

For chroma key work, Pro Cyc offers Virtual Green®, Dark Virtual Green®, and Virtual Blue™. The right color depends on the subject, wardrobe, lighting, camera system, and keying workflow. Green is the most common choice, but blue can be better when the subject contains green tones or when the production requires a different key color.

For white infinity backgrounds, Pro Cyc Cyclorama White™ is designed for clean, even studio use. The goal is the same in every case: a background color that reads consistently to the camera and holds up under production lighting.

A green screen cyc should be lit as its own surface, separate from the subject.

Use broad, soft fixtures to create even color across the entire visible background. Hot spots, shadows, falloff, and color shifts make the key harder to pull. Once the cyc is even, light the subject with separate key, fill, back, or accent lights.

As a starting point, place the cyc lights about half the wall height away from the background and aim them downward at roughly 45 degrees. A 12-foot wall often starts with lights about 6 feet from the wall. Adjust from there based on fixture type, beam spread, ceiling height, and the camera frame.

Keep the subject far enough from the cyc to avoid shadows and reduce green spill.

LED fixtures are the practical default today because they are efficient, controllable, and widely available in soft, high-output formats. Fluorescent fixtures can still work if they are bright, even, color-consistent, and flicker-free.

Painted cyc floors look best when they are freshly painted, but they show footprints, scuffs, dust, tire marks, and cleaning differences quickly. If you scrub one area, that spot often looks different from the surrounding paint. For camera-ready results, the marked section—or sometimes the full floor and cyc surface—needs to be repainted so the color and finish stay consistent.

This matters most for chroma key work, where small changes in color or sheen can affect the key.

Pro Matte® chroma key flooring is designed for studios where the floor gets regular use. It complements  and can be cleaned with soap and water or cleaners such as Fantastik® instead of being repainted after normal foot traffic.

A painted floor is fine for lower-traffic studios, careful shoots, or productions that can repaint as needed. Pro Matte® makes more sense when the floor sees frequent resets, talent movement, props, furniture, carts, or daily production use.

The difference is simple: painted floors are restored by repainting. Pro Matte® is maintained by cleaning.

A properly installed cyc is straightforward to maintain, but the floor takes the most abuse.

Walls and coves usually need repainting only when the surface is marked, damaged, or no longer consistent on camera. The floor needs more attention because it collects footprints, scuffs, dust, tire marks, and equipment wear.

To reduce repainting, keep the floor protected until the shoot begins. Use protective covering when moving furniture, vehicles, carts, or heavy equipment. Tape or wrap anything that rests on or rolls across the surface. For high-traffic shoots, disposable shoe covers help keep the floor cleaner longer.

For painted cyc floors, repainting is the cleanest way to restore a consistent camera-ready surface. For heavier use, Pro Matte® flooring is easier to clean and maintain than paint.

Pro Cyc systems require a custom quote because the right system depends on the room.

Radius, wall length, corners, existing wall conditions, built-in vs. freestanding installation, shipping, and production use all affect the parts list. A smaller radius is not always cheaper. A corner is not always the best solution. A built-in system is not always less expensive than a freestanding one.

A quote prevents two common problems: buying parts you do not need, or missing parts you do. It also gives you a clear parts list and pricing for the system that fits your space.

Request a custom quote for your space.

Pro Cyc systems are shipped in custom-built crates sized for each order.

The crate is built to protect the system while keeping freight dimensions as efficient as possible. Shipping cost is often based on dimensional weight, so an oversized crate can increase the cost even when the order itself has not changed.

Once your system is quoted, Pro Cyc will determine the most cost-effective shipping method for the order. In some cases, air freight may be competitive with ground freight, depending on the destination, timeline, and crate size.

Customers may also arrange their own freight or pick up the order directly from Pro Cyc.

Pro Cyc is based in Clackamas, Oregon, near Portland.

Our cyclorama systems are made in the United States and shipped from the Pacific Northwest to studios, production companies, broadcasters, schools, and brands around the world.