📏 Fit the House Just Inside the Beam

Your house should fill the light beam like it's wearing a well-fitted t-shirt — not swimming in it, and not spilling out of it.

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Too far away: Dim projection.

Too close: Only half the house is covered.

Just right: Full coverage edge to edge, maximizing brightness.

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🌳 Watch for Shadows

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Trees, bushes, fence posts, and even parts of your own house can cast shadows when the projector beam hits them.

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In my case, one little wall corner ruined the coverage on my garage — I had to raise the projector about 5 feet to fix it.

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Pro tip: Use a flashlight or your projector to “scout” the house at night before locking in your position.

🧭 Angle Matters: Avoid Steep Tilts

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You can shoot at an angle, and adjust for it in your mapping software. My projector is at a 45 degree angle to my house, to get the most surfaces possible.

But when you aim your projector at a steep angle (like way off to the side or down from a high position), you’ll end up with warped visuals that are hard to fix later.

A little angle is fine. A big one is a mapping nightmare.

🔺 What is Keystoning (and Why Should I Care)?

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Keystoning happens when your projector isn’t perpendicular to the wall. The result? Your perfectly rectangular image becomes a wonky trapezoid.

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Most projectors offer digital keystone correction, but it lowers image quality and makes mapping tougher.

Adjust the keystone til you find the best coverage and quality.

📐 Wait — Why Is My Projector Tilted Forward?

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Good question. Some projectors have a lens that’s not centered — it’s higher or lower on the body. This is called lens offset. So even when the projector is sitting flat, the image might be way too high or low.

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You may need to tilt your projector slightly forward or backward to compensate — and that’s totally normal. Just try to keep the angle mild to avoid keystone issues.