LumaDeck User Manual

Welcome to LumaDeck

LumaDeck synchronizes your smart lights with video playback or countdown timers to create immersive light shows.

Connect Your Lights

1. Open the Lighting tab.
2. Scroll to the brand section for your lights and tap the Discover button.
3. For Philips Hue: The app searches your network for a Hue Bridge. Once found, press the physical link button on top of the bridge, then tap "I Pressed the Bridge Button" in the app within 30 seconds.
4. For WiZ or LIFX: The app broadcasts on your Wi-Fi to find bulbs automatically. No pairing or bridge is required.
5. For HomeKit / Matter: Tap Discover HomeKit Lights. The app reads accessories already set up in your Apple Home app.
6. For Govee: Enable LAN Control for each device in the Govee app (Device Settings → LAN Control), then tap Discover Govee Lights.
7. Your connected lights appear in the Connected Lights section, showing each light's name and brand badge.

Create Your First Show

1. Open the Library tab and tap the + button, then Create Show.
2. Step 1 — Source: Choose Video, Audio, or Timer mode. For video, select a video from your imported library. For timer, pick a duration (15 minutes to 6 hours).
3. Step 2 — Lights: Review connection status for your bridges and Wi-Fi lights. Tap Refresh Status if you connected a new device after opening the wizard.
4. Step 3 — Group: Choose which room or light group to control. You can select multiple groups.
5. Step 4 — Timeline: Scrub through the video preview (or timer timeline). Tap Add Scene to assign a scene at that timestamp, or tap Add Effect to create a special effect (Thunderstorm, Volcano, Flash, Static, Smart Plug, or Web Request).
6. Step 5 — Triggers (optional): Add manual trigger buttons for on-demand effects during playback.
7. Step 6 — Review: Name your show and tap Save.

Play Your Light Show

1. Open the Control tab.
2. In the SHOWS section of the zone rail, tap the play button next to any show. The app activates the show and opens the Play tab automatically.
3. Press Play. The video plays (or the timer counts) and your lights change at each scene trigger point.
4. Use the Rewind 10s and Forward 10s buttons, or drag the scrubber to navigate.
5. Tap any manual trigger buttons at the bottom to fire effects on demand.

Tips

Chapter 1 · Introduction

What is LumaDeck?

LumaDeck is an iOS and macOS app that transforms your smart lights into a synchronized light show. You create "shows" that map light scenes to points on a video timeline (or countdown timer), then play them back. As the video plays, your lights automatically change color, brightness, and effects at each trigger point you defined.

Use Cases

• Home theater: Match your room lighting to the mood of a movie or TV show.
• Parties: Run colorful, timed light effects all night with timer mode.
• Meditation and relaxation: Use warm, slowly transitioning scenes on a 30-minute timer.
• DJ events: Sync dramatic lighting to a video backdrop.
• Themed experiences: Create immersive environments for escape rooms, haunted houses, or holiday decorations.
• Workouts: Use energetic light changes timed to an interval workout.

System Requirements

• iOS: iPhone or iPad. macOS: Mac with Apple Silicon or Intel.
• Network: All devices must be on the same local Wi-Fi network as your smart lights.
• Philips Hue: Requires a Hue Bridge v2 on the same network.
• WiZ / LIFX: No bridge required; bulbs connect directly over Wi-Fi.
• HomeKit / Matter: Requires an Apple Home hub (HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad); lights must already be set up in the Apple Home app.
• Govee: No bridge required; LAN Control must be enabled in the Govee app for each device.

Free vs. Pro Feature Comparison

Chapter 2 · Lighting Tab

The Lighting tab is your hub for discovering, connecting, and managing your smart lights across all supported brands. It is also where you capture and organize universal scenes for use in your shows. It is organized into sections: Connected Lights, Scene Library, Philips Hue, WiZ, LIFX, HomeKit / Matter, Govee, and Hue Groups.

Discovering Philips Hue

Tap Search for Bridges to scan your network; found bridges appear with their IP address. If a bridge is not found, enter its IP in the Bridge IP Address field and tap Connect. When you select a bridge, press the large round link button on top of the physical bridge, then tap "I Pressed the Bridge Button" within 30 seconds. Once paired, lights, groups, and scenes are fetched automatically.

Discovering WiZ, LIFX & Govee

For WiZ and LIFX, tap Discover and the app broadcasts on your Wi-Fi to find bulbs automatically — no bridge required. For Govee, first enable LAN Control per device in the Govee app, then tap Discover Govee Lights.

HomeKit / Matter

Tap Discover HomeKit Lights to read accessories already set up in your Apple Home app. Lights must be added to Apple Home first, and an Apple Home hub must be active on your network. HomeKit/Matter lights work well for scene-based playback; real-time beat sync may have 100–250 ms latency depending on your hub.

Scene Library (Universal Scenes)

A universal scene is a saved snapshot of light states that can include lights from any brand. To capture one: set your lights to the desired state, tap "Capture Current Lighting", toggle which lights to include, name the scene, and tap Save Scene. During playback the app sends commands to each light using the appropriate protocol for its brand — so a single scene can control multiple brands simultaneously.

Chapter 3 · Library Tab

The Library tab is where you manage media files (videos and music) and create new shows. It contains The Shaman banner, Purchased Videos, Imported Videos, and Imported Music. Your saved shows live in the Control tab. Use the + menu to Create Show, open The Shaman, Import Video / Music, or Import Show.

Show Creator — The 6-Step Wizard

Progress is shown by a step indicator: Source → Lights → Group → Timeline → Triggers → Review.

1. Source: Video, Audio, or Timer mode (15 min to 6 hours, in 15-minute increments).
2. Lights: Review connection status per brand. Tap Refresh Status after connecting. You can proceed with no brand connected if you have captured universal scenes.
3. Group: Toggle Hue groups and individual Wi-Fi lights. The app then fetches available Hue scenes and detects smart plugs.
4. Timeline: Scrub to a timestamp, then Add Scene (captured or Hue scenes) or Add Effect.
5. Triggers (optional): Add manual trigger buttons that appear in the Play tab.
6. Review: Name the show and tap Save.

Special effect types

For light-affecting effects you can set a name, brightness range (1–254), effect color, and timing interval (0.5–20 s). Tap Test Effect to run it on your actual lights for 10 seconds before saving.

The Shaman — AI-Generated Shows

The Shaman ($0.99 add-on) auto-generates a complete lighting timeline from a video or a pre-built timer theme. Choose a source (Video or Timer Theme), a theme, an energy level, and a light group, then tap Analyze & Generate.

The preview screen shows a Color Timeline gradient, the generated triggers, and pre-built effect buttons. Tap Edit Manually to fine-tune in the Show Creator, or Save to finish.

Chapter 4 · Play Tab

The Play tab plays your video (or runs your timer) while automatically triggering light changes at each scene point. The active show's name shows under "Now Playing," alongside a status badge — Bridge Connected (green) or Offline Mode (orange).

Playback controls

A large central Play/Pause button, Rewind 10s, Forward 10s, and a draggable scrubber. On the Free tier, videos over 2 minutes show a "2-minute limit" banner with an Upgrade button. In Timer mode, a circular progress ring with a large monospaced elapsed-time display replaces the video area.

Scene Info & automatic triggering

The Scene Info panel shows the current scene, next scene, and countdown. As playback progresses, Hue scenes activate through the bridge with smooth transitions; universal scenes send per-light commands across all brands; special effects run dynamic patterns; and static scenes hold until the next trigger. Seeking the scrubber applies whichever scene should be active at that point.

Manual triggers & external display

Manual trigger buttons appear at the bottom in rows of 3; tapping one fires its effect with a countdown indicator. With an external display connected (AirPlay / HDMI), video plays full-screen on the TV while your device shows "Playing on External Display" and becomes the remote. Manual triggers can also run an Apple Shortcut (Pro).

Chapter 5 · Store Tab

The Store tab is where you upgrade to Pro, purchase video packs, and manage purchases. The Pro Upgrade unlocks unlimited video duration, looping, smart plug control, web request triggers, Apple Shortcuts, and video packs. Once purchased, a banner shows "Pro Unlocked" with a crown icon.

The Tiki Bundle (iOS only, non-Pro users) bundles Pro plus two Volcano Video Packs at a discount with a "Best Value" badge. Video packs (iOS only) provide professionally produced content, browsable in a 2-column grid, downloadable after purchase. Use Restore Purchases after reinstalling or switching devices.

Transferring Video Packs to Mac

Video pack downloads are available only on iOS and iPadOS. If you also run LumaDeck on a Mac, move your downloaded videos across with either method below, then use Import Video in the Library tab to add them to your library.

Option A — USB via Finder (best for large files)

1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac with a cable.
2. Open Finder and click your device in the sidebar.
3. Click the Files tab.
4. Expand LumaDeck → Videos → purchased and open the pack folder.
5. Drag the .mp4 file to your Mac desktop.

Option B — AirDrop

1. Open the Files app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Navigate to On My iPhone → LumaDeck → Videos → purchased and open the pack folder.
3. Long-press the .mp4 file → Share → AirDrop → select your Mac.

Once the file is on your Mac, open LumaDeck and use Import Video in the Library tab. It will then be available when creating or playing shows on Mac.

Chapter 6 · Settings Tab

• Appearance: System, Light, or Dark theme.
• Purchases: Pro status (Active / Free) with a crown icon, plus Restore Purchases.
• Connection: Auto-connect to Bridge (default on) and read-only Bridge IP.
• Playback: Haptic Feedback and Scene Change Notifications (both default on).
• Storage: Configuration and video sizes, plus Clear Cache.
• About: Version, build number, and GitHub repository link.

Chapter 7 · Control Tab

The Control tab is your live home-automation console. From one screen you browse and control zones, adjust brightness and activate scenes, control individual lights, play a video or music track, schedule scene changes, and launch any saved show. On iPhone it is a single scrollable column; on iPad it is a 4-column split — Zone Rail | Light Controls | Video Player | Music Player — with the Scheduler spanning the top.

Zones, scenes & shows

The zone rail lists all connected light groups, each showing a brand icon, name, on/total count (e.g. 3 / 5), and an active indicator. It also holds a Scenes quick list and a SHOWS list — tap a show's play button to activate it and jump to the Play tab.

Light controls & focused light

Selecting a zone reveals a brightness slider, a scene strip, and a light grid. Tap any light to open the Focused Light Panel for a power toggle, brightness slider, and color picker — all applied in real time.

Scheduler

The Scheduler activates scenes or security behaviors at set times of day. Each block defines a name, time range (30-minute increments), and an action: Activate Scene (applies a universal scene) or Security Mode (randomly varies lights to simulate occupancy, with a Slow / Medium / Active slider). Blocks can optionally start a music track, and can be paused without deleting. An active block shows a green dot in the zone rail.

Chapter 8 · Workflows & Recipes

Appendix A · Troubleshooting

Bridge not found

Ensure the Hue Bridge is powered on and on the same Wi-Fi network. Check your router does not block mDNS or UPnP. Try manual IP entry — find the IP in your router's admin panel or the Hue app.

Wi-Fi lights (WiZ / LIFX / Govee) not discovered

Lights must be powered on and on the same network. Disable AP isolation on your router. For Govee, enable LAN Control per device and wait 10–15 seconds before discovering. LIFX uses UDP broadcast and may need a second attempt.

HomeKit lights not appearing

Confirm the lights work in the Apple Home app, an Apple Home hub is online, and LumaDeck has HomeKit access (Settings → Privacy & Security → HomeKit). Expect 100–250 ms latency for real-time effects.

Scenes not triggering during playback

Verify the show is active (launched from the Control tab), check the bridge status in the Play tab header, and ensure the lights in a universal scene are powered on.

The Shaman generates too few triggers

Try a higher energy level (Active or Intense). Chill intentionally produces sparse triggers. Ensure the video has visible color or brightness variation.

Appendix B · Supported Hardware

Appendix C · Glossary