How to Build Lighting Sequences from Scratch

Learn step-by-step how to create custom lighting sequences for kids' services or Vacation Bible School (VBS). Discover tips for smooth transitions, organizing scenes, and optimizing your lighting setup for engaging experiences.

March 8, 2026 By Chris Copeland

In this guide, we'll learn how to build a custom lighting setup from scratch for a kids service or VBS event. We'll cover how to create new presets, adjust lighting scenes, and organize them for smooth transitions. You'll also see how to use sequences for seamless changes and how to group your scenes for easy access.

Let's get started

All right, say it's a kids' service or VBS, and you want to build something from scratch. You don't want to start from a service basis because the washes, house lights, and colors will be different. You may also need them in different locations, so it's best to start from scratch.

Step #1: Right-click in the presets panel to open the context menu. — Right-click in the presets panel to open the context menu.

Step #2: Select 'New Preset' from the menu. — Select 'New Preset' from the menu.

Those are the building blocks of your show. This preset is called Empty and it's yellow. I can adjust it. I can do whatever I want with it from this editing point by simply clicking the fixtures and making the adjustments I want to.

You can move items around as needed.

Step #3: Click the Update button next to the preset name to finalize the edit. — Click the Update button next to the preset name to finalize the edit.

Step #4: Right-click on the preset you want to rename. — Right-click on the preset you want to rename.

Step #5: Select Rename from the dropdown menu. — Select Rename from the dropdown menu.

Type the new name for the preset.

Step #7: Right-click on the preset you want to build a sequence with. — Right-click on the preset you want to build a sequence with.

Step #8: Select Duplicate from the dropdown menu and adjusts the lights how you want to create a new scene. — Select Duplicate from the dropdown menu and adjusts the lights how you want to create a new scene.

If I click it directly from one scene to another, there's no smooth transition and it will abruptly change.

To get a smooth transition, you must use a sequence instead of directly clicking a preset.

Step #10: To build a sequence, right-click in the presets panel. — To build a sequence, right-click in the presets panel.

Step #11: Click New Sequence from the dropdown menu. — Click New Sequence from the dropdown menu.

Type a name for the new sequence and press Enter.

Step #13: Drag the first scene into the new sequence. — Drag the first scene into the new sequence.

Step #14: Drag the second scene into the sequence. — Drag the second scene into the sequence.

Okay? If I press Play without adjusting the sequence, It keeps repeating rapidly over and over. We do not want that. We want a smooth transition and a stop.

Step #15: Right-click on the sequence. — Right-click on the sequence.

Step #16: Select 'Get Info' from the context menu. — Select 'Get Info' from the context menu.

Step #17: Click 'Options'. — Click 'Options'.

The reason it kept repeating was because Repeat was selected.

Step #18: Deselect the 'Repeat' checkbox. — Deselect the 'Repeat' checkbox.

Step #19: Select the 'Freeze on completion' checkbox. — Select the 'Freeze on completion' checkbox.

There are other functions available. If you want to get fancy with it, that's fine. Just make sure it's not something that will be overtly distracting or potentially cause issues for anyone in the audience. The purpose of lighting is to create ambiance and draw people into a scene.

Step #20: Click the Timing tab. — Click the Timing tab.

Set the Default Hold Time to 00:00.0.

I set my hold time to zero because my default fade time works best for me.

Set the Default Fade Time to your desired value.

Step #23: Set the 'Default Fade Time' to 00:05.0, or whatever you want the fade time to be. — Set the 'Default Fade Time' to 00:05.0, or whatever you want the fade time to be.

Step #24: Click outside the 'Timing' pop-up to close it. — Click outside the 'Timing' pop-up to close it.

Step #25: Click the play button next to the preset. — Click the play button next to the preset.

When I press this, you'll see it's much smoother, and then it stops. That's how you build a sequence. From there, if I have multiple sequences and want them in the same folder, I would group them together.

Step #26: Right-click on the sequence you want to manage. — Right-click on the sequence you want to manage.

Step #27: Click the Duplicate option from the context menu. — Click the Duplicate option from the context menu.

If you look closely at the icons, the arrow represents a sequence, this is a folder, and the scenes are like Legos. I could create a folder.

Step #28: Right-click in the presets panel to open the context menu. — Right-click in the presets panel to open the context menu.

Step #29: Click on 'New Group'. — Click on 'New Group'.

Type whatever you want to name the new group.

Step #31: Click, hold, and drag a sequence into the 'test' group. — Click, hold, and drag a sequence into the 'test' group.

Step #32: Click, hold, and drag the next sequence into the 'test' group. — Click, hold, and drag the next sequence into the 'test' group.

Now it's much cleaner, and everything I need is right here.