Scenes

Scenes are pre-configured lighting setups that you can activate with a single click. Instead of adjusting each light individually, scenes let you instantly create the perfect atmosphere for any activity or mood.

What Are Scenes?

Scene Basics

A scene saves the state of multiple lights:

• Power state: Which lights are on or off
• Brightness: Each light's brightness level
• Color: Color or temperature settings
• Scope: Which lights are included

When you activate a scene, all included lights immediately change to match the saved settings.

Why Use Scenes?

Convenience

• One-click lighting control
• No manual adjustment needed
• Consistent results every time

Speed

• Faster than adjusting multiple lights
• Instant room transformation
• Perfect for routines

Consistency

• Reproduce exact lighting every time
• Share lighting setups across time
• Remember complex configurations

Types of Scenes

Room Scenes

Affect only lights in a specific room:

• Scope: Single room
• Access: Show when viewing that room
• Use: Room-specific moods and activities

Examples: "Living Room - Movie", "Bedroom - Sleep", "Kitchen - Cooking"

Zone Scenes

Apply to specific zones within rooms:

• Scope: Subset of room lights
• Access: Show when viewing that zone
• Use: Area-specific lighting

Examples: "Kitchen Island - Dinner", "Office - Desk Only"

Global Scenes

Affect multiple rooms or all lights:

• Scope: Across multiple rooms
• Access: Available from anywhere
• Use: Whole-home lighting states

Examples: "All Off", "Good Morning", "Away from Home", "Party Mode"

Creating Scenes

Method 1: Capture Current State

The easiest way - save exactly what you see:

1. Set up your lights manually

   • Adjust each light to desired brightness
   • Set colors or temperatures
   • Turn some on, others off as needed

2. Open We Love Lights Studio

3. Create the scene

   • Go to Scenes section
   • Click "Create Scene" or "+" button
   • Or use "Save Current State as Scene" action

4. Configure scene details

   • Name: Give it a descriptive name
   • Scope: Choose room, zone, or global
   • Include: Verify which lights are included

5. Save

   • Click "Save" or "Create"
   • Scene appears in your scene list

Method 2: Build from Scratch

Create a scene without physically adjusting lights:

1. Open Studio → Scenes
2. Click "New Scene"
3. Select lights to include
4. Set each light:
   • Power state (on/off)
   • Brightness level
   • Color or temperature
5. Preview if available
6. Save with a name

Method 3: Duplicate Existing Scene

Start from an existing scene:

1. Find scene to duplicate
2. Right-click and choose "Duplicate"
3. Modify settings as needed
4. Save with new name

Activating Scenes

From Menu Bar

The fastest way to activate scenes:

1. Click We Love Lights icon
2. Find Scenes section
3. Click scene name to activate
4. All lights change immediately

From Studio

1. Open Studio window
2. Go to Scenes section in sidebar
3. Click any scene to select it
4. Click "Activate" button

Or simply double-click a scene to activate it.

With Keyboard Shortcuts

Set up global hotkeys for favorite scenes:

1. Go to Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Assign hotkey to scene
3. Press hotkey from anywhere to activate

See Keyboard Shortcuts guide for details.

With Shortcuts App

Activate scenes through macOS Shortcuts:

1. Open Shortcuts app
2. Create new shortcut
3. Add "Activate Scene" action
4. Choose your scene
5. Trigger with Siri, automations, or manually

See Shortcuts Integration for more.

Managing Scenes

Viewing Scene Details

See what a scene does before activating:

1. Select scene in Studio
2. Detail view shows:
   • Included lights and their settings
   • Preview of colors
   • Room/zone scope
   • Last modified date

Renaming Scenes

Give scenes better names:

1. Select scene in Studio
2. Click name field
3. Type new name
4. Press Enter to save

Good scene names:

• Descriptive: "Evening Relaxation"
• Activity-based: "Reading Light"
• Time-based: "Morning Routine"
• Mood-based: "Romantic Dinner"

Avoid:

• Generic: "Scene 1", "New Scene"
• Unclear: "The usual", "That one"

Overwriting Scenes

Update a scene with new settings:

1. Adjust lights to new desired state
2. Go to the scene you want to update
3. Click "Overwrite" or "Update"
4. Confirm the update
5. Scene now reflects new settings

This keeps the same scene name but updates its configuration.

Reordering Scenes

Organize scenes in your preferred order:

1. In Studio, go to Scenes
2. Drag and drop scenes to reorder
3. Order is saved automatically
4. Reflects in menu bar too

Put frequently used scenes at the top for quick access.

Deleting Scenes

Remove scenes you no longer need:

1. Select scene in Studio
2. Right-click or press Delete/Backspace
3. Choose "Delete Scene"
4. Confirm deletion

Deleted scenes can't be recovered easily, so be sure.

Scene Organization

Favoriting Scenes

Mark most-used scenes as favorites:

1. Hover over or select a scene
2. Click the star icon
3. Scene marked as favorite

Benefits:

• Favorites appear at top of scene list
• Faster access in menu bar
• Can assign keyboard shortcuts to favorites

Hiding Scenes

Hide scenes you rarely use:

1. Right-click scene
2. Select "Hide"
3. Scene disappears from lists

Unhide later from Settings → Hidden Items.

Scene Categories

Organize scenes by category or purpose:

By Activity

• Work/Focus
• Relaxation
• Entertainment
• Sleep
• Reading

By Time

• Morning
• Afternoon
• Evening
• Night

By Room

• Living Room scenes
• Bedroom scenes
• Kitchen scenes

By Mood

• Energetic
• Calm
• Romantic
• Party

Scene Examples

Pre-Made Scenes

Many bridges come with built-in scenes:

• Bright: Full brightness, neutral white
• Concentrate: Cool white for focus
• Relax: Warm, dim lighting
• Read: Bright, comfortable white
• Nightlight: Very dim, warm
• Energize: Cool, bright, energizing

Customize these or use as starting points.

Custom Scene Ideas

Morning Routine

• Kitchen: Bright, energizing cool white
• Bathroom: Bright white for grooming
• Bedroom: Gradually brighten
• Living areas: Medium brightness

Evening Relaxation

• Living room: Warm, dimmed (30-40%)
• Bedrooms: Very warm, low brightness
• Kitchen: Minimal accent lighting
• Hallways: Low nightlight level

Movie Time

• TV area: Very dim or off
• Ambient lights: Low brightness, warm or colored
• Other rooms: Off or minimal
• Bias lighting: Soft glow behind TV

Dinner Party

• Dining area: Warm, medium brightness
• Kitchen: Brighter task lighting
• Living areas: Warm, inviting glow
• Accent lighting: Colorful highlights

Work/Focus

• Desk area: Bright, cool white
• Ambient: Medium neutral white
• Other areas: Dimmer to reduce distraction
• Even, comfortable lighting

Good Night

• All lights: Off or minimal nightlights
• Hallways: 5-10% warm white
• Bedrooms: 1-2% amber/red
• Security: Outdoor lights on

Advanced Scene Features

Dynamic Scenes

Some scenes can be dynamic:

• Time-based: Change settings based on time of day
• Sensor-triggered: Activate based on motion or conditions
• Randomized: Slight variations each time

Availability depends on bridge capabilities.

Scene Transitions

Control how scenes activate:

Instant Transition

• Lights change immediately
• Can be jarring
• Good for on/off scenarios

Smooth Transition

• Gradual fade to new settings
• More pleasant
• Takes 1-3 seconds
• Default for most scenes

Slow Fade

• Very gradual transition
• 5-10+ seconds
• Dramatic effect
• Good for mood changes

Set transition time in scene settings if supported.

Scene Stacking

Apply multiple scenes:

1. Activate base scene (e.g., "Evening")
2. Activate accent scene (e.g., "Reading Light")
3. Both apply, with later scene taking priority

Useful for layered lighting effects.

Scene Scheduling

Automate scene activation:

1. Use Shortcuts app with time triggers
2. Or set up rules in We Love Lights
3. Or use motion sensors to trigger scenes

See Automation Examples.

Scene Best Practices

Creating Effective Scenes

1. Purpose-driven: Create scenes for specific activities
2. Test in environment: Ensure lighting works in actual space
3. Multiple variations: Different intensities for same activity
4. Name clearly: Know what you're activating
5. Regular review: Delete unused, update old scenes

Organizing Scenes

1. Limit total count: Too many scenes = choice paralysis
2. Favorite frequently used: Quick access to common scenes
3. Logical naming: Consistent naming convention
4. Group by room: Room-specific scenes easier to find
5. Archive old scenes: Hide rather than delete if unsure

Performance Tips

1. Smaller scope: Room scenes activate faster than global
2. Fewer lights: Scenes with fewer lights respond quicker
3. Local activation: Faster than remote activation
4. Avoid rapid switching: Wait for scene to fully activate

Scene Synchronization

Syncing with Hue App

Scenes sync between We Love Lights and Philips Hue app:

• Create in either app: Appears in both
• Modify in either: Changes reflect everywhere
• Delete in either: Removes from both
• Automatic sync: Usually within seconds

Multi-Bridge Scenes

Scenes are bridge-specific:

• Each bridge has its own scenes
• Can't directly span multiple bridges
• Workaround: Create same-named scenes on each bridge, activate both

Troubleshooting Scenes

Scene Doesn't Activate

Problem: Clicking scene does nothing

Solutions:

• Check lights are reachable and powered on
• Verify bridge connection
• Try activating individual lights
• Refresh device list
• Check scene wasn't accidentally modified

Scene Looks Different

Problem: Scene doesn't look like when created

Solutions:

• Lights may have been manually adjusted since
• Some lights might be unreachable
• Room lighting conditions changed
• Consider recreating scene
• Check all lights in scene are still present

Can't Create Scene

Problem: Create scene button doesn't work

Solutions:

• Check you're connected to bridge
• Verify you have lights configured
• Try refreshing from bridge
• Check bridge storage isn't full
• Restart We Love Lights

Scene Activates Slowly

Problem: Long delay when activating scene

Solutions:

• Too many lights in scene (split into smaller scenes)
• Network congestion
• Using remote instead of local connection
• Bridge overloaded with commands

Scene Missing After Update

Problem: Scene disappeared

Solutions:

• Check if hidden (Settings → Hidden Items)
• Verify you're viewing correct bridge
• Scene may have been deleted in other app
• Check sync with bridge (refresh)

Next Steps

Master scenes? Explore related features:

1. Motion Sensors - Auto-trigger scenes with motion
2. Switches - Activate scenes with physical buttons
3. Keyboard Shortcuts - Hotkeys for scenes
4. Shortcuts Integration - Automate scenes
5. Automation Examples - Real-world scenarios

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Questions? Visit the FAQ or troubleshooting guide.