Gday from gippsland , newbie needs some advice

Gday
So asweel you all I love Christmas and displays , I'm currently running the lights and inflatables etc but it's never been enough, and the light setups always seemed way out of my reach , now I'm thinking I would like to have a go something smaller maybe to understand what I need and how to begin . I would really appreciate some advice on where to begin please

Hey mate. Welcome. How far out in Gippsland are you? Given it's December -- everyone has their shows out - it's the perfect time for a behind the scenes tour if you can make it. Reach out to me (Endeavour Hills) or one of the guys in down Cranbourne if you can make it down into the outer suburbs in the next week.

I'll also note we have a once a year mini conference (probably 5th/6th of July 2025) that you should really try and come along to.

Hello and welcome,

There are just so many way to go with this. The traditional is to start reading the 101 manual, and going form there.

Installing xLIghts is a good way to go to start working with layouts and sequences for fun. This gives you an idea of what you might want to have in a show and can help with planning physical materials.

There are some great threads from @Johnnyboy on his initial journey but be warned he did NOT start small.

Stop into the chat room and hang out with some of us and ask general questions, we nice most nights / days.

Welcome! The first stop is the 101, whilsy a little dated the concepts are still somewhat relevant.

First thing I suggest is download and install xLights.
Get a photo of your house in there and start modelling up what you'd like to see.

You can do everything without spending a cent. Get used to how the software works, and how you envisage your display to look.

From there, you can start to look at what you'd like to purchase, pixel counts, props, which can then drive things like controller decisions etc.

I'm also a newbie and the hardest thing I am finding is getting my head around xLights.
After you read the 101, I suggest you head to the xLights Wiki and start playing.