Units for projection of profiled images and for floodlighting suffer from a tradeoff between the quality of the illuminated field and efficiency. The hue, saturation, and intensity must be continuously controllable, and the quality of the illuminated field must be even. According to the invention the optical components have been refined according to a general principle which enables the use of efficient elliptical reflectors without a reduction in quality for both purposes. Each color is controlled by relatively moveable filters having a comblike structure in which the design of the individual teeth compensates for the interaction of the many variables. The intensity is controlled by mechanical dimmers which are designed according to the same principles. This construction will also improve the quality of condenser type projection systems.