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Cg Lighting Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Swaybox Studios

Senior CG Lighting Artist

New Orleans, LA · Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to the compositing team. This person will play a hands-on role in bringing our characters to life ...

Swaybox Studios

Senior CG Lighting Artist

New Orleans, LA · On-site

$122K - $146K/yr

The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to the compositing team. This person will play a hands-on role in bringing our characters to life ...

Netflix

CG Artist, Experimental - INK

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$62.74/hr

Position Summary We are seeking CG Experimental Artists to join our pioneering team creating ... Experience with creating and animating assets (terrains, layout, characters, control-rigs, lighting ...

Netflix

CG Artist, Experimental - INK

Los Angeles, CA

$62.74/hr

Position Summary We are seeking CG Experimental Artists to join our pioneering team creating ... Experience with creating and animating assets (terrains, layout, characters, control-rigs, lighting ...

Netflix

CG Artist, Experimental - INK

Los Angeles, CA

$62.74/hr

Position Summary We are seeking CG Experimental Artists to join our pioneering team creating ... Experience with creating and animating assets (terrains, layout, characters, control-rigs, lighting ...

Netflix

CG Artist, Experimental - INK

Los Gatos, CA

$62.74/hr

Position Summary We are seeking CG Experimental Artists to join our pioneering team creating ... Experience with creating and animating assets (terrains, layout, characters, control-rigs, lighting ...

The Mill

Technical Artist

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$139K - $166K/yr

Work with the CG Lead and Creative Director to design and build interactive experiences using ... Lighting - Be well versed in the various lighting techniques in Unreal and instruct the artists in ...

The Mill

Technical Artist

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$139K - $166K/yr

Work with the CG Lead and Creative Director to design and build interactive experiences using ... Lighting - Be well versed in the various lighting techniques in Unreal and instruct the artists in ...

Canoo

3D Visualization Artist

Justin, TX · On-site

Use Maya and Redshift Render for stills, animation, lighting, and shading * Data preparation of CAD ... Additional experience with writing CG/VFX pipeline tools and Python scripting is a plus

Swaybox Studios

Compositing Supervisor

New Orleans, LA

$16.50 - $22.75/hr

... artist support. * On-the-box compositing of complex shots (live action and CG); utilizing ... Understanding of lighting workflows. * Experience in Python scripting for Nuke or batch automation ...

NBCUniversal

DreamWorks Feature - Lighter

Glendale, CA

$13.50 - $18/hr

We are a community of artists, technologists, innovators, and creators, who are passionate about ... Attends dailies and lighting launches as required. * Responsible for informing CG Supervisor of any ...

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How much do cg lighting artist jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 26, 2026, the average hourly pay for cg lighting artist in the United States is $24.65, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $17.55 and $27.88 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Cg Lighting Artist job?

A CG Lighting Artist is responsible for creating the lighting setup in computer-generated (CG) environments to enhance mood, depth, and realism in animated films, visual effects, or games. They work with 3D models, textures, and shaders to ensure that scenes are visually compelling and consistent with the artistic vision. Using software like Maya, Houdini, or Unreal Engine, they adjust light sources, shadows, and reflections to achieve the desired look. Their work plays a crucial role in storytelling by emphasizing emotions and guiding the viewer’s eye.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Cg Lighting Artist position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a CG Lighting Artist, you need a solid background in 3D art, a keen understanding of lighting theory, and strong visual storytelling skills, usually supported by a degree in animation, art, or a related field. Proficiency with industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, Houdini, and rendering engines like Arnold or V-Ray is essential, and experience with compositing tools like Nuke is often required. Attention to detail, communication skills, and the ability to work collaboratively in creative teams are vital soft skills. These abilities ensure visually compelling results that meet creative vision and project deadlines in fast-paced production environments.

What are the typical responsibilities and workflow for a CG Lighting Artist in a production studio?

As a CG Lighting Artist, your primary responsibility is to create and refine lighting setups that enhance the mood, depth, and realism of digital scenes in animation or visual effects projects. You’ll work closely with other departments like modeling, texturing, and compositing to ensure the final images align with the project's artistic direction. Daily tasks often involve setting up light rigs, adjusting render settings, troubleshooting technical issues, and performing quality checks on rendered frames. Collaboration and regular feedback sessions with art directors and supervisors are common, so being adaptable and receptive to critique is important. This role offers opportunities to develop specialized expertise and advance to lead or supervisory positions with experience and demonstrated artistic vision.

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Cg Lighting Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Cg Lighting Artist job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 84% Full Time, 14% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 98% Physical, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $51,263 per year, or $24.6 per hour.

Senior CG Lighting Artist

Swaybox Studios

New Orleans, LA • Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

Other

Posted 13 days ago

Job description

Job Summary:

Swaybox Studios is seeking a creatively driven and technically adept Senior CG Lighting Artist to integrate CG facial performances into our cross-department workflows. This role is central to maintaining the emotional fidelity and character consistency of our hybrid puppetry performances, ensuring the final output meets the high artistic standards of the studio.

The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to the compositing team. This person will play a hands-on role in bringing our characters to life, improving workflows, resolving creative challenges, and collaborating with Supervisors and Technical Directors to evolve tools that enhance production efficiency. This is a perfect position for a VFX artist who understands the subtle art of expression, setting a mood, character performance, and hybrid storytelling.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Implement best practices in our face replacement pipeline, ensuring poses and expressions are seamlessly matched to animation and puppet facial performances.
  • Replicate and adjust lighting from live action plates onto our characters with an emphasis on fine details, performance nuances, and the overall aesthetic of our film.
  • Establish and maintain the tone, and mood across sequences, while also adhering to any pre-lighting or color keys that have been established in pre-vis.
  • Work closely with outsource vendors and other CG and comp artists, collaborating on visual looks, tech, training, and workflow for faces and environments.
  • Collaborate with VFX Supervisor, MoMo Art Supervisor, and TDs to identify areas of improvement in the pipeline, including tool and workflow development.
  • Maintain output quality and momentum in a fast-paced environment.
  • Preserve cohesive character consistency across facial replacements and ensure smooth integration of our internal puppet performances, animation, and live action plates.
  • Communicate effectively with production and creative leads to align visual performance with narrative goals.

Required Qualifications:

  • 5+ years experience in high-end, live action VFX films, with a strong emphasis on beauty lighting.
  • Expert knowledge and proficiency of Houdini and rendering in Arnold.
  • Basic knowledge of compositing in Nuke to create and refine slap comps for presentation and handoff to the compositing team.
  • Deep understanding of visual language- color, scale, perspective, proportion, spatial awareness, motion blur, depth of field, etc
  • Comprehensive knowledge of physically based rendering and optimizations, using Arnold or similar engines.
  • Understanding of photography, exposure, color grading, lens and camera behavior, and HDR workflows.
  • Strong eye for cinematic and real-world lighting, color grading, and shot continuity.
  • Robust problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt quickly to unique or proprietary workflows.
  • An artistic mindset and willingness to receive and implement constructive feedback, whether that's with draw-overs, over the shoulder adjustments, or team meetings.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Understanding and experience with UV, texture, and shading is a plus.
  • Understanding of CG modelling and rigging workflows.
  • Basic knowledge of texture mapping techniques.
  • Experience with Unreal is advantageous.
  • Knowledge of Maya and Arnold rendering.
  • Experience with ZBrush and other 3D software is advantageous.
  • Familiarity with scripting or tool development (e.g. Python, MEL, etc.) to support pipeline enhancements.
  • Background in traditional art.
  • Prior experience in both stylized and realistic texture and shading creation of digital faces is great to have.
  • Familiarity with hybrid workflows that span traditional VFX and digital puppetry.

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