ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Cinematic Lighting Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Swaybox Studios

Unreal Technical Artist

New Orleans, LA · On-site

$122K - $146K/yr

Unreal Technical Artist Location: New Orleans, LA Studio: Swaybox Studios Department: VFX ... lighting, rendering, and optimization of high-quality assets and environments for cinematic ...

Gunfire Games

VFX Artist (Mid/Senior)

Austin, TX · On-site

... cinematic effects. * Strong understanding of 3D art fundamentals, including modeling, lighting, and ... Strong artistic eye and attention to detail. * Excellent communication, interpersonal, and ...

AOA

Associate Visualization Designer

Winter Park, FL · On-site

Strong artistic sensibility in composition, lighting, color, materials, mood, and cinematic presentation * Experience creating polished visual scenes, rendered sequences, or presentation-driven media ...

Imerza

Senior Real-Time Viz Artist

Sarasota, FL · On-site

$80K - $90K/yr

Senior 3D Artist: Imerza is a digital twin and architectural visualization studio built on Unreal ... interior artificial lighting, and the distinction between cinematic and real-time approaches.

previous pagenext page

Showing results 21-40

All JobsArts and Entertainment JobsArts JobsDigital Artist JobsCinematic Lighting Artist Jobs

Cinematic Lighting Artist information

See salary details

$30.5K

$129.5K

$152.5K

How much do cinematic lighting artist jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 28, 2026, the average yearly pay for cinematic lighting artist in the United States is $129,541.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $127,000.00 and $152,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a cinematic lighting artist?

A Cinematic Lighting Artist is responsible for creating visually compelling lighting in cinematics, cutscenes, or pre-rendered sequences in video games, film, or animation. They use lighting to enhance mood, direct the viewer’s attention, and ensure consistency with the artistic vision. This role requires a strong understanding of color, composition, shadows, and real-time or pre-rendered lighting techniques. Cinematic Lighting Artists work closely with other departments, such as environment artists, animators, and VFX teams, to achieve high-quality visuals.

What are the typical responsibilities and collaborative aspects of a cinematic lighting artist’s role on a production team?

As a Cinematic Lighting Artist, your daily responsibilities typically include designing and implementing lighting setups to create mood, atmosphere, and visual focus in cinematic sequences. You will often work closely with environment artists, animators, and cinematic directors to ensure the lighting complements the narrative and visual style. Collaboration and clear communication are key, as you may need to iterate on feedback from art directors or adjust for technical performance constraints. This role often requires balancing creative vision with the practical aspects of real-time or pre-rendered workflow, making teamwork a central part of the job.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the cinematic lighting artist position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Cinematic Lighting Artist, you need a strong understanding of lighting principles, color theory, and visual storytelling, usually backed by experience or education in digital art or visual effects. Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Autodesk Maya, Unreal Engine, or Unity, as well as a solid grasp of rendering engines and lighting systems, is essential. Creativity, attention to detail, and effective collaboration skills help you translate narrative vision into visually compelling scenes. These abilities are vital for producing high-quality cinematic visuals that enhance narrative impact and meet production standards.

More about Cinematic Lighting Artist jobs

What states have the most Cinematic Lighting Artist jobs?

States with the most job openings for Cinematic Lighting Artist jobs include:

What job categories do people searching Cinematic Lighting Artist jobs look for?

The top searched job categories for Cinematic Lighting Artist jobs are:

Cinematic Lighting Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Cinematic Lighting Artist job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 86% Full Time, 13% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 94% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $129,541 per year, or $62.3 per hour.

Unreal Technical Artist

New Orleans, LA • On-site

Swaybox Studios
See more jobs at Swaybox Studiosexternal

$122K - $146K/yr

Full-time

Posted 9 days ago

Job description

Unreal Technical Artist

Location: New Orleans, LA
Studio: Swaybox Studios
Department: VFX Department
Reports To: VFX Supervisor/Unreal Supervisor
Employment Type: Full Time - This is an ONSITE POSITION in New Orleans

Job Summary:

Swaybox Studios is currently seeking an Unreal Technical Artist to join our dynamic VFX team in bringing visually stunning work to life. This role serves as a bridge between the artistic and technical sides of production, helping ensure our Unreal Engine workflows support the visual quality, performance, and efficiency required for high-end cinematic work. It requires strong technical expertise, artistic sensibility, problem-solving skills, and a collaborative mindset.

The Unreal Technical Artist will work hands-on within Unreal Engine to support content integration, lighting, rendering, materials, shaders, real-time compositing, and performance optimization. This person will collaborate closely with the VFX Supervisor, Unreal Supervisor, CG artists, and TD team to solve technical and creative challenges while maintaining the unique visual aesthetic of the film. They will also play an important role in developing and refining Unreal workflows, troubleshooting production issues, and helping artists work effectively within the engine.

This is a perfect position for a Technical Artist who is passionate about combining artistry and technology to push cinematic quality and hybrid visual storytelling.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Work hands-on within Unreal Engine to support the creation, integration, lighting, rendering, and optimization of high-quality assets and environments for cinematic production.
  • Collaborate with the VFX Supervisor, Unreal Supervisor, CG artists, and TDs to develop technical solutions that support the creative and production goals of the film.
  • Develop and maintain Unreal Engine tools and workflows utilizing Blueprints and other engine-based systems to improve artist efficiency and production consistency.
  • Create and optimize shaders, materials, assets, and scenes within Unreal Engine, using profiling and performance analysis tools to identify bottlenecks and maintain visual quality while ensuring efficient render performance.
  • Support real-time compositing and cinematic rendering workflows, including Unreal Composure, ACES/OCIO color management, and HDR rendering.
  • Support the integration and optimization of assets created in industry-standard DCC applications such as Maya, Rhino3D, Blender, Substance, Mari, and Photoshop.
  • Troubleshoot technical art and workflow challenges, collaborating with artists and TDs to develop scalable solutions and identify opportunities for pipeline and tool improvements.
  • Create and maintain clear technical documentation for Unreal tools, workflows, best practices, and troubleshooting procedures.
  • Communicate technical issues, requirements, and solutions clearly to both technical and non-technical team members.
  • Research and evaluate new Unreal Engine features, tools, and techniques that may improve production efficiency or visual quality, while sharing knowledge and providing technical guidance to other artists as needed.
  • Excel in a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift quickly, demonstrating exceptional organization, flexibility, and the ability to maintain quality amid evolving creative and technical requirements.

Required Qualifications:

  • 5+ years of experience as a Technical Artist or in a comparable technical art role within high-end live action VFX, animation, Virtual Production, or cinematic production.
  • Strong proficiency in Unreal Engine, including Blueprints, lighting, rendering, materials, shaders, content integration, and real-time compositing.
  • Strong proficiency with industry-standard DCC applications such as Maya, Rhino 3D, Blender, Substance, Mari, and Photoshop, with a solid understanding of 3D asset workflows.
  • Proven experience working on photorealistic projects using Unreal Engine, with a strong understanding of the visual standards required for high-end cinematic work.
  • Strong understanding of real-time rendering and performance constraints, including experience using Unreal Engine profiling and performance analysis tools to identify and resolve bottlenecks.
  • Strong understanding of shader development and optimization, including experience with HLSL and/or GLSL.
  • Experience with color-managed pipelines, including ACES/OCIO and HDR rendering workflows.
  • Proficiency working within version control systems such as Perforce, Git, or similar platforms.
  • Ability to independently plan, design, troubleshoot, and implement solutions to a broad range of technical art challenges.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical team members and create clear technical documentation.
  • Experience developing artist-facing tools and workflows within Unreal Engine.
  • Deep understanding of visual language- texture, color, dimension, perspective, shade, motion blur, depth of field, proportion, spatial awareness, etc.
  • Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt quickly to unique or proprietary workflows.
  • A collaborative mindset with a willingness to receive feedback, share knowledge, and continually explore new tools, skills, and techniques.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with Virtual Production and hybrid workflows combining live action, practical elements, CG, and real-time rendered content.
  • Familiarity with Python and/or other scripting languages used to support DCC and Unreal production workflows.
  • Experience working closely with pipeline TDs or developers to design and implement production tools.
  • Understanding of traditional offline VFX rendering and compositing workflows and how they integrate with real-time production.
  • Basic knowledge of compositing in Nuke to create, evaluate, or troubleshoot slap comps and rendered output.
  • Familiarity with tracking software such as ShotGrid (Flow Production Tracking) and version control software such as Perforce.
  • Previous experience mentoring artists or helping establish technical art best practices within a production team.

Apply