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Full Time Lighting Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Indiana University

Lighting Specialist

Bloomington, IN · On-site

Oversees all lighting requirements for all events for the center. This includes developing ... Arts Center This is an in-person position. Benefits Overview For full-time staff employees, Indiana ...

Eagle Brook Church

Lighting Designer

Centerville, MN · On-site +1

$25 - $28/hr

Employment Classification: Full Time * Regular/Temporary: Regular * Workdays: Wednesday-Sunday ... Creative Arts * Team: Production WORK ENVIRONMENT / PHYSICAL DEMANDS * Regular moving about to ...

Eagle Brook Church

Lighting Designer

Centerville, MN · On-site

$25 - $28/hr

Employment Classification: Full Time * Regular/Temporary: Regular * Workdays: Wednesday-Sunday ... Creative Arts * Team: Production WORK ENVIRONMENT / PHYSICAL DEMANDS * Regular moving about to ...

Boston Conservatory

Lighting Supervisor

Boston, MA · On-site

$50K - $66K/yr

This year-round, full-time role leads the execution of hangs, focuses, strikes, and show calls ... By aligning artistic vision with practical production execution, the Lighting Supervisor helps ...

Berklee College of Music

Lighting Supervisor

Boston, MA · On-site

$50K - $66K/yr

This year-round, full-time role leads the execution of hangs, focuses, strikes, and show calls ... By aligning artistic vision with practical production execution, the Lighting Supervisor helps ...

24 Seven Talent

CGI Artist

Saint Paul, MN · On-site +1

$63K - $69K/yr

Prepare CAD files, create virtual materials, set up lighting and cameras, render images, and ... Seniority level Associate Employment type Full-time Job function Art/Creative and Marketing ...

24 Seven Talent

CGI Artist

Saint Paul, MN · On-site +1

$63K - $69K/yr

Prepare CAD files, create virtual materials, set up lighting and cameras, render images, and ... Seniority level Associate Employment type Full-time Job function Art/Creative and Marketing ...

Swaybox Studios

Unreal Technical Artist

New Orleans, LA · On-site

$122K - $146K/yr

VFX Supervisor/Unreal Supervisor Employment Type: Full Time - This is an ONSITE POSITION in New ... Work hands-on within Unreal Engine to support the creation, integration, lighting, rendering, and ...

Swaybox Studios

Unreal Technical Artist

New Orleans, LA · On-site

$122K - $146K/yr

VFX Supervisor/Unreal Supervisor Employment Type: Full Time - This is an ONSITE POSITION in New ... Work hands-on within Unreal Engine to support the creation, integration, lighting, rendering, and ...

Pipeworks Studios

Technical Artist

Eugene, OR · On-site +1

$70K - $82K/yr

This is a full-time temporary role with the possibility of extension or conversion to regular ... lighting, visual effects, user interface content, or other visual systems within the role ...

Pipeworks Studios

Technical Artist

Eugene, OR · On-site +1

$127K - $152K/yr

This is a full-time temporary role with the possibility of extension or conversion to regular ... Investigate and resolve technical issues involving assets, materials, animation, lighting, visual ...

SAIC

3D Environmental Artist

Orlando, FL

Schedule: Full-Time Shift: Day Job Travel: No Minimum Clearance Required: None Clearance Level Must ... Create and apply textures, materials, and lighting using modern PBR workflows. * Develop reusable ...

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Full Time Lighting Artist information

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$30.5K

$129.5K

$152.5K

How much do full time lighting artist jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 4, 2026, the average yearly pay for full time 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 does a full time lighting artist do?

A Full Time Lighting Artist is responsible for creating realistic and visually appealing lighting in digital environments, such as video games, movies, and animations. They use specialized software to simulate how light interacts with objects and characters, enhancing mood, depth, and atmosphere. Lighting artists collaborate closely with other departments, like modeling, texturing, and rendering teams, to ensure scenes are both technically accurate and artistically compelling. Their work is crucial for establishing the visual tone and believability of a project.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a full time lighting artist?

To thrive as a Full Time Lighting Artist, you need strong artistic sensibility, a solid understanding of lighting principles, and experience with 3D modeling or animation, often supported by a degree in art, animation, or a related field. Proficiency in industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, Unreal Engine, or Houdini, as well as familiarity with rendering engines like Arnold or V-Ray, is typically required. Creativity, attention to detail, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for collaborating with other artists and delivering visually compelling scenes. These abilities ensure that the final visuals enhance storytelling, maintain consistency, and meet production standards in games, film, or animation projects.

What are some common challenges full time lighting artists face when working on large-scale projects, and how can they overcome them?

Full Time Lighting Artists working on large-scale projects often face challenges such as maintaining visual consistency across multiple scenes, meeting tight production deadlines, and effectively collaborating with other departments like modeling and compositing. To overcome these challenges, it's crucial to develop strong communication skills, adopt standardized workflows, and utilize reference materials or lighting templates. Staying organized and proactive in addressing feedback during review cycles will also help ensure that lighting enhances storytelling and meets the project's artistic vision.

What is the difference between Full Time Lighting Artist vs Lighting Technician?

AspectFull Time Lighting ArtistLighting Technician
CredentialsPortfolio, relevant education, possibly certifications in lighting or artTechnical certifications, hands-on experience with lighting equipment
Work EnvironmentCreative studios, post-production, film, gaming, animationOn-set, live events, studio setups, film sets
Industry UsageFilm, video games, animation, visual effectsFilm, television, live events, theater

The Full Time Lighting Artist focuses on creating and designing lighting for digital media, emphasizing artistic vision and technical skills. In contrast, a Lighting Technician handles the setup, operation, and maintenance of lighting equipment on set or stage. While both roles require technical knowledge, the Lighting Technician is more hands-on with equipment, whereas the Lighting Artist emphasizes creative lighting design in digital environments.

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Full Time Lighting Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Full Time 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 95% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $129,541 per year, or $62.3 per hour.

Lighting Artist / Technical Director - ILM San Francisco (Project Hire)

The Walt Disney Company

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$103K - $132K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 10 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Design lighting setups for environments, characters, and interactive game assets based on input from Art Directors, Lighting Leads, and Concept Artwork.

  • Work with environment, character, and VFX artists to achieve desired aesthetic and performance targets through material shader and geometry work.

  • Participate in improving workflows, optimizations, and best practices related to lighting and project polish.

Walt Disney Company rating

7.6

Company rating: 7.6 out of 10

Based on 130 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

5th of 52 rated entertainment

Job description

Job Posting Title:

Lighting Artist / Technical Director - ILM San Francisco (Project Hire)

Req ID:

10152348

Job Description:

Position Summary

ILM's Interactive team advances the studio's legacy of innovation by developing original immersive experiences across virtual reality, augmented reality and location-based platforms. Known for blending best-in-class visuals, sound and narrative, the team has delivered award-winning projects such as What If...? - An Immersive Story, Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series and the Oscar-winning CARNE y ARENA. Our work continues to push the boundaries of immersive entertainment and redefine how audiences engage with story.

We are seeking a Lighting Artist who reflects the innovative spirit, creative talent, production excellence, and passion for great storytelling that defines ILM.

The Lighting Artist is responsible for bringing the best out of our environments and to combine artistic talent and technical ability. You would be working closely with the Department Supervisor of Lighting and development/production teams on the design and implementation of lighting setups and lighting pipelines.

What You'll Do

  • Work with Art Directors, Lighting Leads and Concept Artwork to design lighting setups for environments, characters and interactive game assets.

  • Have a deep understanding of lightmap baking, dynamic lighting tools, image based specular lighting, indirect light probes, post-process volumes and real-time rendering

  • Work with environment, character and VFX artists in the lighting design to achieve the desired targets for aesthetics and performance through material shader and geometry work

  • Partner with level designers to animate via level blueprint or sequencer dynamic lighting or transitions

  • Actively participate in improving workflows, optimizations and best practices

  • Identify, triage, and fix bugs as required working with engineering and relevant departments

  • Take final project to a high degree of polish and optimization

What We're Looking For

  • 5+ years experience as a Lighting TD/Artist in AAA game development or animation/vfx/film

  • Strong aesthetic sense for lighting and color theory

  • Strong technical knowledge of current real time lighting tool sets including atmospheric effects, post processing, color grading and HDR IBL workflows

  • Able to effectively take direction and know what looks good and why

  • Experience with Unreal/Unity or equivalent game engine including dynamic and baked lighting workflows, physically-based rendering, and basic level blueprint scripting

  • Shaders: in-depth knowledge of real-time shader implementations, limitations of shaders in VR, strong knowledge of PBR pipelines, and subsurface shaders

  • Materials: experienced in the development, authoring & organization of efficient materials via the UE4 material editor

  • Fluency in working in Windows, JIRA, Perforce or equivalent OS, workload and data management tools

  • Excellent communication, organization and problem-solving skills and self-motivated

  • Bonus points for:

    • Strong traditional art, photography or film studies background

    • Proficient with profiling tools to examine & diagnosis performance issues related to lighting

    • Experience with one or more of the following: Maya, Unity, Substance Designer / Painter, Zbrush or Mudbox, Houdini, Mari, 3D StudioMax, Photoshop, Nuke

    • Interest and capacity to work with proprietary toolsets

* A portfolio / reel submission - including a detailed breakdown of your work in each section - is required with all applications.

JoinILM

The hiring range for this position in San Francisco is $103,812 to $132,930 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

Job Posting Segment:

ILM San Francisco

Job Posting Primary Business:

ILM San Francisco

Primary Job Posting Category:

Lighting Entertainment - Studios

Employment Type:

Full time

Primary City, State, Region, Postal Code:

San Francisco, CA, USA

Alternate City, State, Region, Postal Code:

Date Posted:

2026-05-26

What Walt Disney Company employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom

Walt Disney logo

About Walt Disney

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

At Disney, we're storytellers. We make the impossible, possible. We do this through utilizing and developing cutting-edge technology and pushing the envelope to bring stories to life through our movies, products, interactive games, parks and resorts, and media networks. Now is your chance to join our talented team that delivers unparalleled creative content to audiences around the world. "We create happiness." That's our motto at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. And it permeates everything we do. At Disney, you'll help inspire that magic by enabling our teams to push the limits of entertainment and create the never-before-seen!

Industry

Amusement, gambling, and recreation

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Burbank, CA, US

Social media

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