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Lighting Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Lighting Artist

Portland, OR · Remote

$34 - $38/hr

You are an experienced lighting artist who can take environments from start to finish while communicating effectively with other disciplines across all parts of the project. In return, you will be ...

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Lighting Artist to join our Boston hub and the team working on Cyberpunk 2, the next mainline Cyberpunk 2077 game. You will report to and work closely with our ...

Senior Lighting Artist

Boston, MA · On-site

$118K - $185K/yr

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Lighting Artist to join our Boston hub and the team working on Cyberpunk 2, the next mainline Cyberpunk 2077 game. You will report to and work closely with our ...

Senior Lighting Artist

Boston, MA · Hybrid

$118K - $185K/yr

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Lighting Artist to join our Boston hub and the team working on Cyberpunk 2, the next mainline Cyberpunk 2077 game. You will report to and work closely with our ...

The role requires a skilled artist with strong understanding of lighting and rendering photorealistic images of primarily organic characters. The ideal candidate will have experience lighting scenes ...

The role requires a skilled artist with strong understanding of lighting and rendering photorealistic images of primarily organic characters. The ideal candidate will have experience lighting scenes ...

Senior Lighting Artist

Herndon, VA · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

The role requires a skilled artist with strong understanding of lighting and rendering photorealistic images of primarily organic characters. The ideal candidate will have experience lighting scenes ...

Senior Lighting Artist

Herndon, VA · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

The role requires a skilled artist with strong understanding of lighting and rendering photorealistic images of primarily organic characters. The ideal candidate will have experience lighting scenes ...

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 ...

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Lighting Artist information

See salary details

$30.5K

$129.5K

$152.5K

How much do lighting artist jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 24, 2026, the average yearly pay for 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 are the typical daily responsibilities of a Lighting Artist in a production environment?

As a Lighting Artist, your daily responsibilities typically include setting up and adjusting lighting rigs, refining the mood and atmosphere of digital scenes, and collaborating with other departments such as modeling, texturing, and compositing to achieve the desired visual effect. You will review feedback from art directors or supervisors and update scene lighting to meet project goals and maintain visual consistency. Additionally, troubleshooting rendering issues and optimizing lighting setups for performance are common tasks. The role often involves a mix of creative and technical problem-solving, making versatility and attention to detail crucial for success.

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

To thrive as a Lighting Artist, you need a strong understanding of light, color theory, composition, and visual storytelling, typically supported by a degree in art, animation, or a related field. Mastery of industry-standard 3D software such as Maya, Houdini, Unreal Engine, or proprietary rendering tools is essential, and certification in these tools can be advantageous. Strong collaboration, adaptability, and effective communication skills help Lighting Artists work seamlessly with artists, designers, and technical teams. These combined abilities ensure the creation of visually compelling scenes that meet both artistic vision and technical requirements in fast-paced production environments.

What is a Lighting Artist job?

A Lighting Artist is responsible for creating and implementing lighting setups that enhance the mood, atmosphere, and visual quality of scenes in films, video games, or animations. They work with 3D environments, adjusting light sources, shadows, and color tones to achieve artistic and realistic effects. Their role involves collaborating with other artists, such as modelers and texture artists, to ensure consistency in visual storytelling. Lighting Artists also optimize lighting for performance while maintaining high-quality visuals.

What cities are hiring for Lighting Artist jobs? Cities with the most Lighting Artist job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Lighting Artist jobs? The most popular types of Lighting Artist jobs are:
Who are the top companies hiring for Lighting Artist jobs? The top employers for Lighting Artist jobs are:
What states have the most Lighting Artist jobs? States with the most job openings for Lighting Artist jobs include:
Infographic showing various Lighting Artist job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 78% Full Time, 18% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 97% Physical, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $129,541 per year, or $62.3 per hour.
Lighting Artist

$34 - $38/hr

Contractor

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement

Posted 11 days ago


Job description


Liquid Development was founded in 2000 and is the largest outsourcing art studio in North America. We offer a fun and cooperative work atmosphere, where collaboration is encouraged among a diversely talented team to remain on the cutting edge of content creation. Everyday Liquid Development is producing work at the forefront of modern game production and the demands for our services continue to grow. Our team has contributed to AAA titles within the Halo, Mass Effect, Borderlands, and Call of Duty franchises - Liquid Development is the team these titles turn to when they need the best.

Check Us Out On ArtStation:

https://www.artstation.com/liquiddevelopment

Interested in joining our team? As future projects await, we're on the lookout for exceptional talent to consider for upcoming roles. Take the initiative by submitting your application, and let's explore the possibilities together as our team grows.

We are currently seeking for lighting artists to join our team for a few upcoming projects! You are an experienced lighting artist who can take environments from start to finish while communicating effectively with other disciplines across all parts of the project. In return, you will be part of an experienced creative and supportive team working on various AAA titles!

Some of the cool stuff you'll be doing:

  • Artistic Lighting: Crafting, placing, and tweaking light sources to achieve the desired mood, tone, and atmosphere across a variety of environmental archetypes.
  • Technical Implementation: Setting up lighting rigs, managing light bakes, optimizing for performance, and handling volumetric lighting.
  • Collaboration: Working with level designers and environmental artists to guide players and highlight key areas, ensuring visual consistency.
  • Self-Management: The ability to identify your own project needs and effectively communicate those needs to your lead and managers.
  • Post-Processing: Applying color grading, bloom, and other screen-space effects to enhance the final look.
  • Performance Optimization: Ensuring high visual quality within the technical constraints of the target hardware.

Requirements

What you'll bring to the table:

  • A strong portfolio/demo reel with recent work showcasing proficiency in lighting for video games (**must submit to be considered**)
  • 2+ years of professional experience working as a Lighting Artist in the video game industry

Bonus Points!

  • Proprietary Engine Experience: Knowledge of lighting pipelines outside of Unreal Engine and Unity. (example: Frostbite)
  • Experience with Maya, Houdini and Unreal Engine

This is a fully remote ongoing contract only position. At this time, this position is not available to California residents.

Due to the high volume of applications, we kindly ask you to not reach out to the Liquid Development team. Once you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email that the hiring team will be reviewing your application. You will hear directly from our Talent Acquisition team once we have an update for you regarding your application status.

Benefits

What's in it for you?

If working on some of the biggest and best titles with some of the coolest people within the games industry isn't enough, we also offer:

  • Work alongside dynamic individuals in the gaming industry
  • Work within a company with upward career growth opportunities
  • Work Fully Remote
  • Full Time Employment Benefits for applicants located in US only include:
    • Medical, Dental, Vision benefits
    • Voluntary Long-term / Short-term Disability
    • 401K w/ company match
  • Salary RANGE: $70k to $80k per year ($34/hr to $38/hr)

Keywords Studios is dedicated to following a well-established Equal Opportunities Policy. We endeavor to create a workplace which provides for equal opportunities for all employees and potential employees.

Note to Recruitment Agencies

Please be advised that Keywords Studios does not consider unsolicited resumes, or any form of contact initiated by unauthorized third parties, including recruitment or placement agencies, unless a pre-existing, valid agreement is in place. Any fees incurred by unauthorized third parties will not be compensated by Keywords Studios.

AI Notice

Keywords Studios is committed to fair and ethical hiring practices. We expect candidates to conduct themselves with honesty and to participate in all applications and interviews independently, presenting their own knowledge and experience. Candidates should refrain from using AI assistance or third-party tools or services that could influence, capture, or otherwise interfere with the authenticity of the assessment process.

E-Verify Notification

This Organization Participates in E-Verify

Esta Organizacion Participa en E-Verify

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY

By providing your information in this application, you understand that we will collect and process your information in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice. For more information, please see our Applicant Privacy Notice athttps://www.keywordsstudios.com/en/applicant-privacy-notice

Role Information: EN
Studio: Liquid Development
Location: Americas, United States, Oregon
Area of Work: Art Services
Service: Create
Employment Type: Full Time, Contractor
Working Pattern: Remote