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Lookdev Artist Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Magnopus

AI Artist

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$100K - $160K/yr

A background in compositing, digital matte painting, LookDev, animation or another relevant ... If you have strong artistic experience, hands-on expertise with generative AI image and video ...

Magnopus

AI Artist

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$100K - $160K/yr

A background in compositing, digital matte painting, LookDev, animation or another relevant ... If you have strong artistic experience, hands-on expertise with generative AI image and video ...

All JobsLookdev Artist JobsLookdev Artist Jobs in California

Lookdev Artist information

See California salary details

$30.1K

$127.8K

$150.5K

How much do lookdev artist jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 26, 2026, the average yearly pay for lookdev artist in California is $127,844.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $125,300.00 and $150,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a lookdev artist?

Lookdev Artists, short for Look Development Artists, are professionals in the visual effects (VFX), animation, and gaming industries responsible for defining the appearance of digital assets. They create the materials, textures, shaders, and lighting that give 3D models their final look, making sure they appear realistic or stylistically appropriate for the project. Lookdev Artists collaborate closely with modelers, lighting artists, and art directors to ensure visual consistency and achieve the desired artistic vision. Their work is crucial in bridging the gap between the creative concept and the technical execution of digital imagery.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a lookdev artist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Lookdev Artist, you need a strong foundation in 3D modeling, texturing, shading, and rendering, often supported by a degree in art, animation, or a related field. Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Maya, Houdini, Substance Painter, and rendering engines like Arnold or V-Ray is essential. Attention to detail, creativity, and effective communication with other departments set standout professionals apart in this role. These skills ensure that assets meet both artistic vision and technical requirements, resulting in visually compelling projects.

How does a lookdev artist typically collaborate with other departments during a production?

A Lookdev Artist works closely with modeling, lighting, and compositing teams to ensure that the visual assets meet the creative vision and technical requirements of the project. Communication is key, as Lookdev Artists often need to adjust materials or textures based on feedback from supervisors or changes in lighting setups. They also collaborate with pipeline developers to ensure assets are optimized for rendering. This collaborative environment helps maintain consistency and efficiency across the production process.

What is the difference between Lookdev Artist vs Texture Artist?

AspectLookdev ArtistTexture Artist
CredentialsPortfolio, relevant art or technical backgroundPortfolio, focus on texturing skills
Work EnvironmentVFX, animation, gaming studiosVFX, animation, gaming studios
ResponsibilitiesDefines material properties, shading, lighting for realistic or stylized looksCreates surface textures, maps, and details for models

The Lookdev Artist focuses on defining how surfaces look under various lighting conditions, including shading and material properties. The Texture Artist specializes in creating detailed surface textures and maps to enhance visual realism. While both roles work closely in the asset creation pipeline, the Lookdev Artist emphasizes material setup and lighting, whereas the Texture Artist concentrates on surface detail and surface quality.

What are popular job titles related to Lookdev Artist jobs in California?

For Lookdev Artist jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Lookdev Artist jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Lookdev Artist jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Lookdev Artist jobs?

Cities in California with the most Lookdev Artist job openings:

Lookdev Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Lookdev Artist job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 82% Full Time, 15% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 97% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $127,844 per year, or $61.5 per hour.

AI Artist

Magnopus

Los Angeles, CA • On-site

$100K - $160K/yr

Full-time

Posted 27 days ago

Job description

Magnopus is looking for an AI Artist to create high-quality, photorealistic imagery and motion content for a major new project.

As a spatial design and innovation company, we work at the intersection of technology, creativity and emerging experiences. Our teams bring together artists, engineers, designers and producers to create visionary work using both established production techniques and rapidly evolving technologies.

In this role, you'll combine a strong artistic eye with hands-on experience using generative AI tools to create and refine characters, environments and motion assets for production.

You'll work with image and video generative AI tools, node-based workflows and more conventional creative techniques to take work from initial generation through iteration and refinement to production-ready output.

This is first and foremost an artist role. We're looking for someone with excellent visual judgement who can use generative AI effectively as part of their creative toolkit, working within innovative workflows to deliver consistently high-quality results.

Contract
This is an initial fixed-term project hire through the end of September 2026, with an anticipated extension through February 2027, subject to project requirements.
Location
This role requires working onsite at our Downtown Los Angeles studio five days per week. The project is highly collaborative and fast-moving, with the team working closely together in person throughout production.
What you'll do
  • Create feature-film quality character elements, environments and motion assets for use in production.
  • Use generative AI image and video tools to create, explore and iterate visual ideas against a clear creative brief.
  • Work within node-based generative AI workflows to generate and refine production assets.
  • Use conditioning and control techniques to shape composition, pose, character consistency and overall visual style.
  • Create and refine image-to-video, video-to-video and other generative motion outputs, maintaining visual quality and consistency across sequences.
  • Adjust lighting, perspective, composition and other visual elements using multimodal editing tools and established creative techniques.
  • Identify and correct artifacts, inconsistencies and other visual issues in generated content.
  • Perform light compositing, paint and finishing work where needed to deliver polished, production-ready assets.
  • Collaborate with other artists, technical artists and production teams to maintain the creative vision and quality of the project.
  • Test emerging tools and techniques, providing feedback to help improve the workflows used by the wider team.
What will help you succeed in this role
  • A strong artistic foundation and excellent visual judgement, particularly when creating photorealistic imagery.
  • Strong professional experience creating high-quality visual content within film, VFX, animation, games or another relevant creative production environment.
  • Hands-on experience using generative AI tools to create and refine high-quality, photorealistic imagery.
  • Experience using node-based generative AI workflows such as ComfyUI or similar graph-based tools.
  • Experience using conditioning and control techniques within generative AI workflows to manage composition, pose, character and stylistic consistency.
  • Strong hands-on experience with generative video tools, including image-to-video and video-to-video workflows.
  • A strong understanding of composition, lighting, color, perspective, camera and lens characteristics, continuity and visual consistency.
  • The ability to critically evaluate generated output, identify visual issues and iterate efficiently towards a clear creative target.
  • Experience refining generated assets using multimodal editing tools, compositing, digital painting or similar techniques.
  • A strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality visual work across generative imagery and motion content.
  • The ability to collaborate effectively with artists, technical artists and production teams in a fast-moving production environment.
 
Even better if you also have
  • A background in compositing, digital matte painting, LookDev, animation or another relevant production art discipline.
  • Experience delivering visual assets within feature film, VFX, AAA game, or another high-end production environment.
  • Experience working with rapidly evolving generative AI tools and adapting established creative workflows as new capabilities emerge.
Think you could be a great fit?
If you have strong artistic experience, hands-on expertise with generative AI image and video workflows, and believe you could make an immediate impact on the project, we'd love to hear from you.
$100,000 - $160,000 a year
Our posted salary ranges reflect the range of experience and skills we may consider for the role. Individual offers are determined based on relevant experience, skills, and internal pay equity. To support fair and equitable compensation practices, as well as ongoing growth within the role, most offers will not be made at the top of the advertised range.
About Magnopus

Magnopus is an experience-focused technology company founded by a team of Oscar-winning artists, designers and engineers from the worlds of film, games and immersive media.

We create experiences that bring together storytelling, creativity and technology in new ways - from immersive attractions and interactive installations to virtual production, spatial computing, AI-powered experiences and emerging technologies. Our work helps some of the world's most recognisable brands and organisations connect with audiences in ways that weren't previously possible.

We've built experiences for millions of people around the world and continue to explore what's possible at the intersection of creativity, technology and human connection.

Though we've delivered a lot of incredible work, here are just a few examples you can explore yourself:

 
Metallica: Music Experience in UEFN
Mission: ISS
Alo Moves XR
World of Fallout
Daft Punk Experience, Fortnite
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere

We're proud of the work we create, but we're equally proud of how we create it. Magnopus is built around collaboration, curiosity and respect. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere, and we strive to create an environment where talented people can learn, grow and do some of the best work of their careers.

You'll join a multidisciplinary team of artists, designers, engineers, producers and technologists who specialise in bringing ambitious ideas to life. Studio work at Magnopus is varied, collaborative and often unlike anything you've worked on before, giving you the opportunity to contribute to projects that push creative and technical boundaries.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process - for example, to transcribe interviews and generate summaries. These tools are not used to review applications or analyse resumes, and they do not replace human judgement. All hiring decisions are made by people. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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