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Unreal 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 ... Experience with Unreal is advantageous. * Knowledge of Maya and Arnold rendering. * Experience with ...

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 ... Experience with Unreal is advantageous. * Knowledge of Maya and Arnold rendering. * Experience with ...

The Mill

Technical Artist

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$139K - $166K/yr

Lighting - Be well versed in the various lighting techniques in Unreal and instruct the artists in lighting best practices * Optimisation - Optimise content through profiling and enhancing ...

The Mill

Technical Artist

Manhattan, NY

Lighting - Be well versed in the various lighting techniques in Unreal and instruct the artists in lighting best practices * Optimisation - Optimise content through profiling and enhancing ...

Together Group

Senior Unreal Developer

Sarasota, FL · On-site

Our team blends cutting-edge technology with artistic craftsmanship to create immersive, real-time ... Dynamic lighting, time-of-day, and environmental effects. * UMG and in-engine tools for interaction ...

Together Group

Senior Unreal Developer

Sarasota, FL

Our team blends cutting-edge technology with artistic craftsmanship to create immersive, real-time ... Dynamic lighting, time-of-day, and environmental effects. * UMG and in-engine tools for interaction ...

Imerza

Senior Unreal Developer

Sarasota, FL · On-site

Our team blends cutting-edge technology with artistic craftsmanship to create immersive, real-time ... Dynamic lighting, time-of-day, and environmental effects. * UMG and in-engine tools for interaction ...

Epoch Games

Unreal Engine Technical Artist

Winston Salem, NC

$109K - $130K/yr

The game is being developed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4 (UE4): For more information about the ... In this volunteer position you will be developing Shaders, Lighting, Particles, Optimization Work ...

PURPLE

Senior Unreal Developer

Interactive cameras and slice-plane systems. • Dynamic lighting, time-of-day, and environmental ... artists, and producers to ensure seamless integration between systems and client-facing ...

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Unreal Lighting Artist information

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$30.5K

$129.5K

$152.5K

How much do unreal lighting artist jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for unreal 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 some common challenges Unreal Lighting Artists face when working on large-scale game environments?

Unreal Lighting Artists often encounter challenges such as optimizing lighting setups for performance while maintaining visual quality in expansive game worlds. Balancing dynamic and static lighting, managing lightmaps, and ensuring consistency across different levels can be complex, especially when working with a large team. Collaboration with environment artists, level designers, and technical artists is essential to troubleshoot issues and implement efficient lighting solutions. Staying up-to-date with the latest Unreal Engine features and best practices also plays a crucial role in overcoming these challenges.

What is the difference between Unreal Lighting Artist vs Environment Artist?

AspectUnreal Lighting ArtistEnvironment Artist
Primary FocusLighting setup, mood, and atmosphere in Unreal EngineCreating detailed 3D environments and assets
Skills & ToolsUnreal Engine, lighting techniques, shaders3D modeling, texturing, environment design
Work EnvironmentGame studios, VR/AR projects, real-time renderingGame studios, film, visualization projects

While Unreal Lighting Artists focus on lighting and atmosphere within Unreal Engine, Environment Artists create the detailed 3D assets and environments. Both roles often collaborate but have distinct skill sets and responsibilities in the game development pipeline.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Unreal Lighting Artist, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Unreal Lighting Artist, you need a strong understanding of lighting principles, color theory, and real-time rendering, often supported by a degree in art, design, or a related field. Proficiency with Unreal Engine, including its lighting tools (such as Lightmass and Lumen), and familiarity with 3D modeling software like Maya or Blender are typically required. Creativity, attention to detail, and effective communication help artists collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and achieve project vision. These skills are crucial for creating immersive, visually compelling environments that enhance the overall quality and realism of interactive experiences.

What does an Unreal Lighting Artist do?

An Unreal Lighting Artist specializes in creating, adjusting, and optimizing lighting within Unreal Engine to achieve realistic or stylized visual effects in games, films, or virtual productions. They work closely with other artists and designers to enhance mood, atmosphere, and readability of scenes using various lighting techniques. Their responsibilities include setting up light sources, baking lighting, troubleshooting visual issues, and ensuring performance standards are met. Mastery of Unreal Engine's lighting tools and a strong understanding of color theory and real-world lighting principles are essential for this role.
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Unreal Lighting Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Unreal Lighting Artist job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 67% In-person, and 33% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $129,541 per year, or $62.3 per hour.

Senior CG Lighting Artist

Swaybox Studios

New Orleans, LA • Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

Other

Re-posted 19 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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