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Vfx 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 ... This is a perfect position for a VFX artist who understands the subtle art of expression, setting a ...

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 ... This is a perfect position for a VFX artist who understands the subtle art of expression, setting a ...

Ht Visions

VFX Artist

Houston, TX

$150K - $165K/yr

We are seeking an experienced and highly creative VFX Artist to produce high-quality visual effects ... Ensure lighting, rendering, and compositing consistency • Meet production deadlines while ...

Absurd Ventures

Senior VFX Artist

San Rafael, CA

$145K - $180K/yr

Summary We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Real-Time VFX Artist to craft stunning visual ... Expert understanding of particle systems, shaders, lighting, and real-time rendering pipelines.

Studio Wildcard

Sr. VFX Artist

Bellevue, WA · On-site

Senior VFX Artist We're Studio Wildcard, developers of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved ... Deep knowledge of vector math, real time lighting, post FX, shaders, and real time performance ...

Studio Wildcard

Sr. VFX Artist

Bellevue, WA · On-site

Senior VFX Artist _____ We're Studio Wildcard, developers of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival ... Deep knowledge of vector math, real time lighting, post FX, shaders, and real time performance ...

Komodo Co., Ltd.

VFX Artist (Bellevue)

Bellevue, WA · On-site

The Opportunity KOMODO is seeking a VFX Artist to define the visual identity of Nanos, the codename ... Familiarity with lighting, post-processing, and real-time rendering optimization * Background in ...

Komodo Co., Ltd.

VFX Artist (Bellevue)

Bellevue, WA · On-site

The Opportunity KOMODO is seeking a VFX Artist to define the visual identity of Nanos, the codename ... Familiarity with lighting, post-processing, and real-time rendering optimization * Background in ...

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How much do vfx lighting artist jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 27, 2026, the average yearly pay for vfx lighting artist in the United States is $105,989.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $84,500.00 and $121,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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

To thrive as a Vfx Lighting Artist, you need a strong grasp of lighting principles, color theory, digital composition, and an art or design-related degree or equivalent experience. Expertise with industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, Houdini, Arnold, and proprietary render engines is crucial, along with familiarity with rendering pipelines and possibly certifications in these tools. Collaboration, attention to detail, creative problem-solving, and clear communication are key soft skills that set outstanding Vfx Lighting Artists apart. These abilities are vital to produce visually compelling, technically precise sequences that integrate seamlessly with the broader visual effects team’s work and the project's creative vision.

What are the typical collaborative dynamics between a Vfx Lighting Artist and other departments on a VFX project?

Vfx Lighting Artists frequently collaborate with departments such as modeling, texturing, compositing, and animation to ensure that lighting integrates realistically and artistically across all visual elements. Daily, you can expect to review assets, discuss lighting needs with supervisors and lead artists, and address feedback from the compositing and VFX supervisors to achieve the desired look. Effective communication is essential, as adjustments may be required to accommodate changes in assets or overall project direction. This teamwork-driven workflow not only helps maintain consistency in quality and style but also provides opportunities to learn from peers and advance within multidisciplinary VFX teams.

What does a VFX Lighting Artist do?

A VFX Lighting Artist is responsible for creating and fine-tuning the lighting in computer-generated scenes to enhance realism, mood, and storytelling. They work with 3D models, textures, and render engines to simulate how light interacts with surfaces, ensuring consistency with live-action footage or stylistic requirements. Their role is crucial in setting the atmosphere of a scene and directing the audience's focus. They collaborate with other departments, such as compositing and shading, to achieve the final visual look.

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Vfx Lighting Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Vfx 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 $105,989 per year, or $51 per hour.

Senior CG Lighting Artist

Swaybox Studios

New Orleans, LA • Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

Other

Posted 13 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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