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Light Is Everything: The Role of a Lighting Artist in CG

May 11, 2025

Article by Yuri Ilyin

Take a look at any CG-related job aggregator, and you'll definitely see quite a few listings for lighting artists. This may seem a little strange at first: every 3D artist, even at the amateur or junior level, is generally expected to be competent at lighting their scenes. It's just a natural part of the craft and the art.

However, lighting is one of those wide chasms an artist must leap over to transcend from amateur to professional level.

In fact, everything about CG is about the light.

Unreal Engine 5 with Lumen global illumination system
Reference: Unreal Engine 5

Everything Is Light

Over the course of the evolution a part of living organisms on Earth - both on the surface and in the ocean - developed some limited sensitivity to a narrow range of electromagnetic radiation. Better known as vision, it's indeed very limited: the portion of the spectrum that humans can perceive visually lies between approximately 400 and 700 nanometers in wavelength.

Visible spectrum of light
Reference: Philip Ronan at Wikimedia Commons

Humans are also among those organisms who developed the ability to discern between different wavelengths and frequencies. Physical bodies around us always absorb some portion of electromagnetic radiation and reflect the rest. The reflected radiation usually has different wavelength/frequency composition, and that's how we see the colors of the surrounding objects.

The human eye, unless technologically augmented, is neither the most sensitive nor the most refined instrument. In general, it blocks out the more damaging ultraviolet (UV) part of the spectrum, which lies beyond 350380 nm. On the other hand, it is typically incapable of perceiving wavelengths significantly longer than 700 nanometers.

Meanwhile some birds, insects, and mammals are capable of seeing near-UV light directly. Birds, in particular, possess a fourth color receptor for ultraviolet rays. This gives them access to far more color information about their environment - and about each other, since their feathers reflect and refract UV light. So, while birds' feathers may appear toned-down and camouflaged to other species, to fellow birds they look gloriously colorful.

Birds just see more than a human eye meets
Reference: Bird vision

Then there are mantis shrimps, who have 12 to 16 types of photoreceptor cells (compared to humans' three and birds' four). Somehow, evolution granted these carnivores the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom and the most sophisticated front-end for any visual system ever discovered. They can perceive wavelengths of light ranging from deep ultraviolet (300 nm) to far red (720 nm), as well as polarized light.

It is unlikely that humans will evolve - at least naturally - to gain an expanded perception of color anytime soon. We'll have to make do with what we already have: our limited capability to see light and color, and to discern their aspects - hue, saturation, and luminance.

Light Is Everything

Dedicated lighting artists are the CG counterparts of both director of photography and gaffers in film; they bring the shot to life.

The lighting workflow in the CGI world isn't drastically different from that of physical cinema - the goals and principles remain the same. In CG, however, the level of control over the lighting setup is much higher. Still, the lighting is expected to look, well, lifelike.

Getting a firm hold of lighting in CG isn't a cakewalk. No matter how skilled an (amateur) artist may be at creating geometry or materials, without proper, context-relevant lighting, all that effort may go to waste.

Lighting artist usually is a senior-level job, especially in larger companies with specialized departments.

Tasks may differ depending on the industry. In ArchViz, the primary goal is to deliver realistic lighting, often with enhancements to make the project look as visually impressive as possible.

In film, CG lighting is an integral and principal part of VFX. A lot of skill and experience is required to provide the seamless blending of CG elements into the scene. Even in CGI-heavy films like superhero blockbusters, it is imperative to ensure the feeling of an actual presence of the actors in the fantastic environment.

From Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania VFX Breakdown Reel by Pixomondo
Reference: Pixomondo

And then there are video games, where lighting is not just the primary factor in the success or failure of a title, but at times a core gameplay mechanic as well. Especially in stealth-related genres, starting with their progenitor - Thief (Looking Glass, 1998), where the protagonist needs to stay in the shadows as much as possible.

What Are the Requirements of a Good Lighting Artist?

Job listings usually contain at least some answers. The most desirable requirements typically include a strong understanding of the fundamentals of lighting, color theory, form, and value. So, either a degree in art or, at the very least, a serious amount of study and reading on the topic is a must.

Larger companies sometimes directly require a 'BA in Art, Digital Media, Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent experience'.

The only thing that beats a university degree is a degree coupled with years of experience. A degree, however, usually means that a potential candidate has a solid grasp of the basics and intricacies, can speak the same professional language as their teammates, and is capable of quickly learning new tools.

Linked above is an actual listing from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Judging by other requirements listed - like working knowledge of Nuke, V-Ray, Arnold, and 'comfortable using, or willingness and ability to learn, Houdini', that's about some upcoming 3D project.

Another company, a video game developer, expects strong knowledge of real-time lighting systems, including GI-based ones (GI stands for Global Illumination), HDR lighting pipelines, etc.

There are also some extra specialized areas such as lighting design in the architectural visualization, where the lighting scheme is expected to be part of the architecture.

To sum up, there are quite a few expectations for CGI lighting artists. They are expected to have a solid understanding of artistic fundamentals as well as the science behind lighting, materials, and their interactions. They must be able to work confidently with abstract concepts like mood, emotion, and atmosphere (aside from being fine simulating the atmospheric effects).

They should also be excellent problem-solvers and knowledgeable enough about the technologies they use to overcome limitations without compromising results.

In fact, it's often the lighting artists who define those results more than anyone else.

Where to Start?

While nothing can really beat the formal degrees in the relevant field, an aspiring artist can begin with YouTube videos like Pixar in a Box: The Art of Lighting or this one. Both explain, in an accessible way, what lighting artists do, how they do it, and why.

From there, it would be reasonable to take on some comprehensible learning courses; some of which are free. Blender users might find great value in the resources provided by Andrew Price (aka Blender Guru) and Gleb Alexandrov (aka Creative Shrimp). Both are seasoned artists and exceptional educators who cover both the fundamentals and advanced techniques.

A screenshot from Gleb Alexandrov’s course ‘Cinematic Lighting in Blender’
Reference: Cinematic Lighting by Gleb Alexandrov

The next stop may be courses on Artstation that Epic Games have generously made free.

And then, if you are certain that lighting artistry is The Way for you, it would be wise to explore the paid options, like Computer Science and Arts and Humanities courses on Coursera, or even joining a formal educational facility.

Good luck, and may the Light illume thy path!

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