Senior Lighting Artist

Cloud Imperium Games Limited; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Cloud Imperium Games Limited in Manchester, UK, is seeking a Senior Lighting Artist to lead cinematic realtime lighting for Star Citizen locations. You will own high-quality, cinematic lighting across varied environments, from space stations to neon cityscapes, shaping mood and visual storytelling in real time.

You will collaborate with Lighting Lead, Art Director and cross-disciplinary teams to maintain the project’s artistic vision while optimizing performance within real-time budgets.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience rendering high-quality AAA realtime lighting.
• Strong understanding of mood, composition, and color theory.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams in fast-paced environments.
• Ability to optimize lighting within real-time budgets.
• Excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Create and champion believable, cinematic and narrative-driven lighting scenarios for major locations in the game.
• Optimize and ensure complex lighting setups work within strict realtime rendering budgets, identifying performance bottlenecks.
• Work closely with the Lighting Lead and Art Director to interpret and maintain the artistic vision across the project.
• Collaborate with Environment Art, Tech Art, and Design to pioneer workflows and enhance player experience.
• Act as a technical and artistic resource for junior and mid-level artists to elevate the team’s skillset.

Skills

Cinematic lighting

Mood & composition

Realtime rendering

Collaboration

Mentoring

Job description

Founded in 2012 by renowned game developer Chris Roberts, Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) is one of the largest global independent studios, dedicated to delivering next-generation AAA games. CIG prides itself in thinking outside the box, encouraging creativity and developing ground-breaking technology. CIG believes in raising the bar for the gaming industry and the gaming community as a whole.

About the Role

As a Senior Lighting Artist at CIG, you will be joining a team responsible for lighting all the amazing locations in Star Citizen. Star Citizen is a universe filled with solar systems, each of which are filled with diverse locations all of which the player can seamlessly fly down to from space and explore on foot.

In this senior position, you will take ownership of implementing and overseeing high-quality, complex, and cinematic realtime lighting scenarios for Star Citizen. This could be anything from a moody old Space Station in low orbit around a planet to a neon-filled cityscape located on a planet. The art pillars of the game are Cinematic Sci-Fi Realism. You will play a pivotal role in establishing the mood, tone, and visual quality for environments, ensuring the final frame showcases the artwork to the highest possible industry standard.

This is an onsite role based at our studio in Manchester, UK.

Check out what our Lighting team get up to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqt1fl56BlE&t=1s

What does a Senior Lighting Artist at CIG do?

• Create and champion believable, cinematic and narrative-driven lighting scenarios for major locations in the game.
• Optimise and ensure complex lighting setups work seamlessly within strict defined realtime rendering budgets, proactively identifying performance bottlenecks.
• Work closely with the Lighting Lead and Art Director to interpret, execute, and help maintain the overall artistic vision across the project.
• Collaborate deeply with other departments (Environment Art, Tech Art, Design) to pioneer workflows and help create the best player experience possible.
• Act as a technical and artistic resource for junior and mid-level artists, helping elevate the team's collective skillset.

What do we expect from our Senior Lighting Artists?

• Extensive experience in creating high-quality, AAA realtime lighting scenarios, with a strong portfolio showcasing a masterful handle on mood and composition.
• Someone who is deeply passionate about creating inspirational lighting moods and storytelling through light.
• Deep understanding of material shading, physically based rendering (PBR), and how the interplay of different materials impacts the final frame under varying light conditions.
• A profound knowledge of cinematic lighting principles (composition, colour theory, exposure) combined with the technical know-how to implement them in a cutting-edge engine.
• Someone who draws from a vast variety of reference material to constantly challenge themselves and push the boundaries of what is possible in realtime games.
• Excellent communication skills, with a collaborative mindset and the ability to thrive within a highly passionate, fast-paced team environment.

Diversity Statement

CIG is a global company, staunchly committed to cultivating a culture and workplace that celebrates all backgrounds, lifestyles, and perspectives. Together, we are creating a space where authentic recognition, appreciation, and understanding of the importance of diversity is fostered by everyone. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we strive to build a team that represents all walks of life, and we want every employee to bring all the things that make them unique to the work environment. The universe is as vast and varied as the people in it, and it's our differences that make it special.