Unity Lighting Artist

AlterStaff Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 55,000 - 96,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Remote work opportunities

Flexible hours

Job summary

Alterstaff is seeking a Unity Lighting Artist for a 3–6 month contract role within our Design & Development team. You’ll craft evocative, optimized lighting environments that align with concept art and elevate the emotional impact of our game worlds.

This role requires technical and artistic understanding of Unity lighting, shader workflows, and collaboration with artists and designers to ensure scenes look stunning while performing smoothly.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in Unity lighting systems and rendering workflows.
• Familiarity with Light Probe and Lightmap baking, including mixed lighting scenarios.
• Experience using Shader Graph; HLSL or shader scripting is a bonus.
• Solid understanding of lighting composition, color theory, and visual storytelling.
• Working knowledge of C# scripting within Unity.
• Ability to optimize lighting for performance while maintaining visual integrity.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills in a fast-paced development environment.
• Portfolio showcasing lighting work in Unity (stylized or cinematic preferred).

Responsibilities

• Design and implement high-quality lighting in Unity, balancing visual style and performance.
• Work with Light Probes, Lightmaps, and Reflection Probes to ensure consistent environmental lighting.
• Translate concept art and narrative tone into dynamic in-game lighting setups.
• Utilize Shader Graph to develop lighting-related materials; HLSL experience is a plus.
• Collaborate with technical artists, concept/3D artists and designers to light environments, cutscenes, and gameplay spaces.
• Use post-processing effects to enhance visual fidelity (bloom, color grading, depth of field, etc).
• Optimize lighting for performance across platforms, ensuring fast load and runtime speeds.
• Contribute to lighting reviews and provide polish for key scenes and milestones.
• Maintain documentation for lighting workflows and best practices.

Skills

Unity Lighting

Lighting optimization

Color theory

Collaboration

Tools

Shader Graph

C# scripting

Light Probes/Lightmaps

Job description

Alterstaff is seeking a Unity Lighting Artist for a 3–6 month contract role within our Design & Development team. You’ll be responsible for crafting evocative, optimized lighting environments that align with concept art and elevate the emotional impact of our game worlds. Your expertise in Unity’s lighting systems, shader workflows, and artistic sensibility will help define the visual mood and clarity of each scene. This position requires both technical and artistic understanding of lighting in Unity, along with the ability to work closely with environment artists, shader developers, and designers to ensure scenes look stunning while performing smoothly.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement high-quality lighting in Unity, balancing visual style and performance.
• Work with Light Probes, Lightmaps, and Reflection Probes to ensure consistent environmental lighting.
• Translate concept art and narrative tone into dynamic in-game lighting setups.
• Utilize Shader Graph to develop lighting-related materials; HLSL experience is a plus.
• Collaborate with technical artists, concept/3D artists and designers to light environments, cutscenes, and gameplay spaces.
• Use post-processing effects to enhance visual fidelity (bloom, color grading, depth of field, etc).
• Optimize lighting for performance across platforms, ensuring fast load and runtime speeds.
• Contribute to lighting reviews and provide polish for key scenes and milestones.
• Maintain documentation for lighting workflows and best practices.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in Unity Engine, with a deep understanding of lighting systems and rendering workflows.
• Familiarity with Light Probe and Lightmap baking, including mixed lighting scenarios.
• Experience using Shader Graph; HLSL or shader scripting is a bonus.
• Solid understanding of lighting composition, color theory, and visual storytelling.
• Working knowledge of C# scripting within Unity.
• Ability to optimize lighting for performance while maintaining visual integrity.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills in a fast-paced development environment.
• Portfolio showcasing lighting work in Unity (stylized or cinematic preferred).

What We Offer

• A competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Flexible working hours and remote work opportunities.
• A creative and inclusive work environment where you can collaborate with experts in gaming, AI, and technology.
• Opportunities for professional growth and advancement.