Also called: Lighting TD, Lighter
Lights CGI scenes so digital characters and worlds look real, then renders the final images.
A lighting artist places virtual suns, lamps, and bounce light in a 3D scene, matching the on-set lighting so a CGI creature looks like it's really standing there.
BLS special effects artists and animators (May 2024): median ~$99.8k, 10th pct ~$57k, 90th ~$175k. Role-specific figures are estimates.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Animation or VFX degree; photography knowledge helps.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Computer Animation, Visual Effects, Photography.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Tracks VFX growth.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI denoising and neural rendering speed work; lighting shots to match a director's mood still needs artists, fewer at entry level.
Classes: Art, Photography, Physics (light), Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1014.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.