Overview

Unity lighting setup and post-processing effects for atmosphere, mood, and visual polish. Covers URP and HDRP Volume system.

When to Use

Use when setting up scene lighting
Use when adding visual polish (bloom, vignette)
Use when creating mood/atmosphere
Use when optimizing lighting for performance
Use when baking lightmaps

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    LIGHTING SETUP                           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│  DIRECT LIGHTS           INDIRECT LIGHT                    │
│  ┌──────────────┐       ┌──────────────┐                   │
│  │ Directional  │       │ Lightmaps    │ (Baked)          │
│  │ Point        │       │ Light Probes │ (Dynamic obj)    │
│  │ Spot         │       │ Reflection   │ (Specular)       │
│  │ Area (Baked) │       │ Probes       │                   │
│  └──────────────┘       └──────────────┘                   │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  POST-PROCESSING STACK                      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Volume (Global/Local) → Profile → Effects                  │
│  ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐   │
│  │ Bloom  │ │ Color  │ │Vignette│ │ DOF    │ │ Motion │   │
│  │        │ │ Grade  │ │        │ │        │ │ Blur   │   │
│  └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ LIGHTING SETUP │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ DIRECT LIGHTS INDIRECT LIGHT │ │ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │ │ │ Directional │ │ Lightmaps │ (Baked) │ │ │ Point │ │ Light Probes │ (Dynamic obj) │ │ │ Spot │ │ Reflection │ (Specular) │ │ │ Area (Baked) │ │ Probes │ │ │ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ POST-PROCESSING STACK │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Volume (Global/Local) → Profile → Effects │ │ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ │ │ │ Bloom │ │ Color │ │Vignette│ │ DOF │ │ Motion │ │ │ │ │ │ Grade │ │ │ │ │ │ Blur │ │ │ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Type	Use Case	Shadows
Directional	Sun, moon, main light	✅
Point	Lamps, fires, orbs	✅
Spot	Flashlights, spotlights	✅
Area	Soft room lighting	Baked only

Effect	Impact	Use
Bloom	Medium	Glow, HDR highlights
Color Grading	Low	Mood, LUT
Vignette	Low	Focus, atmosphere
Depth of Field	High	Focus effect
Motion Blur	High	Speed feeling
Ambient Occlusion	High	Contact shadows
Screen Space Reflections	High	Reflective surfaces

Lighting Post Processing

Overview

When to Use

Architecture

Lighting Post Processing

Overview

When to Use

Architecture

Light Types

Post-Processing Effects

Best Practices

Few-Shot Examples

Example 1: Sunset Mood

Example 2: Horror Scene

Example 3: Stylized Game

Pipeline Specific

Songwriting And Ai Music

Image Generation

Sprites And Images

Graphics And Shapes

Theme Factory

Evolution

Lighting Post Processing

Overview

When to Use

Architecture

Lighting Post Processing

Overview

When to Use

Architecture

Light Types

Post-Processing Effects

Best Practices

Few-Shot Examples

Example 1: Sunset Mood

Example 2: Horror Scene

Example 3: Stylized Game

Pipeline Specific

Related Skills

Songwriting And Ai Music

Image Generation

Sprites And Images

Graphics And Shapes

Theme Factory

Evolution