By name: lighting-post-processing description: "Unity lighting and post-processing specialist for atmosphere, mood, and visual polish." version: 1.0.0 tags: ["visuals", "lighting", "post-processing", "URP", "HDRP"] argument-hint: "effect='bloom' intensity='1.5' OR light_type='directional'" disable-model-invocation: false user-invocable: true allowed-tools: - run_command - list_dir - write_to_file
Lighting & Post-Processing
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 │ │
│ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Light Types
| Type | Use Case | Shadows |
|---|---|---|
| Directional | Sun, moon, main light | ✅ |
| Point | Lamps, fires, orbs | ✅ |
| Spot | Flashlights, spotlights | ✅ |
| Area | Soft room lighting | Baked only |
Post-Processing Effects
| 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 |
Best Practices
- ✅ Use Global Volume for base settings
- ✅ Use Local Volumes for area-specific effects
- ✅ Bake static lighting for performance
- ✅ Use Light Probes for dynamic objects
- ✅ Keep bloom subtle (intensity < 1)
- ❌ NEVER use real-time shadows for all lights
- ❌ NEVER enable all effects on mobile
- ❌ NEVER over-saturate color grading
Few-Shot Examples
Example 1: Sunset Mood
User: "Create a warm sunset atmosphere."
Agent:
Directional Light:
- Color: RGB(255, 180, 100)
- Intensity: 1.2
- Rotation: X=15 (low angle)
Volume Profile:
- Color Grading: Warm temperature +20
- Bloom: Intensity 0.5, Threshold 0.9
- Vignette: Intensity 0.3
Example 2: Horror Scene
User: "Dark, scary lighting setup."
Agent:
Lighting:
- Directional: Disabled or very dim
- Point lights: Cold blue, low intensity
- Spot: Harsh white for flashlight
Volume:
- Color Grading: Desaturated, lift shadows blue
- Vignette: 0.4 intensity
- Grain: Enable for film look
- Fog: Volumetric if HDRP
Example 3: Stylized Game
User: "Bright, colorful cartoon look."
Agent:
Lighting:
- Directional: White, Intensity 1.5
- Ambient: Bright gradient sky
Volume:
- No Bloom or subtle
- Color Grading: Boost saturation +10
- No Vignette
- Consider Tonemapping: Neutral
Pipeline Specific
- URP: Volume system, limited effects
- HDRP: Full feature set, volumetric fog
- Built-in: Post Processing Stack v2
Related Skills
@shader-graph-expert- Custom effects@vfx-graph-shuriken- Particle bloom interaction@cinemachine-specialist- Camera DOF