---

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