In this workshop, Ted Mebratu emphasizes proper preparation and workflow organization before starting the lighting process in Unreal Engine. By establishing reference cameras and creating a clean working environment, artists maintain better control over the lighting process and make more informed decisions about lighting improvements during bake cycles.

Duration: 4m 25s

This lesson goes over a methodical, iterative approach to lighting design in Unreal Engine using the GPU Lightmap system. Rather than attempting perfection immediately, Ted demonstrates the value of making a rough first pass for later refinement, focusing on light placement and atmospheric considerations. Artists learn how proper technical setup combined with artistic sensibility, such as varying light colors and positioning sources to create shadow play, results in more compelling environmental lighting than simply illuminating spaces evenly.

Duration: 7m 2s

Ted walks through how great lighting results from countless small adjustments such as refining intensities, colors, placements, and falloffs while constantly evaluating how light interacts with surfaces and contributes to the overall readability of the scene. Artists learn that patience, iteration, and attention to detail are essential components of creating believable, visually compelling interior lighting.

Duration: 25m

This lesson goes through final lighting refinement in real-time 3D environments, emphasizing the importance of volumetric effects, material response, and post-processing in achieving a polished, professional result. Ted balances technical problem-solving with artistic vision by addressing readability issues, enhancing atmosphere through volumetric fog, and applying subtle color grading.

Duration: 11m 15s

This lesson shows an efficient approach to creating daytime lighting in Unreal Engine by leveraging HDRI environments and volumetric effects. The main takeaway is that realistic daytime lighting requires a careful balance between multiple light sources and atmospheric effects, with continuous refinement of parameters to achieve visually compelling results. Rather than starting from scratch, Ted shows how reusing certain elements such as post-processing and reflection probes can streamline the relighting process.

Duration: 4m 35s

This lesson demonstrates a professional, detail-oriented approach to architectural lighting in game engines, emphasizing that quality results require extensive fixes and attention to small details. Artists learn a workflow that combines baked static lighting for performance with dynamic elements for visual fidelity, using manual techniques to ensure high-quality output.

Duration: 28m 20s

This lesson goes over how creating compelling cinematic sequences is an iterative process requiring constant refinement and adjustment. Success lies in carefully balancing composition, camera movement, pacing, and transitions to create a cohesive viewing experience. By establishing the camera sequence and blocking first with temporary lighting, Ted moves forward with the detailed lighting phase, having already solved the fundamental cinematography challenges.

Duration: 17m 35s

This lesson shows an innovative technique of keyframing sun positions per shot in the sequencer to ensure optimal lighting across all camera angles. By completing this foundational lighting pass with a combination of natural and artificial light sources, Ted establishes a solid base for further refinement and polish of the cinematic sequence.

Duration: 12m 40s

In this final lesson, Ted highlights the importance of methodical iteration and problem-solving when creating cinematic lighting in real-time engines. Ted balances realism with artistic drama, using additional light sources strategically to enhance visual interest while maintaining believable motivation. Artists see that effective lighting is as much about subtraction as about addition, with the final polish coming from post-processing effects that add cinematic quality to the rendered output.

Duration: 21m 40s

Duration: 1m 52s