This guide teaches you how to change lighting in Unreal Engine 4 using practical, up-to-date techniques. You’ll learn to adjust light types, intensity, color, and shadows to create immersive environments. Perfect for game developers and 3D artists in 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Understand Light Types: Learn the differences between static, stationary, and movable lights and when to use each for optimal performance and visual quality.
- Adjust Light Properties: Master essential settings like intensity, color temperature, and attenuation to fine-tune your scene’s mood and realism.
- Use Lightmass for Realism: Configure Lightmass settings to improve baked lighting quality, including indirect lighting and shadow softness.
- Optimize Performance: Balance visual fidelity with performance by choosing the right lighting method and using lighting channels effectively.
- Apply Post-Processing: Enhance your lighting with post-process volumes to add bloom, exposure, and color grading for cinematic results.
- Troubleshoot Common Issues: Fix problems like light leaks, overexposure, or missing shadows with proven debugging techniques.
- Stay Updated for 2026: Leverage the latest UE4 lighting tools and best practices to keep your projects modern and efficient.
Introduction: Why Lighting Matters in Unreal Engine 4
Lighting is one of the most powerful tools in Unreal Engine 4 (UE4). It doesn’t just illuminate your scene—it shapes mood, guides the player’s eye, and brings your world to life. Whether you’re building a dark horror dungeon or a sunlit open-world landscape, knowing how to change lighting in Unreal Engine 4 is essential.
In 2026, UE4 continues to be a top choice for indie developers, studios, and virtual production teams. While Unreal Engine 5 has introduced advanced features like Lumen and Nanite, many projects still rely on UE4 for its stability, performance, and mature toolset. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to master lighting in UE4, from basic adjustments to advanced optimization.
By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:
– Choose the right type of light for your scene
– Adjust light properties like color, intensity, and shadows
– Optimize lighting for performance without sacrificing quality
– Fix common lighting issues
– Use post-processing to enhance your visuals
Let’s dive in.
Step 1: Understanding Light Types in Unreal Engine 4
Visual guide about How to Change Lighting in Unreal Engine 4
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Before you start changing lighting, it’s important to understand the three main light types in UE4: Static, Stationary, and Movable. Each has its own strengths and use cases.
Static Lights
Static lights are baked into the scene and don’t change during gameplay. They’re perfect for environments where lighting remains constant, like a museum or a static interior.
– Pros: High performance, realistic indirect lighting, soft shadows
– Cons: Can’t move or change during gameplay, longer build times
To use a static light:
1. Place a light (e.g., Point Light or Directional Light) in your scene.
2. In the Details panel, set Mobility to Static.
3. Build lighting by going to Build > Build Lighting Only.
Stationary Lights
Stationary lights are a hybrid. They have baked indirect lighting but can change color and intensity during gameplay. This makes them ideal for day-night cycles or flickering lights.
– Pros: Good balance of performance and flexibility
– Cons: Slightly more performance cost than static, limited dynamic changes
To set a light as stationary:
1. Select your light.
2. In the Details panel, change Mobility to Stationary.
3. Adjust Intensity or Light Color in Blueprints or Sequencer for dynamic effects.
Movable Lights
Movable lights are fully dynamic and can change position, color, and intensity in real time. Use them for moving vehicles, flashlights, or cinematic effects.
– Pros: Full control during gameplay
– Cons: Higher performance cost, no baked lighting
To make a light movable:
1. Select the light.
2. Set Mobility to Movable.
3. Use Blueprints or C++ to control its behavior.
Tip: Use static lights for environments, stationary for interactive elements, and movable only when necessary to save performance.
Step 2: Adding and Placing Lights
Now that you know the types, let’s add lights to your scene.
Adding a Point Light
A Point Light emits light in all directions from a single point—like a light bulb.
1. In the Modes panel, go to Place Actors > Lights > Point Light.
2. Drag it into your scene.
3. Use the translation gizmo to position it where you want.
Adding a Directional Light
A Directional Light simulates sunlight or moonlight. It shines in one direction across the entire level.
1. Go to Place Actors > Lights > Directional Light.
2. Place it in your scene.
3. Rotate it to control the sun’s angle (e.g., 45 degrees for midday).
Adding a Spot Light
A Spot Light emits light in a cone—perfect for flashlights, stage lights, or security beams.
1. Select Spot Light from the Lights menu.
2. Place and rotate it.
3. Adjust the Inner Cone Angle and Outer Cone Angle to control the beam spread.
Adding a Rect Light
A Rect Light emits light from a rectangular surface—great for TV screens, windows, or soft ambient lighting.
1. Choose Rect Light from the Lights panel.
2. Scale it to match the size of your light source.
3. Position it behind a window or screen for realistic glow.
Pro Tip: Use Rect Lights for interior scenes to simulate realistic area lighting. They produce soft, natural shadows when used with Lightmass.
Step 3: Adjusting Light Properties
Once your lights are placed, it’s time to fine-tune them. Here’s how to change key properties.
Changing Light Intensity
Intensity controls how bright the light is.
1. Select your light.
2. In the Details panel, find the Intensity slider.
3. Adjust it (measured in lumens for Point and Spot Lights, lux for Directional Lights).
Example: A typical room light might be 500–1000 lumens. Sunlight can be 10,000–100,000 lux.
Changing Light Color
Color affects the mood. Warm light (orange) feels cozy; cool light (blue) feels clinical or eerie.
1. Select the light.
2. In the Details panel, click the Light Color box.
3. Choose a color or use the color picker.
Tip: Use Color Temperature (in Kelvin) for realism. Set it to 2700K for warm indoor lighting or 6500K for daylight.
Adjusting Attenuation Radius
This controls how far the light reaches.
1. Find Attenuation Radius in the Details panel.
2. Increase it to make the light reach farther.
3. Decrease it to limit the light’s influence.
Note: Larger radii can impact performance, especially with movable lights.
Controlling Shadows
Shadows add depth and realism.
– For Static lights: Shadows are baked and always on.
– For Stationary and Movable lights: Enable shadows in the Cast Shadows checkbox.
You can also adjust:
– Shadow Bias: Prevents shadow acne (tiny flickering dots).
– Shadow Slope Bias: Helps with shadow stability on angled surfaces.
Step 4: Using Lightmass for Baked Lighting
Lightmass is UE4’s global illumination system. It calculates how light bounces around your scene to create realistic indirect lighting.
Configuring Lightmass Settings
1. Go to Window > World Settings.
2. Expand the Lightmass section.
3. Adjust these key settings:
– Static Lighting Level Scale: Lower values = higher quality (0.5 is good for most scenes).
– Num Indirect Lighting Bounces: More bounces = more realistic light diffusion (6–10 is typical).
– Indirect Lighting Quality: Higher values improve quality but increase build time (1.0–2.0).
– Indirect Lighting Smoothness: Controls how smooth indirect lighting appears (0.5–1.0).
Building Lighting
After adjusting settings:
1. Go to Build > Build Lighting Only.
2. Wait for the process to complete (can take minutes to hours depending on scene complexity).
Tip: Use Lighting Channels to control which lights affect which objects. This helps optimize performance and avoid unwanted lighting interactions.
Step 5: Enhancing Lighting with Post-Processing
Post-processing adds the final polish to your lighting. Use a Post Process Volume to apply effects.
Adding a Post Process Volume
1. Go to Place Actors > Visual Effects > Post Process Volume.
2. Place it in your scene.
3. Check Unbound to affect the entire level, or leave it bounded to control the area.
Key Post-Processing Settings
– Exposure: Controls overall brightness. Use Auto Exposure for dynamic scenes or set a fixed value.
– Bloom: Adds a glow around bright lights. Adjust Intensity and Threshold for subtle or dramatic effects.
– Color Grading: Changes the overall color tone. Use the Film or Color Grading settings to warm up or cool down the scene.
– Contrast & Saturation: Boost these slightly for more vivid visuals.
Example: For a horror scene, lower exposure, add blue tint, and increase contrast for a cold, tense feel.
Step 6: Optimizing Lighting for Performance
Great lighting shouldn’t slow down your game. Here’s how to optimize.
Use the Right Light Type
– Prefer Static lights where possible.
– Use Stationary for interactive lights.
– Reserve Movable for essential dynamic effects.
Limit Light Overlap
Too many lights in one area can hurt performance. Use Lighting Channels to isolate lights to specific objects.
Reduce Light Complexity
– Lower Attenuation Radius to limit light influence.
– Avoid unnecessary lights in dark areas.
– Use emissive materials instead of lights for glowing objects (e.g., neon signs).
Use Lightmap Resolution Wisely
Higher lightmap resolution = better quality but larger build times and memory use.
1. Select a static mesh.
2. In the Details panel, find Light Map Resolution.
3. Set it between 32–128 for most objects. Use higher values only for large, visible surfaces.
Troubleshooting Common Lighting Issues
Even experts run into lighting problems. Here’s how to fix the most common ones.
Light Leaks
Light leaks happen when light bleeds through walls or floors.
Solution:
– Ensure all geometry is sealed (no gaps).
– Increase Lightmap Resolution on affected meshes.
– Adjust Lightmass > Static Lighting Level Scale to a lower value (e.g., 0.3).
Overexposed or Washed-Out Lighting
The scene is too bright, losing detail.
Solution:
– Lower light Intensity.
– Reduce Bloom Intensity in post-processing.
– Use Auto Exposure with a lower Min Brightness.
Missing or Flickering Shadows
Shadows don’t appear or flicker during gameplay.
Solution:
– Ensure Cast Shadows is enabled.
– For movable lights, increase Shadow Resolution.
– Adjust Shadow Bias to reduce flickering.
Long Lighting Build Times
Baking lighting takes too long.
Solution:
– Reduce Indirect Lighting Quality.
– Lower Num Indirect Lighting Bounces.
– Use simpler geometry or lower lightmap resolutions.
Conclusion: Mastering Lighting in Unreal Engine 4
Learning how to change lighting in Unreal Engine 4 opens up endless creative possibilities. From setting the mood with color and intensity to optimizing for performance, lighting is a skill that blends art and technology.
In 2026, UE4 remains a powerful engine for developers who value control, stability, and proven workflows. While newer engines offer real-time global illumination, UE4’s Lightmass system still delivers stunning results—especially when used correctly.
Remember:
– Choose the right light type for your needs
– Fine-tune properties like color, intensity, and shadows
– Use Lightmass for realistic baked lighting
– Enhance with post-processing
– Optimize to keep your game running smoothly
With practice, you’ll be able to create immersive, visually stunning environments that captivate players. So fire up Unreal Engine 4, start experimenting, and let your lighting tell the story.