Use Environment Lights to Elevate Your 3D Scene

Add realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections using Environment Lights and the advanced 3D renderer.

Published December 22, 2025

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00:01

Introduction

Hi there, I'm Jess, a motion designer and art director.

In this lesson, we'll explore image-based environment lighting and how it can transform the scene.

We can get realistic looks or experiment with stylized treatments, all using the Advanced 3D renderer in After Effects.

00:16

Understanding environment lighting and HDR images

Let's start by adding a light to our scene, which is already using the Advanced 3D renderer.

Head to Layer, New, Light...

Change the Type to Environment in the dropdown and click OK.

Environment lights are 360-degrees spherical images that wrap around the scene and project light inward for more realistic lighting and reflections.

A scene can only contain one environment light at a time, and environment lights are only available in the Advanced 3D renderer Right now, After Effects is using the default environment light.

Let's use a custom image for the light.

Drag the HDR image called Light_Arches_A.hdr

00:52

Using HDR and EXR images as environment lights

from the Project panel into your composition.

HDRs have a higher tonal range, which makes them ideal for realistic lighting and reflections.

Then, with the light layer selected, go to the Properties panel and change the Source to the Light_Arches_A.hdr image.

You'll notice the scene instantly changes, reflections update, and the shadows are softer.

You may have to adjust the Shadow Plane solid layer to accommodate the shadow size.

Next, rotate the Environment Light to adjust the light reflections and shadows.

Keep an eye on details like the reflections in the windows or the metallic surfaces.

They now react to the light we added.

If you're working with EXR files, those work just as well.

Just drag this 2_Runyon_Canyon_A_2k.exr from the Project panel into the comp.

Update the light Source and your scene takes on a whole new mood.

Like HDRs, EXRs preserve luminance and color data which helps you create more accurate lighting.

Other formats can be used too, but you'll lose that high-dynamic range.

This image is a bit darker.

We can rotate the light and increase the Intensity to brighten the scene.

Here's where it gets fun.

02:01

Using video footage as an environment light source

You're not limited to stills; you can use footage or compositions as your environment light.

This opens up more creative possibilities, from stylized looks to motion-based lighting.

Let's try it.

Drag in the stock and movie footage.

You can see it's a moving underwater scene.

Change the Source of the Environment Light to the footage.

We can also update this from the Light properties in the Timeline.

You'll notice we can't see the drop-down next to Source.

Go ahead and hit Toggle Switches/Modes to reveal it.

Since this format has less luminance data, we'll increase the Intensity of the light even more.

02:39

Creating an environment light background

We can also use the light as a background.

With the Light selected, go to Layer, Light, Create Environment Light Background Layer.

Drag the new solid above the background solid.

The new layer has an effect called CC Environment using the same source.

This wraps the image around our scene.

The projection is set to Spherical, which matches our 360-style content, adds a blur which you can adjust or remove.

When rotating the light, the background responds too, giving us realistic lighting and reflections that stay in sync - not that this van being underwater looks all that realistic.

As I orbit around the scene, you can see how this footage is wrapped around.

I'll just undo that.

03:20

Using animated compositions for stylized environment lighting

If you're after a stylized look, we can even use a precomp as the light source.

We'll pull this AnimatedLight composition into the scene and update the light to use it.

Then we'll update the background's CC Environment source to match.

Let's double-click on that AnimatedLight comp to take a closer look.

It's built from a solid with an animated Turbulent Noise and Colorama.

Layered on top is an adjustment layer with CC Lens to spherize it, VR Converter to reformat into an Equirectangular image and softened with Blur.

This makes the 360-image.

You don't necessarily have to do this, but in this case, it helps clean up the spherical poles, as you can see here.

Back in the main Timeline, we can refine the background, like changing its blending mode or adjusting opacity.

Playing this back with the background reflections and shadows all dynamically change with the animated composition.

Isn't it incredible how much environment lighting can change how everything looks?

We can create realistic lighting and reflections right inside of After Effects.

If you want to stylize 3D scenes even more, you'll really want to check out the lesson on using 2D effects with 3D assets.

Note: Stock assets provided are for practice purposes only. See terms.

What you’ll learn

Environment Lights wrap around the scene

Environment Lights are a 360° spherical image that wraps around your scene to project lighting in a natural-looking way.

Use custom images

Add a custom image to your project and then change the light source in the Properties panel.

Try footage for moving light

Using footage as an environment light adds dynamic movement to your project.

Instruction by: Jess Libby
Adobe Stock Contributors: adobestock3d; icetray

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