by SkdSam·Rendering
Images © SkdSam. Used for product review; image policy.
ChromaLight earns its place in the Superhive library by turning a reference image into a working lighting setup, combining palette extraction, light generation, and world-background sync in one add-on aimed at environment artists and look-dev.
ChromaLight uses image colour data to build lighting that fits a reference. Point it at a photograph or piece of concept art, and the add-on samples key colours and brightness levels, then generates multiple lights from that palette or updates existing lights and world settings to reflect the reference tone.
Beyond first-pass generation, ChromaLight syncs the world background colour to keep tone consistent and lets you fine-tune light strength, hue, and world exposure after generation. It works with your current lights, and version 1.0.2 added the ability to save palettes from a reference image and quickly recall them, alongside creating palette templates. Typical uses include look development, colour matching, and cinematic lighting setups inspired by real photos and concept art.
The add-on covers Blender 3.6 through 5.0 across Windows, macOS, and Linux, works with Cycles and Eevee, and is distributed under the GPL license.
Chromalight is best for environment artists, look-dev, and colour stylization, including colour matching and cinematic lighting setups inspired by real photos and concept art.
Chromalight is completely free to download and use.
ChromaLight supports Blender versions 3.6 through 5.0 and is listed as Blender Extension compatible. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, so it fits most setups regardless of platform. The add-on works with both the Cycles and Eevee render engines, letting you generate or update lights and the world background within whichever engine your project uses. If you're on a version inside that range, it should slot into your existing scene without trouble.
ChromaLight works with both Cycles and Eevee, Blender's two main render engines. Because it generates and edits actual scene lights and the world background, the lighting it produces carries across either engine. You can extract a palette from a reference image, let the add-on build balanced illumination from those colours, then preview and adjust the result in whichever engine your project relies on, tuning light strength, hue, and world exposure as needed.
ChromaLight works with your current lights, not just fresh scenes. Alongside generating multiple new lights from an extracted image palette, it can update existing lights and world settings to reflect a new reference tone. That means you can adapt a scene's lighting dynamically as you swap references or refine a look, then fine-tune light strength, hue, and world exposure afterwards. It's aimed at environment artists, look-dev, and colour stylization workflows.
ChromaLight lets you save palettes extracted from a reference image and quickly recall them, a capability added in version 1.0.2. You can create palette templates from reference images and reuse previously saved image palettes rather than re-sampling each time. This sits alongside the core workflow of sampling key colours and brightness levels from a reference, then generating or updating lights and the world background from those extracted values.
ChromaLight is listed as free in this catalog, and it's distributed under the GPL license. For current licensing terms and any additional details, check the developer's page directly. The add-on is also marked as a Blender Extension and its creator is noted as a Development Fund contributor. Beyond that, a demo video is available if you'd like to see more before adding it to your workflow.
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