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Extra Lights - Photometric Lighting
by Orange Turbine·Rendering
Images © Orange Turbine. Used for product review; image policy.
Why we like it
Extra Lights - Photometric Lighting earns its place in the superhive library for grounding Blender lighting in real world values, with over 60 fixture-based presets adjusted in lumens and Kelvin and IES patterns available in Cycles. Keeping lumens constant across colors holds perceived brightness steady, and a one-click exposure match speeds setup.
What is Extra Lights - Photometric Lighting?
Extra Lights - Photometric Lighting is a Blender add-on from Orange Turbine that brings physically based, photometric lighting to Cycles and Eevee. It adds over 60 light presets to the Add menu, all based on real world light fixtures and organized by type and strength. More than 30 are plain point, spot, area, and sun presets, and over 30 are IES presets that cast believable patterns according to how each bulb is actually used.
Each light's strength is set in lumens rather than watts, and every preset carries a Kelvin color temperature from its real world source that you can adjust or swap for an RGB color. The lumens value stays constant across colors, so lights read as equally bright regardless of hue. Spot lights hold their output as you narrow the beam, so tightening it focuses the light, and area lights add a Spread Angle property to control how much light is directed forwards. Sun presets can bring a corresponding sky linked to the sun's rotation and sit above the camera height.
A lumens conversion node group is appended when Use Nodes is enabled, and the scene's exposure can match a new preset with one click.
Who is Extra Lights - Photometric Lighting best for?
Extra Lights - Photometric Lighting is best for blender artists working in Cycles or Eevee who want physically based lighting driven by real world fixtures, lumens, and color temperature.
How much does Extra Lights - Photometric Lighting cost?
Extra Lights - Photometric Lighting is completely free to download and use.
Key features
- Over 60 photometric presets added to the Add menu, all based on real world light fixtures and organized by type and strength
- More than 30 IES presets that cast believable patterns according to how each bulb is actually used, alongside over 30 point, spot, area, and sun presets
- Light strength set in lumens instead of watts, with a preset Kelvin color temperature that can be adjusted or replaced with an RGB color
- Lumens conversion node group appended when Use Nodes is enabled, usable for any light type in Cycles including mesh lights
- One-click option to match the scene's exposure to a newly added preset
- Spot lights keep constant output as the beam narrows, and area lights include a Spread Angle property for directing light forwards
- Sun presets with a corresponding sky automatically linked to the sun's rotation, placed above the camera height
Tags
#Blender#photometric lighting#IES#Cycles#Eevee#lighting presets#Orange Turbine
Frequently asked questions
Does Extra Lights work in both Cycles and Eevee?
Extra Lights works in both Cycles and Eevee, though it's more convenient to use in Cycles. Because Eevee can't use nodes yet, the lumens, color temperature, and spot angle values can only be adjusted at the moment a light is created, and IES textures will not be applied. In Cycles you get the full range of adjustable controls, including the lumens conversion node group that's appended when Use Nodes is enabled. If your project runs on Eevee, plan to set your values as you add each preset.
How does setting light strength in lumens work in Extra Lights?
Extra Lights lets each light's strength be set in lumens instead of watts. Every preset also carries a Kelvin color temperature based on its real world source, and you can switch to an RGB color if you prefer. The lumens value stays constant regardless of the color you choose, so a blue light and a red light appear equally bright. This differs from adjusting a standard Blender light at constant watts, where some colors appear darker than others. A lumens conversion node group is appended when Use Nodes is enabled, usable for any light type in Cycles including mesh lights.
Does Extra Lights include IES lighting presets?
Extra Lights includes over 30 IES presets that cast believable patterns according to how each bulb is actually used. These sit alongside more than 30 plain point, spot, area, and sun presets, for a total of over 60. All presets are based on real world light fixtures and are organized by type and strength in the Add menu. IES textures apply in Cycles; in Eevee they are not applied, since Eevee can't use nodes yet.
Is Extra Lights - Photometric Lighting free?
Extra Lights - Photometric Lighting is listed as free here. For current licensing details, the developer's page from Orange Turbine is the best place to confirm. Once installed, the plugin adds its photometric presets directly to Blender's Add menu, where you can browse them by type and strength. A demo video is also available if you want an overview before adding it to your setup.
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