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Lightcuts ! -> Per-Camera Lighting

by Loïc Bramoullé·Workflow

Images © Loïc Bramoullé. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

LightCuts earns its place in the superhive library for addressing a specific Blender limitation: making lighting and composition adjustable per camera, which previously meant manually keyframing and toggling lighting collections by hand.

What is Lightcuts ! -> Per-Camera Lighting?

Lightcuts ! -> Per-Camera Lighting lets you adjust lighting and composition on a per-camera basis in Blender, something that was previously impossible. A single click on Enable LightCuts spawns a collection named after each camera, and any object placed inside that collection is visible only to its camera. You can add, remove or rename cameras while the addon is enabled, and the collections update instantly.

Inside those camera collections you can place meshes, lights, shadow planes, fog cubes, collection instances, particles and VFX. To move between shots, click a camera's green icon in the outliner, or use camera markers to time your cuts — the addon includes buttons to add them, and collection visibility updates instantly either way.

Version 1.9.3 adds world linking, so you can assign a world to each camera to change the time of day or control the HDRi orientation for each shot. A Bake button keyframes light and object visibility for render farms or machines without the addon, and Unbake returns you to real-time editing. It supports Blender 3.0 through 5.0 and the Arnold, Cycles, Eevee, Luxrender, Octane and V-Ray render engines, under the GPL license.

Who is Lightcuts ! -> Per-Camera Lighting best for?

Lightcuts ! -> Per-Camera Lighting is best for blender artists managing per-shot lighting and composition across multiple camera angles, including short-film and multi-camera projects.

How much does Lightcuts ! -> Per-Camera Lighting cost?

Lightcuts ! -> Per-Camera Lighting is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Per-camera collections: enabling the addon spawns a collection named after each camera, and objects inside are visible only to that camera
  • Add, remove or rename cameras and the collections update instantly while the addon is enabled
  • Place meshes, lights, shadow planes, fog cubes, collection instances, particles and VFX inside camera collections
  • World linking (1.9.3): assign a world to each camera to change the time of day or the HDRi orientation per shot
  • Camera markers with buttons to time cuts, plus camera switching via the green icon in the outliner
  • Bake keyframes light and object visibility for render farms or machines without the addon; Unbake reverts to real-time editing
  • Documentation included

Tags

#Blender#Lighting#Camera#Composition#Per-Camera Lighting#Filmmaking#Workflow#Automation

Frequently asked questions

Does Lightcuts work with Blender 4.2?

Lightcuts lists support for Blender 3.0 through 5.0, so it covers versions across that range, including 4.2. It also works with several render engines: Arnold, Cycles, Eevee, Luxrender, Octane and V-Ray. Once enabled, each camera gets a collection named after it, and any object placed inside is visible only to that camera. For current version details and any version-specific notes, check the developer's page before setting up a project.

Which render engines does Lightcuts support?

Lightcuts is listed as compatible with Arnold, Cycles, Eevee, Luxrender, Octane and V-Ray, so you can use its per-camera lighting and composition setups with those render engines in Blender. It also lists support for Blender 3.0 through 5.0. The addon works by giving each camera a collection whose objects are visible only to that camera, and you can place lights, meshes and other objects inside. For confirmation of engine-specific behaviour, refer to the documentation on the developer's page.

How do I send a Lightcuts project to a render farm?

Lightcuts includes a Bake option for sending a file to a render farm or another machine that does not have the addon installed. Baking keyframes the light and object visibility so shots render correctly without Lightcuts running. When you want to return to real-time editing, the Unbake button reverts those keyframes. This addresses the manual keyframing and collection toggling that per-shot lighting otherwise required in Blender. See the documentation on the developer's page for the exact steps.

How do I enable Lightcuts and switch between cameras?

Lightcuts starts with a single click on Enable LightCuts, after which each camera spawns a collection bearing its name, and any object placed inside becomes visible only to that camera. You can add, remove or rename cameras and the collections update instantly while the addon is enabled. To move between shots, click a camera's green icon in the outliner, or use camera markers to time your cuts. The addon includes buttons to add markers, and collection visibility updates instantly either way.

Is Lightcuts free to use?

Lightcuts is listed as free in this catalog and is distributed under the GPL license. For current licensing terms and any purchase options, check the developer's page directly, since terms can change. Functionally, the addon lets you tweak lighting and composition per camera in Blender: enabling it spawns a collection for each camera, and objects placed inside are visible only to that camera. Version 1.9.3 also adds the ability to link a world to each camera.

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