For the lighting, I hesitated for a while between a night scene and a sunset. In the end, I chose a sunset because the warm tones would enhance the orange hues already present in the scene, creating a more harmonious color palette.

To set up the lighting, I used the Ultra Dynamic Sky plug-in. I’m comfortable with it, and it allowed me to get solid results quickly.

The first thing to consider is the sun’s direction, which defines the light/shadow balance, which strongly influences mood and composition. From there, I moved on to building the atmosphere using elements like clouds, fog, and god rays, always keeping in mind what I want to highlight or emphasize in the scene. Once the global lighting and atmosphere were in place, I added secondary light sources (candles, lanterns, and braziers) to enrich the scene and guide the viewer’s or player’s eye through the environment. Finally, I used a few artificial lights in specific spots to bring out key details in darker areas. These subtle additions help improve readability without flattening the contrast of the scene.