Unreal Engine 5 Lumen Explained | Global Illumination, Reflections, and Fixing Common Issues

Welcome to Part 2 of my new tutorial series on Lighting in Unreal Engine 5 for Games! In this episode, we’re breaking down the fundamentals of lighting by covering the core light types and basic setup strategies that every environment artist and game developer should understand.

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In this Unreal Engine 5 tutorial, we’re breaking down Lumen, UE5’s real-time global illumination and reflection system.

You’ll learn:
✅ What Lumen actually is and how it works
✅ The difference between Global Illumination and Reflections
✅ How Lumen uses screen tracing, distance fields, and ray tracing
✅ How to fix common Lumen issues like light leaks, emissive noise, and wavy patterns
✅ How to use Lumen effectively in your game environments

My goal in this video is to clear up confusion, explain how Lumen fits into your lighting setup, and help you get the best results in your Unreal Engine 5 projects.

Whether you're lighting a horror basement or building an outdoor scene, this is your guide to understanding and mastering Lumen.

00:00 - Intro
02:37 - Project Settings
04:45 - What is Lumen
15:53 - Using UE without Global Illumination
18:48 - Fixing Light Leaks
21:45 - Emissive Materials
22:12 - Fixing Lumen "Artifacts"
28:21 - Reflections
32:52 - Fixing Reflection Issues
37:18 - Lumen Scene & Settings
42:50 - Outro

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