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# Match cycles lighting to eevee darkness (2025-08-04 03:15Z)

_**User**_

EEVEE lighting is WAY darker than cycles lighting. I want the eevee darkness. How do I achieve this in cycles?

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_**Assistant**_

I can help you achieve the darker EEVEE lighting look in Cycles. The main reason EEVEE appears darker is because it uses a different lighting model and doesn't have the same global illumination that Cycles provides. Here are several approaches to darken your Cycles render:


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<details>
                <summary>Searched codebase "cycles lighting settings render properties" • **6** results</summary>
            
| File | Lines |
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| `.gitattributes` | Lundefined-39 |
| `.gitignore` | Lundefined-123 |
| `assets/springtrap_rokokoRetarget.bmap` | Lundefined-106 |
| `.cursorindexingignore` | Lundefined-3 |
| `assets/springtrap_rokokoRetarget.bmap` | L201-305 |
| `assets/springtrap_rokokoRetarget.bmap` | L96-211 |

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Based on your Blender scene, here are the most effective ways to achieve the darker EEVEE lighting look in Cycles:

## 1. **Reduce Light Intensity**
- Select your lights and reduce their **Energy** values significantly
- For area lights, try reducing from default values to around 50-100W
- For point/spot lights, reduce to 10-50W

## 2. **Adjust World Settings**
- Go to **World Properties** → **Surface**
- Reduce the **Strength** value (default is 1.0, try 0.1-0.3)
- Or change the **Color** to a darker value

## 3. **Modify Color Management**
In your **Color Management** section (which I can see in your properties panel):
- **Exposure**: Reduce from 0.000 to around -1.0 to -2.0
- **Gamma**: Lower from 1.000 to around 0.8-0.9
- **View Transform**: Try "Standard" instead of "Filmic" for less contrast

## 4. **Adjust Sampling Settings**
In your **Sampling** section:
- Reduce **Max Samples** from 128 to 32-64 for faster preview
- Lower **Noise Threshold** to 0.05 for better quality

## 5. **Use Light Paths Settings**
- Go to **Light Paths** section (currently collapsed in your panel)
- Reduce **Max Bounces** for Diffuse, Glossy, Transmission
- Set **Max Bounces** to 2-3 for each type

## 6. **Add Volume Absorption**
- Add a **Volume Scatter** or **Volume Absorption** shader to your world
- This will darken the overall scene like EEVEE's simpler lighting model

## 7. **Quick Method: Post-Processing**
- Use the **Compositor** to add a **Color Balance** node
- Reduce the **Lift** (shadows) and **Gain** (highlights) values

The key difference is that EEVEE doesn't have global illumination, so it naturally appears darker. These settings will help you achieve that same look while maintaining Cycles' quality.

Would you like me to help you implement any of these specific settings?

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