Post-processing effects in Unity

Introduction

Post-processing effects make your game look better by adding cool visual touches after the main image is drawn. They help create mood and style easily.

You want to add a blur effect to make a scene look dreamy or out of focus.

You want to change colors to make the game look warmer or colder.

You want to add bloom to make bright lights glow softly.

You want to add vignette to darken the edges and focus the player's eyes.

You want to add film grain or noise for a retro or cinematic feel.

Syntax

Unity

using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.Rendering.PostProcessing;

public class PostProcessingSetup : MonoBehaviour
{
    public PostProcessVolume volume;
    private Bloom bloom;

    void Start()
    {
        volume.profile.TryGetSettings<Bloom>(out bloom);
        bloom.intensity.value = 5f;
    }
}

You need to have the Post Processing package installed in Unity.

PostProcessVolume holds the effects and their settings.

Examples

This example changes the bloom effect intensity to 3 at the start.

Unity

using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.Rendering.PostProcessing;

public class ChangeBloom : MonoBehaviour
{
    public PostProcessVolume volume;
    private Bloom bloom;

    void Start()
    {
        volume.profile.TryGetSettings<Bloom>(out bloom);
        bloom.intensity.value = 3f; // Set bloom intensity to 3
    }
}

This example enables vignette and sets its intensity.

Unity

using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.Rendering.PostProcessing;

public class EnableVignette : MonoBehaviour
{
    public PostProcessVolume volume;
    private Vignette vignette;

    void Start()
    {
        volume.profile.TryGetSettings<Vignette>(out vignette);
        vignette.enabled.value = true; // Turn on vignette effect
        vignette.intensity.value = 0.4f;
    }
}

Sample Program

This program sets bloom intensity to 4 and enables vignette with intensity 0.3 when the game starts. It also prints a message to confirm the settings.

Unity

using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.Rendering.PostProcessing;

public class SimplePostProcessing : MonoBehaviour
{
    public PostProcessVolume volume;
    private Bloom bloom;
    private Vignette vignette;

    void Start()
    {
        // Get bloom settings
        volume.profile.TryGetSettings<Bloom>(out bloom);
        bloom.intensity.value = 4f;

        // Get vignette settings
        volume.profile.TryGetSettings<Vignette>(out vignette);
        vignette.enabled.value = true;
        vignette.intensity.value = 0.3f;

        Debug.Log("Post-processing effects set: Bloom intensity 4, Vignette enabled with intensity 0.3");
    }
}

Important Notes

Make sure your camera has a PostProcessLayer component to see the effects.

Adjust effect values slowly to avoid making the image look unnatural.

You can create and edit PostProcessProfiles in the Unity Editor for easier setup.

Summary

Post-processing effects add visual polish after rendering the scene.

Use PostProcessVolume and PostProcessProfile to control effects like bloom and vignette.

Adjust effect settings in code or editor to change the look and feel of your game.