Sky color

[Amerio.Stephane]

Hello,

Migrating to 2.19 for our flight sim, the first pilots feedbacks are quite good regarding performance (thanks, Upscalers!). But one 'artistic' comment keep coming back heavily and we have very few control on it: the sky color.

While i's true that the 2.14 sky color was a bit cartoonish (very saturated, very slight haze), 2.19 with its Physically Based haze is perceived as too desaturated especially near the horizon where its almost pure grey. And long distance/short distance haze models don't work correctly with fog.

My GIMP competencies' are quite limited, so I couldn't correctly edit the base+mie+light of the Environment parameters.

I also tried to put in our 2.19 env the files from the 2.14 and 2.15 version, but the night time doesn't look dark anymore, so I guess you changed something in the format (it looks like a 3D texture now).

For a quick comparison: here is 2.19 with 2.14 base+light_color (not 2.14 mie because it breaks the sun glow):

And here is 2.19 out of the box:

You can clearly see the sky is more dull (desaturated) and the horizon is pure grey.

Adding a color saturation on Azure color doesn't fix it, as the horizon is pure grey. It actually makes things worse because of the contrast, and it looks like there is a heavy polluted fog in the distance (even with IG global visibility as high as 400km):

So:

• how can we edit the base/mie/light to have a more bluer, saturated sky, with a clear horizon
  • To give some context, in our region of interest, it is very common to have a very clear horizon with almost no haze up to 50km and more, and a very saturated sky (very strong winds make a clear atmosphere)
• would it be possible to get some variation  of these files, so we don't have to edit them manually?
• would it be possible to add some tweaking parameters for the Physically Based haze, to better control the saturation?

Thanks!

 

[bmyagkov]

Hi Stephane,

Yes, you’re absolutely right — with the 2.19 release, environment LUT textures were reworked to provide more control over the appearance of the sky, clouds and haze through LUTs. We’ve also updated the documentation with more details on this, which you can find here: https://developer.unigine.com/en/docs/latest/editor2/settings/render_settings/environment/?rlang=cpp&autotranslate=en#lut_settings

That said, we know that the new approach isn’t ideal for everyone. Some users prefer the previous environment look and feel, so we’ve started a dedicated thread on the forum where this topic is being discussed: https://developer.unigine.com/forum/topic/9267-environment-luts-for-unigine-219x-to-match-unigine-218x-visuals/#comment-44630

It would be great if you could give those suggestions a try and let us know how they work for you. Your input would be really valuable!

Thanks again and looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

[bmyagkov]

Hello Stephane,

Thank you so much for your patience.

It took us some time but we’ve made our own attempt to recreate the environment look you’re aiming for. From your recent post in the previously shared thread we understood that the appearance in version 2.18 doesn’t quite meet your expectations. As you’ve noticed the visual style in version 2.14 had a more cartoonish tone and due to various changes introduced between the two versions achieving that exact look has been a bit challenging.

That said, we’ve attached a set of edited LUT files for you to try. As requested, these include a version with a more saturated and blue-tinted sky. We've also included one that closely resembles the 2.14 release look although from our perspective it may appear a bit too stylized or unrealistic for practical use.

These LUT files are also compatible with third-party editing software following the guidelines we’ve provided in our documentation under the “Environment” article. The image below gives a rough idea of their structure and includes a few hints for further customization if you wish to refine the result according to your own preferences.

Please note: Enabling SSHGI may introduce a characteristic gray hue near the horizon which is inherent to its rendering behavior and can be difficult to suppress.

We’d love to hear your feedback on the outcome!

Thanks!

base_lut_219_clearer.zip

[Marilou.Grignoli]

Hello,

Thank you very much, these bases are very helpfull, as well as the documentation.

I have a small request, would it be possible to have one like the base_clear_1 with a much lighter and clearer blue ? The effect we are looking for is the same as the base obtained in the 2.16 version.

 

Thank you and have a nice day !

[bmyagkov]

Hello!

14 hours ago, Marilou.Grignoli said:

I have a small request, would it be possible to have one like the base_clear_1 with a much lighter and clearer blue ? The effect we are looking for is the same as the base obtained in the 2.16 version.

Yes, that’s possible, though it might take a bit of time. We’ll get back to you as soon as it’s ready, most likely next week.

Thanks!

[bmyagkov]

Hello!

On 6/26/2025 at 9:02 PM, Marilou.Grignoli said:

I have a small request, would it be possible to have one like the base_clear_1 with a much lighter and clearer blue ? The effect we are looking for is the same as the base obtained in the 2.16 version.

To achieve a look closer to version 2.16, the most straightforward approach would be to increase the exposure value, rather than adjusting the LUTs. As shown in the attached video, introducing more saturated colors can actually move the visual result further away from the 2.16 appearance—so a careful balance is recommended.

Please find the video and the corresponding LUT files used in the example attached.

We’re looking forward to your feedback on the results.

Thanks!

luts_base_clearer_216.zip

[Marilou.Grignoli]

Hello,

Thank you very much for the new base and the video will be very helpfull to us if we want to achieve different looks for the 2.19 or any version.

 

Have a good day !