2D Galaxy Shooter — Setting up Post Processing!

Hello all!

Today, I will show you how to set up Post Processing to make this game look AAA status! We are only going over the basics here, but even the basics can bring out something amazing!

Installing the Post Processing Package

We have to download and install a package to add Post Processing to Unity.

1. Go to Window in the menu bar, then hit Package Manager. That brings up the window above this.
2. Search for Post Processing at the top right.
3. Then where the red box is above, hit the Install button.
4. It will now bring up a loading bar, this will take a while but let it finish.

Setting up the Post Processing Volume

The Post Processing Volume is an Empty GameObject that will hold the Post Processing component.

1. Create an Empty GameObject, name it Post Processing Volume, and place it somewhere outside of the play area, it has a really annoying icon that gets in the way.
2. Add a component of Post Processing Volume.
3. Check “Is Global” so the filter affects the whole game.
4. Hit the New button where it says Profile. It will automatically make one.
5. At the top right of the Inspector, click the Layer button.
6. Add a new Layer and call it Post Processing, then select it.
7. Select the Main Camera under the hierarchy.
8. Add a component of Post Processing Layer.
9. Under where it says Layer, select the Post Processing layer.

Effects by Using Post Processing

The Post Processing Volume component is what controls the effects of Post Processing. This is where the movie magic happens!

1. Let’s get one thing out of the way, we need to set the lighting to Linear instead of Gamma.
2. Head to the Build Settings under File.
3. Click “Player Settings…” at the bottom.
4. Under “Other Settings”, look at “Color Space*”
5. Hit the drop down menu, then select Linear. This will take a bit.
6. Now that is done, we can use HDR colors!
7. Head back the the Post Process Volume.
8. Where it says, Add Effect, click it, hit Unity, then select what effect you want.

Bloom and Color Grading have the most effect. With these though, there are a lot of options! For the best results, test them all out with different values and see what you like the most!

This is what I have so far, it makes the environment look very cold and dark. I may tweak it more as I go but I think I’m happy with it for now.

That was how to set up Post Processing basics! Next, I will set up some background music and sound effects for the game!

Thank you for your time!