He became a student of the Flemish artist Jean Zueil, nicknamed "le français" (the Frenchman), who probably brought the north European painting style to that city in the Languedoc.

From 1667, Ranc was back in his birthplace, where he received the prestigious commission for a major painting for the high altar of the église Notre-Dame-des-Tables.

In 1671, the young Hyacinthe Rigaud joined his studio and copied the van Dycks which Ranc owned.

Ranc then became associated with Jean de Troy (1638–1691), an artist from Toulouse who had just set up in Montpellier and who would later become director of the newly created Académie des Arts.

De Troy completed the first of these vast canvases, but the second remained unfinished on his death and it was completed by Ranc (main image) and the landscape artist Charmeton (background landscape) The bishop of Montpellier Colbert granted Ranc a number of chapel and church commissions: Other undated works include eight heads of apostles painted in grisaille for the chapelle des Pénitents Blanc at Montpellier, The Apparition of the angel to Saint Joseph inspired by Mignard in the église Saint-Mathieu, The Apparition of Jesus to the three Maries after his Resurrection, formerly in the église des Matelles, and various portraits.