What Is Photorealistic CGI?

CGI - more than meets the eye

Nothing is more satisfying than producing the perfect room set shot. The lighting, the styling, the product showcasing. If a picture says a thousand words, then a luxurious, aspirational lifestyle shot can write novels for your brand. For homewares, bathrooms and white goods companies, selling product through lifestyle imagery is still the best way to showcase products and ignite aspiration in the hearts and minds of your customers, transforming appeal into solid sales. But room set shoots can be costly, intense, and, in the wake of Covid, impractical. Building multiple room sets takes days of labour, and sourcing product to install can be a managerial headache. Add in the team then needed to commit this effort to screen - stylists, photographers, designers - and you’ve got a huge commitment on your hands. So why not give CGI a try?

Spot the difference

Which one of these room sets is completely CGI, and which one is a traditionally built and shot room set?

The technology we employ for our CGI imagery is the same software used in the film industry, and allows us to create photorealistic imagery that is almost indistinguishable from traditional photography. CGI room set work allows you to produce the same output of luxurious, stylish and engaging content but without the logistics and intense labour of a physical shoot, and for a fraction of the cost, too. CGI work also allows you to be more agile as a brand, as we can create CGI renders of products that are still in development, allowing your marketing teams to generate sales before the end product leaves the factory line.

Changing rooms

What’s more, as creative files, these CGI room sets are entirely editable and able to be changed and updated to suit your changing product lines or seasons. You can switch out products for less successful lines to gives sales a boost, change the angle of a shot to produce fresh content for your social channels, or change up the decor and lighting to reflect winter and summer campaigns. You can even change the colour of the towels if you like! Our CGI and repro teams can create the world you want to present without leaving their screens, and you can get the content you need for your marketing campaigns at a fraction of the cost and effort.

Futureproof your marketing

CGI is the future of marketing material, as it is so versatile and adaptable. Not only can we produce photorealistic CGI shots to match traditional photography, but we can use the same renders to create exciting and engaging marketing content that stands out from the crowd. For example, CGI renders can be paired with AR technology to create lifesize bathroom layouts, allowing customers to plan their dream bathroom right in front of their eyes! Selecting colourways, sizes, shower screens, even floor tiles can become an interactive experience that lifts your marketing, and your sales, to the next level and engages your customers like never before.

If you have any enquiries about CGI or photography, get in touch with us at WK360 – our imagery experts relish any opportunity to get creative. ~ hello@wk360.com

And, by the way, the answer was image A!

Written by Tracey Hayes