Browse a furniture website or other online store and chances are you’ll see gorgeous photos of perfectly furnished rooms displaying the products being sold. At first glance, these pictures may look like an expensive and meticulously laid-out set, but that’s not the case. 3D virtual photography is becoming a popular trend in all kinds of businesses. These include B2B companies as well as direct-to-consumer and other retailers.
The popularity of this new form of media is for good reason. 3D virtual photography yields stunning results, and it’s often more cost-effective than other methods. If you haven’t heard of this method of photography, here’s what it is and why you should use it.
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What is 3D virtual photography?
3D virtual photography (a 3D visualizer service carries it out) is the art of using CAD software to create an image similar to a real photo, instead of taking one using a camera. Virtual photography can be very realistic, with photos created on the computer looking virtually indistinguishable from a real photo. These renders use techniques including lighting, 3D models, and rich textures to help create these beautiful images. Although they look very real, they don’t require anything but a 3D artist’s time and the right software to be created.
There’s a lot of benefits to using virtual photography over traditional types, and that’s why so many companies are getting on board.
Why you should use 3D virtual photography
There are many great reasons to use virtual photography for your business. If you think about your business, chances are plenty of visual material is needed to give it life. This might include photos for catalogs and advertising, as well as social media campaigns and newsletters. Photos help share what products might look like and help consumers understand their value. Even if you market directly to other businesses, the business owner will likely use photos to determine whether a product fits their business. Here are a few great reasons why more and more people are switching.
Virtual photography is cost-effective
Lavish sets displaying new products cost a lot of money to set up. Not only does a room need to be fully fleshed out to look good with decorations and the furniture itself, but a studio must be rented and a full photography crew paid for. Even when the product is being photographed against a blank backdrop, there’s still the price of the studio, crew, and lighting to consider.
This problem is compounded when the product is very large or otherwise difficult to photograph. If your business is real estate, getting an attractive angle on a building can be very challenging, especially if it’s in a crowded area. Working with a 3D real estate rendering service can meet many of these challenges for an affordable price.
It can help you get an early start
Advertising your new product is also vital to the success of any campaign. No matter how quickly you go through the development process, other companies are doing the same all over the world. Although the internet allows for a broader reach, it also allows for global competition.
One way to compete successfully in a global economy is to make sure your product is in the public eye first. This isn’t always possible or practical with a physical product. In the past, companies have gone to great expense to have a prototype built to photograph it for advertising. With buildings, of course, it’s impossible to get a jump on advertising before the product is complete—or is it?
RELATED: 5 Uses of 3D Architectural Animation for Marketing Your New Development Project
With virtual photography, the product doesn’t have to exist at all before a lifelike rendering is made. An artist can take detailed information of what it should look like and can make a virtual representation of it. That 3D model can then be used in virtual photography. A virtual photographer can set the product up and photograph it as if it were the real thing—only it may not exist yet. This can help with advertising in big ways and make sure your product is out there first.
It can improve the quality of the photography
Another big benefit to virtual photography is how perfect the photos can be made. Photography can be very tricky to get right. Too much light can make the features of a product look hard and unflattering. Too little light and the details are hard to see. Getting the light just right can be as challenging as finding a good angle or fleshing out the rest of the shoot so it makes a nice presentation.
A 3D product modeling service can create a virtual photograph to meet these challenges perfectly. There’s software that deals specifically with lighting, to help get the lighting perfect each and every time. 3D models can also be turned in any direction, so experimenting with angle is no problem. The result is that virtual photography often comes out better than the real thing, thanks to the care and detail put into lighting it.
It can improve the quality of the photography
Another big benefit to virtual photography is how perfect the photos can be made. Photography can be very tricky to get right. Too much light can make the features of a product look hard and unflattering. Too little light and the details are hard to see. Getting the light just right can be as challenging as finding a good angle or fleshing out the rest of the shoot so it makes a nice presentation.
Virtual photography can meet these challenges perfectly. There’s software that deals specifically with lighting, to help get the lighting perfect every time. 3D models can also be turned in any direction, so experimenting with angles is no problem.The result is that virtual photography often comes out better than the real thing, thanks to the care and detail put into lighting it.
It lets you unleash your creativity
One of the best aspects of virtual photography is that it isn’t limited by real-world expectations. Even when a studio is rented out and fully furnished, there are limits. What you can do is limited by what paints are available for the set walls, what items can be purchased or rented to fill the area, and the size of the studio. With virtual photography, you can customize the look of a set in any way you wish.
Every color is available to you, any product or style at your fingertips. This also allows the photographer time to play with the appearance of a room and unleash their creativity. With no physical barriers between their vision and the photo, they are free to do their very best work with your product.
It’s faster
Time is money, and one of the most important benefits of virtual photography is just how fast it is. Since a 3D artist can get to work on a project right away, there’s no delay in creating the set. There’s also no need to produce an actual copy of the product for the shoot. Instead, all an advertising team needs is to submit data on how the photoshoot should look. This includes details such as sketches, a mood board, or other details.
The virtual photographer then takes this information and uses it to create a lifelike lifestyle photograph. Best of all, if a change needs to be made, there’s almost no delay. The color of the furniture, lighting, and many other details can be swapped out quickly and easily if those changes need to be made. You simply can’t do that quickly with a photoshoot. If materials need to be changed, that means redoing the entire set and the entire photoshoot.
This can also get very expensive, as the new items need to be paid for, on top of the equipment and time of the photography team. Traditional photography can end up being very slow and expensive compared to virtual photography, especially in situations where changes will need to be made.
Custom fit to your needs
One final benefit to using a virtual photographer is that they can take the use of the image into account. Usually, a photoshoot is done with a specific purpose in mind. This might be advertising for a catalog, but it could also be for billboards or other forms of advertising. Not all formats are appropriate for these different forms of advertising.
With traditional photography, the photoshoot would have to be redone, either by cropping the original to reformat it, or redoing the shoot entirely. 3D design services can adjust virtual photography in any way you see fit. If you just mention to them what the purpose of the photo is before it is shot, they can even do this for you at the beginning of the virtual photography session.
They can also custom-fit your photo session with new details. Imagine modifying your current photos to have holiday themes to them, such as stockings for Christmas, or Easter baskets for Easter. These custom touches can give life to your website or other advertising, and it’s very simple to do. You can keep your advertising looking fresh and current with these small changes, and all it takes is a word with your virtual photographer to get it done.
Virtual photography is rapidly becoming popular with businesses all over the world. It has many benefits, from saving time and money to allowing customization in a variety of different ways. If you’re still struggling with traditional photoshoots for your business, consider making the switch to virtual photography now. Once you’ve switched, you may never go back to traditional photography again.
Cad Crowd’s 3D visualization services can help
At Cad Crowd, we have a network of the best 3D visualization services on the market. If you’re looking for help with virtual product photography or just want some 3D models made, we can help. Our freelancers have worked won projects for clients like Tiffany & Co and Tupperware. Find out how it works today.
