Moen
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Overview
CGI is a great asset in the toolbox of any brand, but if the quality is distinguishable from product photography, its utility is diminished. Leading the creative department at Clutch and overseeing our CGI and Retouchign departments allowed me some unique insight into the CGI art direction process.
Approach
There are several qualities to lead to a convincing image, most notably are lighting, texture, model fidelity, scale and reflection. Often times, in the production process artists can focus too much on the one of these aspects, and fail to put in place some of the broader elements that complete the whole. At Clutch, we went above any beyond to make sure that not only did we hit the key elements of making the image look real, but also the relationship between a raw image and what the brands retouching styling standards demand.
When shooting a picture, everybody understands that what they see as the raw file from camera isn't what the final will be. CG tools are great at representing the physical world mathematically, but the balance of texture, reflection and contrast of a final retouched image is in the eye of the beholder (or brand). At Clutch, we developed a brand standard for these qualities so in compositing, we always knew how to make images that felt consistent and cohesive.
Taking that a step further, brands are always looking for ways to shave production costs in asset production. Artists are under pressure to create more work faster, which can lead to short cuts. At Clutch, we make sure to build the assets that will be scene in lens first, but also build the parts of the scene that are out of frame, but show up in the reflection details and light bounce of the composition. Often times, when CGI doesn't look "quite right" it is lacking some of that fine detail that is difficult to place but looks natural to the eye.
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Product close up composition, matte black finish.
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see also
