COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGERY OR
CGI CREATION
CGI is one of the fastest growing areas in content generation because of its many advantages over conventional photography, improvement in quality and cost effectiveness.
THE SMART WAY TO WORK
8 reasons to consider computer-generated imagery (CGI) in your content planning
Limited by Imagination
CGI has developed a long way in recent years and can be truly described as Photoreal.
Products can be placed in environments or at angles that are impossible to shoot. CGI is perfect for showing difficult products or cut aways, showing the inner workings without destroying the product.
Speed to market
It’s impossible to take a photograph of a product that hasn’t been created yet.
CGI imagery can be created long before the product has been manufactured. Helping you to achieve market awareness and even pre-sales. This is particularly useful for packaging and the FMCG market, where the image needs to be delivered to online retailers long before the product is shipped.
Flexibility
Flexibility
Once a CGI model is created it is possible to create refreshed imagery time and time again.
With models on file updates to images are seamless and far more cost-effective than re-shooting
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With room sets this can mean a change of camera angle, updates in styling, and even adding new products at a fraction of the cost of a new set build and shoot.
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CGI packaging, often known as pack renders, is a perfect example of how one wireframe model can be used over and over again. Once we have created the model we can apply artwork, after artwork to create new imagery. Furthermore, we can create different versions, for example, mobile-optimized versions to help consumers when shopping with a small screen.
Impossible to Photograph
Some products are very difficult or even impossible to photograph due to size, showing technical details, difficult location or simply weather constraints. So, when photography just isn’t an option, CGI is your friend.
CGI can create a summer’s day in winter, nighttime during the day, or place your products on the moon… it can change the flooring in a room, create technical cutaways, highlight detail and show different angles with ease.
Getting photos of similar or identical products can lead to inconsistent colour, position and lighting.
Achieving consistent positioning can be a real issue, especially if you have multiple similar products the odds are that you won't be able to match the same position every time. With CGI, perfect positioning is guaranteed… and even if you manage to shoot from the same position, the lighting is never exactly the same. CGI allow you to have the same lighting for every product, regardless of how many objects there are.
Consistency
New product launch? Product not ready or available? CGI is the answer, not only that but it gives you the option for creating richer content, such 360s or animations in which you can really show the feature and benefits of the product. Imagine the improved customer experience of being able to see a sofa bed opening and closing online rather than a static image, or the inner workings.
Make something
from nothing
Mobile first hero’s
62% (and growing) of all e-commerce transactions now take place on a mobile device.
Using smaller screens, we want to see the relevant product information easily, hence the need for optimised hero shots or shoptimised images, known in some markets as hero images. These images have had the “On Self” pack adapted so that certain information is clearer.
Environmentally friendly
There are several reasons why CGI is an environmentally friendly alternative to a photo shoot.
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Removing the miles of transport needed to location or to ship product to a studio, not only saves money but has a zero carbon transport footprint
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To secure your products for travel so they are photo ready when they arrive at the studio takes packaging… and in some cases a lot of it.
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Supplying product for a shoot often means it needs putting together and moving around to get the ideal shot… this can lead to damage or a product that cannot be resold
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Room sets are particularly wasteful, often using a lot of building materials that end up in a skip after a few days shooting.
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Even the smallest of products can generate waste with a traditional shoot. Colourama is paper used to create a background. This can only be used a few times before it gets dirty and needs replacing.
