Is this a real picture or CGI?

Re: Is this a real picture or CGI?

On 2008-05-07 20:09:03 -0700, Jeff <jeff@spam me not,com > said:

> Doc wrote:
>> Looks to me either like CGI or extremely enhanced by CGI. Seems to
>> have a sort of "plasic" patina to it. Is an actual photo of a pristine
>> new car not good enough anymore?
>>
>> http :// www .toyota,com /matrix/
>
>
> It's a real photo that's been dodged and burned. It looks like the top
> surfaces have been burned in. The rest is just superb lighting.
>
> The way it is lit is just stunning. Take a look at the catch lights and
> the shadowing and you'll see that the lighting is very simple, but it's
> some of the best modeling I've ever seen. You can really feel the three
> curves of it.
>
> It appears to be one longish softbox almost directly overhead. A bit
> of fill to soften the shadows.
>
> Jeff

You are probably right. You see the reflection of the softbox in the
car windows, plus the reflection of a couple of spots on the front of
the car. Subtractive shadowing around the floor. The color has been
carefully calibrated to match an actual Matrix. One shot, no Photoshop.
It could easily be the work of Claude Jodoin or one of his students. He
does this sort of thing, although his i2i Studio has become more
oriented toward wedding and portrait photography. Claude does not dodge
and burn much (though he certainly might have here) but instead uses an
enormous collection of Scrim Jim panels to both highlight and screen
light where he wishes.

There are also rental studios in Detroit and elsewhere that have these
20 foot long softboxes suspended from the ceiling. You drive the car
(or other large object, even an airplane) right through the big doors
of the studio. The softbox is suspended from beams and can be easily
moved in any direction or tilted as needed.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

Re: Is this a real picture or CGI?

yes, you are right, my opinion is exactly the same,
it's a real photos but burned and dodged with strong color variations,
I take pictures of cars for catalog and often use similar techniques.
There are a few details which are helpful to recognize is it CGI or photo
(eg. front light or wheels)

Best Regards
Martin
www .gorgolewski,com


Uzytkownik "Jeff" <jeff@spam_me_not,com > napisal w wiadomosci
news:KcOdnZTtUapN87_VnZ2dnUVZ_tPinZ2d@earthlink,com ...
> Doc wrote:
>> Looks to me either like CGI or extremely enhanced by CGI. Seems to
>> have a sort of "plasic" patina to it. Is an actual photo of a pristine
>> new car not good enough anymore?
>>
>> http :// www .toyota,com /matrix/
>
>
> It's a real photo that's been dodged and burned. It looks like the top
> surfaces have been burned in. The rest is just superb lighting.
>
> The way it is lit is just stunning. Take a look at the catch lights and
> the shadowing and you'll see that the lighting is very simple, but it's
> some of the best modeling I've ever seen. You can really feel the three
> curves of it.
>
> It appears to be one longish softbox almost directly overhead. A bit of
> fill to soften the shadows.
>
> Jeff

Re: Is this a real picture or CGI?

Martin wrote:
> yes, you are right, my opinion is exactly the same,
> it's a real photos but burned and dodged with strong color variations,
> I take pictures of cars for catalog and often use similar techniques.

Yes, I see. Some very nice work in there.

> There are a few details which are helpful to recognize is it CGI or photo
> (eg. front light or wheels)

Can you elaborate on that a bit...

I find some of the comments in this thread interesting. The automatic
assumption has been that it's all CGI and is no longer photography, and
then a bit of sniffing...

Photography has a long history of superb lighting. When you look at
photography from the 20's you can see that lighting was well developed
by then. I think we've gotten away from the techniques of lighting and
just assume it was all created digitally.

I look at this and try to figure out how it is done, not that I will
be shooting such stuff, but it should be something every photographer
should do. Craft should be something we all care about.

Jeff

>
> Best Regards
> Martin
> www .gorgolewski,com
>
>
> Uzytkownik "Jeff" <jeff@spam me not,com > napisal w wiadomosci
> news:KcOdnZTtUapN87 VnZ2dnUVZ tPinZ2d@earthlink,com ...
>> Doc wrote:
>>> Looks to me either like CGI or extremely enhanced by CGI. Seems to
>>> have a sort of "plasic" patina to it. Is an actual photo of a pristine
>>> new car not good enough anymore?
>>>
>>> http :// www .toyota,com /matrix/
>>
>> It's a real photo that's been dodged and burned. It looks like the top
>> surfaces have been burned in. The rest is just superb lighting.
>>
>> The way it is lit is just stunning. Take a look at the catch lights and
>> the shadowing and you'll see that the lighting is very simple, but it's
>> some of the best modeling I've ever seen. You can really feel the three
>> curves of it.
>>
>> It appears to be one longish softbox almost directly overhead. A bit of
>> fill to soften the shadows.
>>
>> Jeff
>
>
>

Re: Is this a real picture or CGI?


"Doc" <docsavage20@yahoo,com > wrote in message
news:ffda67cc-fb55-4cc8-aae8-78487af0871e@56g2000hsm.googlegroups,com ...
> Looks to me either like CGI or extremely enhanced by CGI. Seems to
> have a sort of "plasic" patina to it. Is an actual photo of a pristine
> new car not good enough anymore?
>
> http :// www .toyota,com /matrix/

Check the original negative and compare it to the finished print.

Re: Is this a real picture or CGI?

It could be either. CGI is very common in automotive photography now-a-days
and with big budgets, are done very well by truly amazing artists. It's
actually closer to movie production than still photography.

For me though, this image looks more photography than CGI, compared to a lot
other photos I have seen. But you never know, because at the end of the
day, the final image has to look like a real product whether GC or
Photoshopped.


"Doc" <docsavage20@yahoo,com > wrote in message
news:ffda67cc-fb55-4cc8-aae8-78487af0871e@56g2000hsm.googlegroups,com ...
> Looks to me either like CGI or extremely enhanced by CGI. Seems to
> have a sort of "plasic" patina to it. Is an actual photo of a pristine
> new car not good enough anymore?
>
> http :// www .toyota,com /matrix/