CGI post-production is the last but equally important part of working on an architectural render. It defines the overall appeal, atmosphere, and hence the impact and marketing effectiveness of a picture. At the post-production stage, a CG image actually starts looking catchy and full of life, as the meaningful details and visual effects are added. So, what exactly is the role of post-processing in architectural visualization?
As an architectural rendering company, we pay the utmost attention to every step of making CGI, including post-production. So, we know exactly what details matter in this stage. Want to find out what post-production is and what tricks to ask for when commissioning architecture visualizations? Read on!
#1. What is post-production in 3D rendering?
In CGI post-production, an artist processes a rendered image via specialized software. This process adds the final touches to the imagery. At this stage, one can combine a render with photos, adjust its visual properties, and add special effects. The process is usually done not in 3D software but in programs like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
Overall, post-production helps create a story and mood in 3D rendering for marketing agencies. It allows an artist to make CG renders photorealistic and lifelike. So, what exactly can one do during CGI post-production?
#2. Enriching the CG image
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Before Office Exterior Post-production After
- A 3D artist can use photo montage rendering. It combines a 3D render of a future building with a real photo background. Of course, the surroundings can be made in 3D from scratch as well. Oftentimes, however, it makes more sense to use a real photo of the place. This way, the cost of the rendering is lowered significantly, and the resulting picture looks incredibly realistic.
- In architectural CGI post-production, it is also possible to add secondary objects cut out from the photos. People, animals, plants, or cars – all these can be added seamlessly to a rendered image using Photoshop. This way, an artist avoids the need to use an excessive number of details in a 3D scene and therefore reduces the time needed for rendering.
- A CGI expert can also enrich a render with weather effects such as fog, rain, snow, mist, rainbow, and so on.
- Adding small imperfections like creases, folds, cracks, and even dust or dirt can go a long way in making CGI look more like a real photo rather than a digital image. With such details, a render will never feel sterile and artificial.
- Finally, a brand’s logo or text can be also added to the CG picture during the post-production stage.
#3. Improving the visual properties of CGI for architecture
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Before Architectural Render Post-production After
- Denoising. Depending on the initial quality of 3D renders, it might be a more or less important step. However, adding any additional effects will make the noise more noticeable. So, denoising is often essential in CGI post-production.
- Adjusting colors and other visual properties. Artists adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and exposure for the whole image or specific areas. Such changes are especially important if a render was somehow combined with a photo. Adjusting visual properties in CGI makes 3D models and pieces of photos come together into something that looks real and not a mismatched collage.
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- Improving lighting and shadows. Despite the development of 3D visualization software, real-life lighting conditions might be hard to fully recreate in 3D. Accurate translucency, caustics, as well as subsurface scattering or iridescence can be tweaked in CGI manually during post-production.
- Tone mapping ensures the right distribution of tonal values. When done correctly, tone mapping guarantees the 3D image follows the logic of the real world. For example, it can ensure that artificial lighting is not brighter than the sun.
- In its turn, color grading focuses on adjusting the hues and saturation to achieve a specific look and atmosphere.
#4. Adding camera effects
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Before Post-production for Restaurant Interior Render After
Finally, subtle touches enhance the CG image and make it fully photorealistic. These are applied in both exterior and interior 3D rendering services.
- Adding grain or noise in a 3D render helps imitate those of real camera shots.
- Vignetting makes the edges of the image blurrier or darker and serves the same goal.
- Bloom, glare, and glow. Glow makes objects shiny. Glare appears when bright light hits a reflective surface. Bloom creates ‘feathers’ of light bleeding from bright areas.
- Motion blur means blurring some objects in a scene to make them look moving. In architectural 3D visualization, it is especially impactful when a model of a building is contrasted with a fast-moving vehicle. This makes a render look like a camera shot taken with a long exposure.
- The depth of field effect helps blur the background, creating a contrast with the foreground. It defines what parts of an image are in focus.
- Lens distortions, lens flares, bokeh, and chromatic effects all imitate the artifacts of a real camera.
- Finally, during post-production, the artist can use filters and presets to lend the image a distinctive atmosphere.
CGI post-production is the stage when everything in a rendering finally comes together. From background compositing to camera effects, a 3D artist ensures CGI visuals are indistinguishable from photos taken with a professional camera. Post-production can improve the quality and the atmosphere in CGI dramatically, and any architect or designer working with an experienced 3D artist will see the difference.
Additional tips on architectural visualization, CGI solutions, and workflows are covered in our architectural rendering guide.
Looking for 3D rendering services to make sure the visuals for your next project are impeccable? Contact us at ArchiCGI to get professionally made photorealistic CGI!
Stacey Mur
Content Writer, Copywriter
Stacey is a content writer and a CG artist. Outside of work, Stacey enjoys musicals, Star Wars, and art talk. A proud Corgi parent.
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