Furniture product photography is a service in demand. Basically, this is the first thing you think of when you need images for the catalog and promotional materials. Which is why every year your furniture travels from the store to studio or another photoshoot location – depending on the type of photo chosen. But the world has changed, and 3D Technologies have given the world of furniture ecommerce and marketing Virtual Photography – or 3D Visualization.
Many major players of the furniture industry market have already discovered 3D Rendering services. For instance, 75% of images in the furniture catalogs are CGI. Even more than that – many glossy magazines about interior design chose it. That means that new 3D alternative is an increasingly popular advertising tool.
But why would anyone stop using photos? To get an idea, let’s take a look at the advantages of each type of images.
Furniture Product Photography Versus 3D Visualization: 7 Criteria
To stay impartial, we’ve selected 7 factors that are crucial to the business success. Let’s begin and may the most profitable win!
#1. Time Efficiency
In this paragraph, let’s measure the amount of time and effort it takes to get both types of services.
Let’s talk about furniture product photography first. To get photos done, one needs to wait at least a month. To begin with, there’s the transfer. For the photoshoots are usually taken at a certain location. If we are speaking about shooting products against a white backdrop, a studio will do. But if you wish to get staged photos, it might take place anywhere – on the beach, in the middle of a beautiful ancient street or even in the corn field. As a result, your furniture samples will need to travel. And that will keep your Project Manager or Assistant busy for a month!
And what about Furniture Product Virtual Photography? No transport is needed whatsoever. Give the 3D Artist a Technical Assignment for the accurate result – and that’s all. Next, you obtain the picture with your furniture.
#2. Budget
And now, it’s time to have a look at the cost of both procedures.
The common point is that in both cases, the price is calculated based on the scale of the project. What separates the two approaches is that with furniture photography services, you need to add the price of transport, rent and decor. Familiar with procedure? Than you remember the price of flower arrangements on the last photoshoot. This way, product photography cost is high.
With 3D Visualization, you need nothing of the kind. For 3D Rendering studios accumulate collections of 3D models of decor. And those will be happy to collaborate! For instance, ArchiCGI have the library containing 1268 quality 3D models of exquisite decor that our clients always appreciate.
#3. Quality
The quality of the image is crucial to the impact it produces. And, most importantly – to the amount of sales you want to get in big numbers.
On the one hand, furniture product photography is a proven solution to get good images. Good photo is a feast to consumer’s eyes! For it provides plenty of details and looks juicy. I mean, what can possibly be more realistic than a real photo?
However, not all photos are so good as to sell your furniture. It all comes down to the professional skills of your photographer. Getting a good shot is an art that needs extensive practise, most notably at creating a perfect lighting. Besides, the photographer must be good with Photoshop. For spoiling a good picture with a bad post-production is super-easy! One click – and instead of impactful, the image looks artificial and unappealing.
Now, let’s take a look at 3D Product Visualization options. As well as for photos, the quality varies. The cheapest kind – and the easiest one to get – looks flat and basic. Photoreal furniture images, however, are a totally different thing. Remember those pictures from IKEA catalog? They are practically indistinguishable from photos. There you are! Those ones are photoreal.
#4. Image As A Selling Story
There is a law in sales that goes like this: “you do not sell a sofa but the comfort and rest it offers”. Successful advertisement shows people that are similar to the target audience. This way, they see the image of a person they want to be and lifestyle they strive to lead. And the furniture of the brand advertised is an attribute of that bright future and a sort of a key to it.
So, which solution is better adapted to achieve the goal? Professional product photography or 3D visualization?
As for the furniture product photography, it is perfectly capable of staging a convincing scene. You need to hire a model and rent a convenient location. Obviously, that requires additional money and time investment.
Can a 3D Furniture Visualization pull it off? Certainly. 3D Artist can easily place a person in scene – sitting on your bold red sofa, holding a remote control and looking absolutely happy. With a gorgeous fluffy cat besides that appreciates the super-sofa too…
Well, you get the idea. Pretty much the same result. Except with Product Visualization, there’s no need to hire people, cats and dogs. For the 3D Artist will choose the best-suited picture of a model and place it in the scene. And you get an idyllic image you wanted to see!
#5. Tools For Impact At Hand
At this point, it’d be convenient to learn if there are any types of images that only one format can produce. And as it turns out, both furniture product photography and 3D imagery can provide the same types of images.
There is one but, however. What do you think about cutouts?
Furniture cutout is a good way to show that the competitive edge of your product is not only the design, but the fine quality as well. No words can explain it better.
So what? You can get cutouts both with commercial product phtogralphy and 3D visualizations. Well, yes, but there’s one important difference. For a virtual photo, you don’t need to vandalize the actual furniture to showcase the layering of high-quality materials. This way, you save your furniture for sales instead of wasting it on Photos.
#6. Flexibility
Flexibility in here means the palette of products each solution gives.
With furniture product photography, one can get a large quantity of views. Which are to be specified beforehand, so that the Photographer take the necessary amount of pictures. Certainly, not all of the shots taken will be successful, but you’ll get what you need with a good specialist.
The same goes for the 3D Product Visualization. That is, you can get all the views you mention in the Technical Assignment. With one major difference, however: once the photoshoot is over, the studio cannot produce any more furniture views. Meanwhile, you can order new Virtual photos any time you please – it basically takes you back in time.
#7. Bonuses And Additional Opportunities
Virtual photos have a considerable bonus. The thing is, when you order 3D Visualization services, you automatically get a 3D Model of your furniture piece. And that means that you can get some pretty sophisticated sales tools at a reduced price and in less time – for you have the core.
Here’s what you can get with a 3D Model done:
- 3D Animation
- 3D Panorama
- 360°View
- Virtual Reality
- Augmented Reality
Present your architectural project like a work of art with AI-powered CGI
Now, it’s up to you to draw a conclusion. Ponder all pros and cons of each solution for your business and choose the one that’ll drive your sales. Want to try 3D Visualization out? Or just learn about it a little bit more? Contact ArchiCGI architectural rendering company and get amazing imagery.
May your furniture catalogs be full of impact!
Irma Prus
Content Writer, Copywriter
Irma writes articles and marketing copy for ArchiCGI. Her dream is that more people discover the power of CGI for architecture. Irma is into neuromarketing, ruby chocolate and Doctor Who series.