2020 Guide: 3D visual prices – photo shoots

Many of you compare the price of a photo shoot with the 3D visual price when you’re looking to showcase your products in lifestyle settings. But when it comes to furniture, the cost of a photo shoot can quickly skyrocket. E-tailers don’t always think about the time, logistics and budget involved in hiring a photographer.

3D furniture creation is a real alternative: it produces high-quality visuals at a much lower cost, and is surprisingly easy to use from the customer’s point of view. It’s all done remotely, using the furniture model and inspiration photos.

To build our comparison, we decided on a number of 4 photos per item and 4 items in all, so 16 photos in all. Indeed, in one day, it seems difficult to transport more than 4 sets of furniture in the same day. The choice of 4 photos per item is explained by the fact that an e-tailer doesn’t really need more than 3 product photos from different angles and a cropped photo.

To calculate the price of the 3D visual, we did the same, presenting you with a transparent quote based on the production of 16 HD visuals.

So here’s our 3D visual vs. photo shoot price comparison, based on prices that won’t change in 2020.

Why use a photo studio?

Photo by Kara Eads on Unsplash – price illustration for 3D visuals

The advantages of a photo shoot:

Let’s face it, a photograph of a beautiful piece of furniture taken in a unique location, with the right weather conditions and a professional at the helm, all contribute to stunning visuals.

The photos are real, with no possible imperfections – something that sometimes happens with 3D modeling. When you work with a good photographer, he or she enhances your products with appropriate, harmonious lighting. And last but not least, he can provide you with numerous photos, shots and zooms on the product, enabling you to choose 3 or 4 visuals to showcase on your site.

Disadvantages of a photo studio :

But organizing a photo shoot is no easy task, and requires a lot of time up front:

• finding the right photographer at the right price,
• find an exceptional location close to your company,
• gathering and preparing the merchandise

and during the photo shoot:

• renting a van and transporting the furniture,
• unpacking and repacking, taking care not to damage anything,
  decoration layout,
• supervising all operations to create an atmosphere that met the specifications.

The other weak point of the photo shoot, apart from the complicated logistics, is the immutability of the images once they’ve been taken. If you have to change the color or fabric of a sofa model at the last minute, for example, nothing can be changed afterwards.

How much do 16 photographs cost?

Photo by Sonnie Hiles on Unsplash – price illustration for 3D visuals

Here’s a table of estimated costs for a photo shoot of 4 products, based on current prices for the 2019 – 2020 season:

Why use 3D visuals?

Advantages of creating CGI

In addition to the very affordable price of 3D visuals – a subject addressed in the next point – 3D creation services offer a number of advantages.

The most obvious is the simplicity and flexibility of the 3D service. All it takes is a few photos to create a photorealistic setting for the furniture. So there are no logistics to worry about, no imponderables to manage: everything happens remotely, from your office.

Thanks to technological progress and a fine-tuned mastery of rendering software, the 3D visuals produced are extremely photorealistic. But above all, any atmosphere is possible: you’re not restricted to a location close to your company, and can decide to set the scene in New York or in a villa overlooking the sea.

Finally, as it only takes a few clicks to modify a texture or color, you have access to an infinite number of variations of your furniture, without ever having to move a piece.

Disadvantages of 3D visuals

Because we can never know exactly what the customer has in mind, the 3D artist submits a first version of the visual that will be corrected once or twice. This delay must be taken into account in the order completion time.

We mentioned above the imperfections that can occur. Occasionally, defects may appear when a parameter is incorrectly set or a detail is omitted during 3D modeling. These faults are corrected immediately after the first version, so delivery time is not extended.

3D visualization prices: how much for 16 CGI?

For this table of 3D visual prices, we’ve based our calculations on the staging of 4 complex pieces of furniture. The staging variations relate to the general decoration, but not to the construction of the space (as might be the case for a photo shoot).

3D visuals vs. photo shoots: 3D, the undisputed champion

The verdict is clear: €3,000 for the photo shoot and €1,500 for the 3D atmosphere – the price of the 3D visual wins by a landslide!

3D costs half as much as the actual cost of a photo shoot – which can vary in the event of incidents: furniture damaged in transit, unfavorable weather conditions, a speaker withdrawing on the day…

Creating 3D visuals, on the other hand, generates no stress, no loss of time, and no unpleasant surprises. The price of the 3D visual is known when the order is placed, with no last-minute surcharges.

And best of all, when you use Studio 3D’s services, all our prices are exclusive of tax, and stay that way: no VAT to pay!

If you’re convinced by the flexibility and affordability of 3D visuals, don’t hesitate to contact us with your project!