Seamless CGI Integration for Automotive Campaign

Combining authentic location photography with high-fidelity CGI to deliver "impossible" lifestyle assets without shipping a single vehicle.

Client

Spec Work / Kia EV9

photographers

Jordan and Dani

services

CGI

Retouching

Compositing

Art Direction

asset types

Hero shots with talent, action driving, farmhouse visuals, interior with talent

The Challenge

The "Uncanny Valley" of Automotive CGI.
Placing a computer-generated car into a real photograph often fails because the perfection of the render clashes with the organic imperfections of the world.

Authenticity Deficit: Pure CGI environments can feel sterile, while pure photography is limited by logistics (e.g., the car model wasn't ready to ship to the farm location).
Complex Integration: The "Farm Test" series required the car to interact with dust, gravel, and fading dusk light. These are elements that are notoriously difficult to fake digitally.
Creative Cohesion: We needed to respect Jordan and Dani’s specific "authentic lifestyle vision" while inserting a vehicle that wasn't actually there.

The Objective & Success Criteria

Seamless visual deception.

Indistinguishable Integration: The goal was to make the CG car seamlessly integrated into the photographed environment.
Atmospheric Consistency: Ensure the digital vehicle reflected the exact lighting temperature and grain structure of the background plates.
Emotional Resonance: Move beyond technical correctness to capture the "feeling" of a rural road trip.

Our Approach

The Hybrid Workflow: Photo + CGI + Retouching.
We didn't rely on just one tool. Studio KB orchestrated a multi-disciplinary pipeline to stitch the scene together.

Photography as the Anchor: We started with Jordan and Dani’s location plates to establish a ground truth for lighting and texture.
Precision CGI Matching: Eric Marin and Benjamin Grimes rendered the vehicle assets using HDRI maps captured on-location, ensuring the reflections on the sheet metal matched the real-world farmhouse and sky.‍
The "Digital Glue": Kevin Buckley applied 2D digital FX (hand-painted dust kicks, lens flares) and a "smattering" of AI Generative Fill to blend the edges. This step removes the "cut-out" look, grounding the tires in the dirt and wrapping the atmosphere around the car.

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The Results

A new standard for "Virtual Location" shoots.

Visual Proof: In the final series, whether the image is a dusty driving shot or a serene charging scene at dusk, the images read as 100% photography.
Unlimited Flexibility: Because the car is digital, the client can update the color, trim, or model year in the future without returning to the location.
Production Speed: By shooting background plates separately from the car, we eliminated the need for vehicle transport logistics, allowing for a faster and more sustainable production cycle.

Key Takeaways

Imagination vs. Execution: "You can imagine anything, but creating it in an authentic, photo-real way takes the talent of a well-honed team."
The Human Element: Photography, CGI and AI are powerful tools, but when they are combined, they require the "human touch" of illustration and retouching to achieve true photorealism.
Hybrid is Future-Proof: This workflow demonstrates that brands don't have to choose between the realism of photography and the flexibility of CGI. Studio KB delivers both.