3D render or photoshoot: which does my product need?
Use a camera when the picture must show the exact thing a customer will receive, such as a dish as it is served, a room or a person. Use a picture made on a screen for a new label or color, a place you cannot reach, or short clips for reels. The two work well side by side.
Side by side
| Photoshoot | Made on a screen | |
|---|---|---|
| Shows | The real item, as it is | A likeness of the item, in a scene that was built |
| Needs | The product, a place, light, a photographer and a day | A photo of the product |
| A new label, color or season | Another shoot | The same scene, changed |
| Places | Where you can travel and get permission | Anywhere that can be pictured |
| Video | More crew, or a longer day | Short clips from the same scene |
| Trust | High: it happened | Depends on saying it was made |
| Cost | Depends on the photographer and the day | From 20 JD at Thorns Digital |
When to use a camera
- Food as it is served. A guest will hold the plate against the picture.
- People: your staff, your customers, yourself.
- Your real shop, room or view.
- Anything where the exact size, color or finish is what the customer is buying.
When a screen is the better tool
- A new label, color or season, with no second shoot.
- A place you cannot take the product to.
- One product in several worlds, so each campaign looks new.
- A short clip of the same scene for reels.
- One scene cut for every format you post in.
Say when a picture was made
A made picture that passes for a photograph borrows trust it has not earned. We label ours: the product scenes on this site say that none of the products exist. For a real product, keep one plain photo next to the made ones, and never use a made picture to show something the customer will not get.
How we make them
- You send a photo of your product.
- We send back three visual directions.
- You pick one.
- You receive stills and clips in four shapes: 16:9 for your site, 4:5 for the feed, 9:16 for stories and reels, and 1:1 for ads.
The Screening Room shows three finished scenes, and the 3D videos page has the details and the price.
More answers
What is a 3D product video?
It is a short video of your product in a scene that was made on a screen with AI tools, with no camera and no location. At Thorns Digital we start from a photo of the real product, build the scene around it, and deliver stills and clips sized for your site, your feed and your ads.
Do I need to send you the product?
No. A clear photo of the product is enough to start, and a few angles help: the front, the back and the label, in good light. We send back three directions and you pick one. Then we finish that scene as stills and clips in the sizes you need.