PHOTO POST PRODUCTION & CGI / 3D Nov 2011

Adapt Digital is a San Francisco creative retouching studio, founded by Matt Taylor.

Matt offers over 12 years of image creation experience, meeting the exacting retouching and image-creation needs for brands, agencies and photographers alike. Matt's capabilities and experience, paired with his network of creative associates has allowed the studio to successfully 'adapt' to any project effectively and with impeccable attention to detail.

Experience: 

• Agencies - BBDO, J. Walter Thompson, McCann and Grey.
• Photographers - Musilek Photo, John Wright, RC Rivera, William Moran and Eric Wolfinger.
• Brands - Target, Gap, Old Navy, Adidas, Rocketdog, Tostitos, Apple and Haagen-Dazs.
• Editorials - SF Magazine, 7x7, Wired, Dwell, Spa and Genlux.

Projects featured in this Spotlight include a range of ads for Mitsubishi showing a photographic car in completely generated backgrounds, one of which is also being used to promote the new movie 'Warrior', and another that has made it into the Cream Award finals.

Also featured is a futuristic car design for DDB showing a car 100% designed and modelled in CGI in a moving location environment. A GM/Vauxhall UK press ad shows a fun recreation of a 1991 garage scene, complete with 90s details and original Nova car, alongside the 2011 garage and new Vauxhall/GM Corsa.

Finally, two European press ads for Citroen of the new CZero model - these were created using a blend of CGI and photography.

Other recent projects include a series of Peugeot 3008 HY night location images, Orange Film-To-Go bus and sitting room, and Late Night London location images with LNL logos created in CGI and blended into the scenes. A range of CGI animations will also soon be released.

Hamburg-based alphadog was established in 1999 as a high-end post production company with an integrated 3D unit. One of its core intentions is to create a truthful yet customised copy of reality. 

Latest projects include:

• Mercedes - Photographer: He and Me. Agency: Shanghai Berlin. Client: Mercedes-Benz.
• Icetunnel - Photographer: Robert Grischek. Agency: Kolle Rebbe. Client: ZDF.
• Parachute - Photographer: Manu Agah. Agency: CS Creative Selling. Client: Ibs Bausparkasse. CGI: alphadog.
• Braun - Photographer: Philipp Rathmer. Agency: BBDO. Client: Braun. CGI: Alphadog.
• Samsung - Photographer: Tom Nagy. Agency: Cheil. Client: Samsung. CGI: alphadog.
• Prämienstore - Agency: McCann. CGI: alphadog.
• Autostadt - Photographer: Tom Mennemann. Client: Autostadt.
• Lips - Photographer: Florian Sommet. Project: Case study.
• Musical - Photographer: Detlef Overmann. Agency: Neue Monarchie. Client: Stage Entertainment.
• Nescafé - Full CGI. Agency: Publicis. Client: Nescafé Dolce Gusto.

"Chic Paris: behind the brand name, a true state of mind."

Chic Paris values respect and pursues a creative approach to imagery.

Its dedicated, reactive and talented team can provide solutions across all artistic and technical 2D and 3D fields, from image capture to the delivery of finished artwork.

The company's convenient and spacious location provides the comfort and necessary atmosphere to foster dialogue, creativity and confidentiality, while its language skills make it possible for Chic to undertake projects in French, English and German.

Visit the website for an overview of the company's artwork.

Professional advertising photographer Christian McGowan has over 20 years experience photographing campaigns for major advertising agencies and Blue Chip companies throughout the UK and Europe.

He is a highly experienced Photoshop user, having been digitally retouching images since 1990.

Always keen to embrace the latest technology, Christian now uses CGI to allow clients to have even greater control over their ideas and, more importantly, deliver complex imagery on time and within budget.

Claudia Kupp produces creative retouching and complex composition work in close collaboration with her clients. Pixeltuning is her passion, and with swiftness and an eye for detail she develops individually tailored looks and picture styles for each campaign.

Claudia has been working as a Photoshop artist since 1996 for different agencies, photographers and clients across the high-end scale in Germany, but also in Dubai, Atlanta, Spain and Switzerland.

Eclipse Creative Retouching is an experienced post production company dedicated to creative retouching.

The central Barcelona-based company focuses on high quality retouching that meets standards set over many years of dedicated service.

In close collaboration with an international team of retouchers and CGI/3D artists, Eclipse can offer solutions for any job.

Born in 1972, Marcus did not receive his first camera at six and become a genius like 80% of photographers. Instead, he attended a couple of schools, until he got bored.

After three years on a photography apprenticeship, he took time out to enjoy life in Australia until he ran out of money and had to leave paradise. He returned to Germany to become an assistant and earn some money. He lasted for precisely six months, by which point he was sick of working for narcissistic photographers.

In 2001 Marcus took a loan from the bank and did a range of free car tests, built up his portfolio, and even found an agent who scored some small jobs for him.
Slowly, the jobs got bigger and bigger, and Marcus has since been able to build-up his own paradise through his work.

Matthew Haysom is a creative retoucher with experience working at London's top post production studios, global advertising agencies and award-winning photographers.

Recent projects include:

• TIMEX with Tim Tadder.
• Carlsberg with Douglas Fisher.
• Honda with Douglas Fisher.
• Triumph Motorcycles with Dirk Rees.

Contact Matthew on +44 (0) 7590 372 789 or through email to discuss projects.

Michelangelo Rossino lives and works in Turin. His photography ranges from commissions to illustrations and digital composition.

He is considered amongst the leading Italian advertising photographers and has been using digital technology across photography, 3D, painting and illustration since 1994.

Michelangelo is involved in every step of the creative process, relying on an experienced team of dedicated experts. For his automotive work, Michelangelo has developed a unique technique involving ‘Light CGI’, providing on location CGI shoots mixed with live photography.

Michelangelo is represented in Italy by 1806 Agency.

Visit his website for more information.

My Brother Bob has been busy growing from a start-up retouch house into a fully-fledged creative production studio.

The London-based studio specialises in retouching, CGI, video editing/grading, CGI animation and animated stills. Clients include Puma, Footlocker, M&S, John Balsom, Boo George, Karina Twiss, Mr Porter, Karen Millen, Dalziel & Pow, French Vogue, John Wright Photo, Vilebrequin, French GQ, ASOS and Aviva.

Visit the website or give Faye a call on +44(0)20 7490 4424 to find out more.

PX Group is a high-end CGI and post production studio located in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. By consulting customers over production processes and how best to achieve high standards in generating output content, PX Group has become a dependable partner for realising a wide range of creative projects for advertising agencies, magazines and photographers. 

Over recent months the company has completed several projects including car CGI, fashion, lifestyle and people, and image films, and has also created its first CGI showreel. 

Recom Farmhouse is a high-end CGI and retouching studio with studios in London, Berlin, Stuttgart, and one due to open in New York next year, working worldwide on projects covering everything from fashion and beauty retouching to full CGI car and product shots.

With the flexibility that each job demands, Recom offers a complete workflow, advice for planning CGI productions, pre-visualisation on location, shooting of HDR spheres and creative direction.

The company's strong background in photography, paired with creativity and skill as digital composers, enables it to smoothly collaborate with agencies and photographers alike to create (sur-)real, emotional visions rather than just standard soulless CGI.

Recom regulalry collaborates with photographers including Blinkk, Paul Murphy, Tim Kent, Olaf Hauschulz, Christian Schmidt, Michael Schnabel, Anton Watts, Thomas Strogalski, Jeff Ludes, Holger Pooten, Franck Allais and Ralph Mecke.

2011 is Red & Gray Ltd's 10-year anniversary of preparing high quality visual content for print and advertising. The company takes pride in its approach to creating some of the most realistic CGI ever seen, and spends a great deal of time refining and adapting its craft to the ever changing needs of clients.

A continual striving for perfection in the digital image drives the company forward with each new project undertaken, offering new and exciting challenges the team is eager to overcome.

"We build and nurture our client relationships with dedicated account managers ensuring every image we create is as rewarding for our clients as it is for us."

Staud Studios is a German-based production studio with over 30 years of experience in content creation.

The key advantage of Staud Studios is its one-stop in-house production workflow. From the creation of an idea to final output, the entire production is lead by 25 artists working in collaboration. Photography, CGI and post production work hand-in-hand to guarantee a quality and flexibility that is trusted by some of the most renowned brands worldwide. Clients include car and luxury brands Aston Martin, Audi, Bridgestone, Ford, Infiniti, JaegerLeCoultre, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen.

The Audi A8L China campaign shows the possibilities to engineer exceptional creative worlds. A surreal but realistic result has been achieved through the combination of photography, CGI and post production. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class motifs are perfect examples of the integration of photography (background), CGI (cars), and post production (composing and look) in a single project, entirely created in-studio.

Staud studios is defined by flawless quality that blurs the borders between all applied techniques, not just creating images but first and foremost telling stories.

Visit the website for the most recent projects and further information.

Saddington Baynes is a leading creative production studio offering award-winning visual content to the advertising and marketing industries. The company also has a dedicated automotive creative studio, which excels at delivering sophisticated visual content for today's multi-platform automotive campaign.

Working across digital and print media, the company conceptualises, designs and produces still imagery and animation that is crafted to evoke a deeper emotional engagement between consumer and brand.

Over the last two decades, Saddington Baynes has worked with many of the top brands and most creative agencies worldwide, with a mission to make cutting-edge technology, technique and talent from the film and games industries attainable for brands, allowing them to compete visually with the best that popular culture has to offer.

With an enviable reputation and a highly talented team, Saddington Baynes is an ambitious and growing company with a vision to be globally recognised as the world's leading creators of emotionally engaging imagery for brand communications.

Shadowplay is a creative studio specialising in high-end still and moving image production. With a background in advertising photography and moving image spanning two decades, the company creates visual stories for print, web and broadcast media. With full service production in photography, film, post production and CGI from its central studios, Shadowplay's team guides clients from initial idea to finished campaign. 

The use of cutting edge CGI in still and moving image can open doors and create solutions for any brief. Using CGI assets across multiple platforms can achieve the full potential of a brand message. Achieving photographic realism in still and moving assets presents many creative possibilities. Shadowplay provides a complete CGI service offering 3D product modelling, organic and mechanical animation, VFX and compositing using the latest software and technologies.

"Shadowplay, delivering 3D solutions to 2D problems. If you SEE DIFFERENTLY, like we do..."

Based in London's creative heart of Shoreditch, award winning Sinisa Savic Postproduction specialises in art, fashion and advertising imagery with an impressive international list of clients under its belt.

Sinisa and his small team work on advertising campaigns, e-commerce projects and consulting & visual conceptualisation with a highest level of technical expertise and full creative input. Working closely with photographers, agencies and clients they take photographs to another level, creating exceptional and memorable images tailored with care to each individual brief.

Some of this year’s projects include iconic ManUnited portraits for GQ, Speedo, Ted Baker and work on the biggest fashion brands campaigns for Mert & Marcus.

"You’ve got the skills, you’ve got the concept. But then there’s reality. We can make the world as beautiful as you need it to be - with years of professional experience in reality improvement and visual manipulation."

stefan fröscher postproduction has worked for a wide range of satisfied customers from a number of different countries, either from its office in Berlin or on location around the globe.

Client references include Mercedes AMG, Nissan, Porsche, Range Rover and Subaru.

"As you can see, we love pictures and getting the perfect shot to create the perfect mood is what we’re good at. So good in fact that some of these pictures have won awards."

Visit the website or email for more references.

Sublime Postproduction combines a sense for fine aesthetics with a passion for outstanding photography and a loving attention to detail. The company provides tailor-made professional services in the name of excellent photography, applying its sound knowledge in the field of visual arts to grant each of its technically perfect images a strong and unique impression.

The company focuses particularly on transportation, CGI, motion graphics, beauty and people.

Recent jobs include:

• Davidoff with Armin Zogbaum, Select NY.
• IAA, Sublime CGI, Dangerous.
• SEAT, Det Kempke, Grey.
• Rewe, Anke Luckmann, Scholz & Friends.
• General Electric China, Sonja Müller, TBWA Shanghai.
• Ford, Conrad Piepenburg, JWT Shanghai.

Clients include Manu Agah, Anke Luckmann, Anatol Kotte, Armin Zogbaum, Conrad Piepenburg, Blinkk, Magnus Winter, Sonja Müller, Det Kempke, Oscar van de Beek, Stefano Morini, McCann Erickson, Scholz & Friends, Atletico International, Grey Worldwide, DDB and Jung von Matt.

"If you are a photographer, you might think of Sugar as your trusted printer." The company is capable of heavy lifting on the composition front as well as CGI work. "For us, it is about understanding your vision and making your final image as balanced and beautiful as you might have imagined it."  

For agencies, Sugar can be considered a highly responsive vendor but also as a creative partner and problem solver. As much of its work is done in pre-production as in post.

Visit the website for more information.

A high-end creative production studio working at the forefront of digital production, Taylor James is renowned for photographic realism and attention to detail. With 12 years experience, the company blends innovative storytelling with technical expertise to deliver premium content across print, digital and broadcast media.

Creativity is at the heart of everything Taylor James does, from concept development to final delivery. Each project is handled by talented artists, as dedicated to the perfect result as their clients.

Taylor James has work currently running across print, digital and TV campaigns for Toyota, Botox, Continental, Infiniti, The FT and Bulmers Cider, amongst others.

For the latest news on the company's move to New York, subscribe to the mailing list.

The Operators is a multi-discipline creative studio, offering exceptional content across print and digital media for global advertising agencies, leading commercial photographers, directors and brands.

The Operators believes there is more to digital post production than just technical excellence - with the right people and the right attitude, anything is possible. The established in-house creative team maintains the highest standard from initial concept, pre-visualisation, through to the creation and post production phase.

Offering solutions at every stage of the creative process, The Operators achieves in-depth and detailed photo and digital executions. With a commitment to investing in technological developments, the company delivers creative excellence on time and within budget.

The Operators' high-profile commissions and collaborations are broad-based and cover many styles and discipline of work, ranging from KIA, Orange, PlayStation, Barclays, Rubicon, Samsung, Timberland and Kerrygold to 125 Magazine, Santander, Sky Ride campaigns and Volkswagen.

Vinx-Media combines knowledge of photography, retouching and 3D visualisation under one roof. Composing and image retouching are amongst the most demanding tasks in the pre-press area, and the company's high quality technical equipment and expert team guarantees excellent high-end results. Clients' mapping data is optimised for a variety of printing and output media sources, providing an interchangeable and highly versatile complete solution.

• BMW - In collaboration with Christopher Thomas, Vinx produced this variant of existing artwork for the company.
• BMW i - From idea to final result in one week, Vinx finalised this challenging shoot which included location scouting, production and retouching.
• Melitta - The extremely high quality and flexibility of professional CGI productions facilitates the realisation of a range of artwork across consumer goods.
• BMW (key visuals) - In collaboration with the becc-agency, Vinx produced full-CG landscapes in ultra-high resolution for use on billboards.

ZOOT is a creative high-end artwork post production company based in Hamburg, also experienced in creating 3D-modelling/CGI projects for national and international brands. Their team is available to provide immediate assistance for international photo productions on location.

ZOOT Postproduction recently created a series of 16 images in conjunction with photographer Tom Nagy for a worldwide Swiss campaign. ZOOT was also in charge of look development for the entire project. 

ZOOT is currently working on projects including Citroen DS5, Zurich, Jeep, Elle, Tui, Lycra, Montafon, BTV, Volkswagen and ZDF.