08 January, 2025

CGI in Modern Design: where to use it

Aleksandr Batura

Head of CGI

The world of special effects, advertising, and gaming continues to amaze us every year. Realistic creatures, mouth-watering visuals, and immersive virtual worlds created using CGI graphics captivate audiences and never fail to impress even the most discerning viewer. But how are such stunning effects achieved?

CGI, or computer-generated imagery, has long evolved beyond being a mere technical tool to become a true art form. It enables filmmakers to bring their wildest fantasies to life, helps marketers create irresistibly appetizing product visuals, and allows game developers to immerse players in intricately detailed worlds.

Before diving into its intricacies and exploring why CGI graphics have revolutionized the concept of visualization, let’s first understand what computer graphics entails.

CGI Graphics: What They Are and How They’re Used

CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) involves creating or enhancing 2D/3D images using computer programs across various media formats. This technology is widely utilized in movies, advertisements, video games, and other forms of entertainment to produce vivid, spectacular effects. For instance, CGI can place extraordinary backdrops behind actors in films or bring animated characters to life in advertising.

As technology becomes more accessible, CGI is being increasingly adopted by businesses. Emerging software and tools make it possible to create graphics of any complexity — from animated characters to photorealistic visuals.

Why Should Companies Use CGI Graphics?

  1. Cost-Effectiveness. CGI is often more affordable than filming real-life scenes. It can save both time and money, especially for scenes set in remote or challenging locations, such as islands, mountains, or glaciers.
  2. Unmatched Creativity. CGI makes it possible to create extraordinary effects, objects, or locations that don’t exist in reality. Modern software enables the design of unique items arranged into captivating compositions with unusual properties. For example, a refreshing drink can appear to float mid-air, surrounded by droplets and fruit.
  3. Seamless Integration. CGI can seamlessly blend with live-action footage, combining real-life scenes with graphic elements so convincingly that they become indistinguishable from reality.
  4. Brand Identity Building. CGI helps establish a brand identity by creating virtual mascots. These mascots forge emotional connections with consumers and make the brand easily recognizable. Regularly featuring mascots in advertising builds associations that reinforce brand loyalty. Here we covered how to use mascots effectively.
  5. Competitive Edge. Eye-catching and unique visual effects help advertisements stand out, capturing attention and enabling products to shine in a crowded market.
  6. Enhanced Product Appeal. CGI ensures a flawless presentation of products. For instance, technical details are removed from packaging, tea and coffee cans appear pristine, and baked goods look fresh and perfectly fluffy.

CGI in Cinema

The film industry was one of the earliest adopters of CGI, starting in the 1970s as computers and software became more advanced. Iconic films such as Westworld (1976), Star Wars (1977), Alien (1979), and Tron (1982) used CGI to create objects, depict virtual worlds, and animate their inhabitants. A breakthrough came in 1993 with Jurassic Park, which showcased lifelike dinosaurs seamlessly integrated into live-action footage, setting a new standard for CGI in filmmaking.

Images from the movies “Jurassic Park,” “Tron” and “Aliens”
Images from the movies “Jurassic Park,” “Tron” and “Aliens”

CGI in cinema is a collaborative and creative process involving numerous specialists. Hollywood continues to innovate, integrating artificial intelligence into filmmaking. Generative AI is rapidly growing, with an annual growth rate of 27.2%.

Key Objectives of CGI in Cinema:

1. Creating the Unreal. CGI enables filmmakers to develop characters, environments, and effects that would be impossible to create in real life. For example, in the Harry Potter series, creatures like trolls, centaurs, dragons, and Dementors are all brought to life using CGI.

Images from the Harry Potter film series

2. Transforming Actors’ Appearances. CGI can alter an actor’s look, such as “de-aging” for flashbacks or enhancing fantasy makeup. In Harry Potter, Voldemort’s unsettling appearance was achieved through a combination of CGI and practical makeup.

Creating the image of Voldemorte using makeup and CGI graphics
Creating the image of Voldemorte using makeup and CGI graphics

3. Replacing Stunt Doubles. In dangerous or complex scenes, CGI can seamlessly replace stunt doubles with the actor’s likeness. For example, in The Amazing Spider-Man, CGI was used to integrate Andrew Garfield’s face onto stunt performer Ilram Choi during action sequences.

Images from the movie “The Amazing Spider-Man”
Images from the movie “The Amazing Spider-Man”

4. Creating Immersive Atmospheres. In The Fifth Element, CGI brought a vibrant, futuristic New York City to life by animating miniature models of buildings and vehicles.

Images from the movie “The Fifth Element”
Images from the movie “The Fifth Element”

CGI in Advertising

The popularity of CGI in movies has opened new horizons in advertising. The first commercial to feature CGI debuted in 1995 with M&M’s and quickly went viral. The red and yellow candies looked so realistic that even Santa fainted upon hearing the phrase, “They do exist.”

CGI in advertising serves the following purposes:

1. Make images or video ads vibrant and engaging. CGI technology allows for the addition of effects that capture the audience’s attention. For example, in 2007, Coca-Cola released a commercial where a young man drops a coin into a vending machine to get a drink. The viewer is then transported to an imaginary factory where virtual characters prepare the soda.

Images from the Coca-Cola commercial
Images from the Coca-Cola commercial

2. Showcase Unreal Transformations of a Product. Designers can make a product appear to spin, fly, shrink, grow, or take on specific forms. For instance, in a Chanel perfume ad, the women from the Chance collection played bowling using perfume bottles. The bottle served not only as a bowling ball but also as the pins.

Footage from the Chanel Chance perfume ad

3. Add effects that give the advertisement a specific atmosphere or aesthetic. For example, L’Oreal released an ad where a retro car drives through Paris, carrying a red lipstick that leaves a vibrant trail behind.

Images from the L’Oreal commercial

CGI Graphics in Gaming

CGI graphics have also made their way into video games. Modern software allows for:

1. The creation of fictional locations, vivid characters, and various scenes that pull players into the game. For example, the game The Last of Us 2, released in 2020, won two awards — the Golden Joystick Awards and The Game Awards 2020. The animation, game design, and sound were top-notch. Fans of the game are in awe of the realism of the scenes.

Images from “The Last Of Us 2” game
Images from “The Last Of Us 2” game

2. Improving game quality and enhanced detail. The video game Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End by Naughty Dog technically surpassed The Last of Us 2. It became the best console game, winning an award for its impressive graphics. A great deal of attention was given to the details: the wind could change direction, leaves moved, and dirt on the character’s clothes was washed away by rain. Isn’t that reality?

Images from the game “Uncharted 4: A Thief's End”
Images from the game “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End”

3. The creation of cutscenes. A cutscene is a segment in a game where the player cannot influence the events happening. An in-game movie is used to develop the storyline and enhance the visual presentation. An example of good cutscenes is shown in the game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Кадры из игры «The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt»
Кадры из игры «The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt»

CGI in Show Content

Show content is a type of entertainment that includes various formats aimed at attracting audience attention through spectacular and emotionally charged elements. This can include TV shows, music videos, theatrical performances, live-streaming events, and other visual programs that create an exciting spectacle.

In such projects, the focus is often on brightness, drama, and interactivity, which helps maintain viewer attention and create captivating, often emotionally intense moments. In recent years, show content also includes online videos, creative advertising campaigns, and gaming streams, where CGI technology is used to enhance visual effects.

A good example of early CGI in show content is Michael Jackson’s music video for “Leave Me Alone” (1989), where the artist floats in a chair at sunset, sings from newspapers, and a hand with a dollar bill emerges from a teapot. The animated video for “Leave Me Alone” was nominated for a Grammy.

Images from Michael Jackson's music video for the song “Leave Me Alone”
Images from Michael Jackson’s music video for the song “Leave Me Alone”

Matteo Millieri’s solo project under Anyma captivated audiences with realistic CGI.

Images from Matteo Millieri's solo project “Anyma”
Images from Matteo Millieri’s solo project “Anyma”

CGI in Acquisition.mobi

Computer-generated imagery (CGI) can be the key to effectively developing your business. At Acquisition.mobi, we create impressive CGI graphics for the following areas:

  1. Advertising: Creation of illustrations, sketches, and advertising Key Visuals (KVs), preparation of 3D scenes, production of 2D and 3D videos in various styles, mascot and character development, character animation and compositing them into live-action footage, AR and VR development, production of videos for outdoor and corner screens, VFX, and post-production of videos.
  2. Film Industry: Cleanup, rotoscoping, keying, VFX, creation, and animation of characters, compositing graphic materials into the footage.
  3. Show Content: Creation of graphic content for mass audiences according to technical scene and screen descriptions.
  4. Gaming: Development of 2D illustrations, sketches, and scenes, character design, 3D modeling of scenes and characters, production of creatives, teasers, cut-scenes, and other types of videos, creation of complete content for games.
CGI graphics examples in Acquisition.mobi

If you want to learn more about the possibilities of CGI graphics for your business, email us at info@acquisition.mobi.

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