Optics and Photorealism
In my last newsletter, I discussed the importance of micro-details when it comes to creating photorealism. Another, perhaps less obvious trick, is to use subtle optical effects.
The words lens flare inevitably conjure up visions of the overused filter in 1990s Photoshop effects, but don't dismiss the concept out of hand just because of that.
Real lenses all have imperfections, and those imperfections are then imprinted in the images they create. Under close scrutiny, most photographs will exhibit signs of flare, glow, ghosting, or bloom, especially in high-contrast shots.
Which means that if your renders don't make use of optical effects, they might fall short of looking photoreal. We are conditioned to see optical imperfections in photographs, and if these are not present we might not find the image convincing, even if we can't articulate why.
To be truly photoreal, i.e. to look like a photograph, a render should use optical effects to mimic the behaviour of real-world lenses.
The secret, of course, is to use a very light touch.
You don't want the effect to be obvious, we are not in the 90s anymore. If you study real photographs, you will notice that these optical effects are subtle. Manufacturers go to great lengths to eliminate optical imperfections, so they are generally well-controlled. A slight blooming around a light source, some mild vignetting at the edges, that kind of thing.
If you're wondering about the best way to add these kinds of effects, the answer of course is that you do this in post. You have plenty of options, from Photoshop to Affinity Photo, but my current go-to is to use the compositor in Blender because it delivers excellent results.
And the great thing about this approach is that it's open to everyone. No subscription needed.
I cover all of this in my upcoming course, Photorealism in Blender, so if you would like to know more about this process, keep an eye out for it.