Realistic environment integration?

Question

Hey everybody,

I'm doing my first VFX project, and was wondering how to improve the way the model is integrated in the shot below:

What I did already with this one:

Used an HDRi taken at the spot the model is (using a Theta 360 camera with bracketing)
Used a shadow catcher on the table
Sorta kinda tried to adjust the HDRi's color and brightness to match the VFX shot: I just eyeballed it with both being displayed in my environment, which I suspect is fairy suboptimal.
Added ISO grain to the render

Basically, I'm curious what would be the most important things to improve for the integration.

Thanks!

Answer 1 · 2021-03-16T06:08:54Z

m

replied March 16, 2021 6:08am

Hi Fred,

I'm not an expert but I have been trying to achieve photorealism in my own projects. From that perspective, your rendering looks perfect! Initially, I though you picked approximately matching indoor HDRIs from hdriheaven.com and matched the lighting so well. So I was actually going to pose questions about how you did it. But then I read that you captured your own HDRI of the scene which makes sense. In any case, you did a marvelous job!

I'm sure other VFX experts will chime in with advice on what to improve further. I couldn't find one.

Answer 2 · 2021-03-16T14:58:48Z

replied March 16, 2021 2:58pm

Thanks mmishraka ! Maybe it's one of those things where the more you look at it the less you see clearly so I'm glad it looked good at a first glance!