AP Digital offers new photo option
By Gerri Hunt -- Furniture Today, July 21, 2008
LAS VEGAS — AP Digital Studios has introduced a new concept that it says will make the images it creates for furniture manufacturers exciting while reducing the cost of studio or location photography.
Called Virtual World Imaging or VWI, the technique uses computer graphics programs to give product photographs any background, interior or exterior.
AP can either take its own photos or have them supplied by the manufacturer, on a light neutral background. If the images are supplied, the studio will work with the source to make sure the products are shot within AP's parameters of height, distance and other qualities.
“The big advantage is that the product images can be shot anywhere,” said Jim Hulin, president. “One of our customers has set aside an area in their factory for photographing their product as it rolls off the line.”
Customers send images to AP, which can then remove the neutral background and substitute another setting, making the light and perspective look natural. The settings can be wild and exotic, grand architecture or normal interior environments.
“We have literally thousands of environments from around the world, especially shot in mind to place furniture in size and relationship — to make the viewer think that it really could have been shot there,” said Hulin.
“Our Virtual World Imaging is not the answer for a company's every image, or for every situation, like replacing complicated multi-piece studio room scenes,” he added. “However, with the items that it is a good match for, the results are outstanding and the cost savings are tremendous.”
