OnGoing Conversation: Promotional Images Question
ArtsyDragon
Posts: 682
Hello,
I am curious about the promotional images used when advertising products. Are these done by the content artist or is there a role of promo artist that handles this sort of thing? As a technical writer by trade and digital artist by desire, I was wondering this morning if there were some way for me to use my skills (and expand them) doing this sort of art. I don't know if I am there yet as far as quality in my own work but I'd like to know if there is something for me to look forward to perhaps doing.
Opinions and feedback is welcome.
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Comments
Each PA does their own promos, unless the product ends up becoming a Daz Original, then the artists at Daz create their own and sometimes use some of the promos made by the PA's. At times, it's difficult thinking up promo ideas that work between showing the product and being creative. For me, anyway. lol I get carried away and have to edit back down all the time.
And I err on the side of checking off the required things to show the product specifications and not enough on being artsy most of the time. I'm working on it.
some creators do use others to help create promos if they've liked their renders and befriended them if you post renders on a thread topic here using the product being discussed and you do a few different ones the creators might take notice and you never know and if your asking whether or not you get paid well I can't answer that one but you may get some freebies as in the product to create an image of which is pretty cool and kinda coolerto have something before anyone else to play with
It is generally better for a product creator to make their own promo renders than to use outside artists, because the PA "should" know better than any outside artist exactly what daz requires and how best to sell their products. While an outside artist may be able to make good art renders, a promo render is an entirely different animal. It has a specific set of skills other than just a "pretty picture"
I really appreciate all the different comments. It's an aspect of the industry that I knew little about and thought 'hmm, what if?'. I wasn't really considering getting paid, I was curious about the whole process and if a Creator wanted a different set of eyes/skills to create an image for a product, would they do that. Different viewpoints produce different art.
It was an idea that apparently is not generally accepted as a good idea.
Thank you to everyone.
I think BOTH are needed. Artistic renders make consumers feel like they will achieve that or something similar.
Functional ones are needed to show EXACTLY what you'll be getting.
There is no attractiveness to the gray, drab isometric view, but that's a huge one that I use in deciding.
I need to what what's in the tin. I use that and the Prop list.
But I have been swayed by beautiful renders. Seeing that top end potential is inspiring.
It has a specific set of skills other than just a "pretty picture"
Said by the guy with some incredible promo art. C'mon dude, you go above and beyond.
Look at that skin and leather texture!
Or this one....
Look at the toes and the camera angle as she floats and even the font.
The flexing of the leg muscles....
The scary windows in the backdrop....
Yeah so, I say you need both!
Hah...I am not saying the promos cannot be artistic. But there is a different between an art piece and a promo picture. The promo picture needs to have the product easily and redily identifiable. In the spuer-suits you can tell that it is the suit that is being sold, not any specific hero character. It shows off the details of the outfit, while still being an interesting shot that can catch the eye.
Same with the silent-sally, you can tell in that one that it is the character that is being sold. You would not look at that and think..."oh, this is a hair product". That is where the skillset differes from an art piece. The art piece has the focus on the story of the art, where a promo has a focus on a specific part of the shot....and how to do that creatively becomes the art.
Rawn
Well said.
Hey, I saw an opportunity to point to some of my faves so I took it.
Don't hate me.
BTW I sent you a PM.
hah...like I will ever complain about free advertising LOL
RawArt .. I didn't mention it before because I didn't want to go all FAN on you but, I have a lot of your products and really respect your opinions because of the quality work you provide.
Griffin Avid .. Thank you for your opinion. I see the point you stated about an artistic render verses the basic 'in the box' untextured base figure renders. Perhaps there may be a limited opportunity where a content creator may opt for using a general public artist for promotional pictures. I guess I am of the opinion that maybe it's worth not writing off completely.
I didnt intend to discourage your idea. I know there are pa's who might like help with promos. I used to do that as well years ago.
But it gets tough for the promo maker when there is revision after revision and it end up being more of a chore than it is fun anymore.
Just like beta testing - over and over with each change. You have to do it because you enjoy helping, not for the "fun" of it.
I'm curious, are you talking about the promos that show what is being sold, like a character that you would show at different angles and include all of their skin options. Or are you talking about the artistic renders that are sometimes included, that aren't really a representation of what's "in the box" but more a representation of what can be done with it in the hands of different artists?
I generally see PAs doing their own artistic renders if they choose to include one, however there are quite a few examples in the store of PAs using other artists for those (the artistic renders are usually watermarked with the render artist's name). I have absolutely no idea how those artists are chosen by the PAs though.
I have a couple promo images in parrotdolphin products. That is exactly how it happened. She used some of the renders I made (with my permission) while I was beta testing the products for her.
I believe there's actually at least one company that makes promo renders for artists on various brokerages. So there is a place for this kind of work, but you have to find the creators who want it. I THINK more of those creators can be found elsesite, but there's definitely some here. If you look closely at some more artistic promotional renders sometimes you can see credits for the artist.
Hello,
My thought was not the untextured details of the product but rather an artistic rendering of the potential use of the product in an image.
For me, helping out is fun even if it is testing the same item over and over. I've done quality testing for things non-digital art related. I think it would be awesome to help by spending my time doing the rendering of an image to highlight the package and then the content artist could spend more time on what they do best (Create Content); I wouldn't even care if a content creator asked for a redo or to highlight something specific .. the ideas was that I could just be another set of hands for the content artist.
I guess it's not really a black and white subject. It's something with lots of shades of gray depending on multiple variables.
From the perspective of pose set promos, I always found it easy doing a lot of pretty promo renders and still have it effectively show off the pose. But with stuff like the cars and guns, I find it best to focus on showing the product and its accessories. In fact, for the cars and guns, the "pretty" promos are just full shots of the product that look nice. I dont bother with people in the scene for those as the people are not the focus. With the jewelery sets, I can at least get away with some pretty renders with people but I do those last after getting all the other ones done. So it really depends on the product. Personally as a customer, I like to see many informative promos that show off the product well and can effectively tell you what it is without having to read the description below.
I actually dislike having artistic images included with the product images. If I wanted to see what other artists could do with the product, I would check out the galleries. I have never used an artistic render in a product to help in a buying decision.
I can certainly understand that. I'm on the other side. Usually an artist image of the product sparks my interest and imagination and then I check out the package to review the detail.
Same for me. I need to see something that makes me realize what can be done with it. The clay renders are helpful to see what your really get, but for me, it is the artistic renders that draw me in.
Speaking as a customer I'd rather see lots of graphical information of what a product is able to do. Styles, morphs, textures etc. and then one or two pictures as examples of what an artist can achieve with the product.
The more images the better. Nothing turns me off from a product faster than a newly released product with only one or two promo images. I want to SEE what it is I'm buying and if there are only one or two images that usually doesn't give me enough visual information on if I want to part with my money or not.
As for the Original Post's question: "I was wondering this morning if there were some way for me to use my skills (and expand them) doing this sort of art." - there are several groups that have a "product for promos" setup/deal going on. Most of the groups seem to be centred on Facebook. What they do is they get the product for free and in exchange, they do promotional images that they post in the groups and on other social media sites to bring more attention to the product.
Interesting concept. I like seeing some images in release threads from users, as long as they are not spamming the thread trying to get the vendors attention, LOL
In my commercial 3D work for a couple of game communities, you have to have trusted beta testers since most that ask to beta are not serious and want a free copy and then you have the few that then upload it to a file sharing site after you send them the files. I have helped beta a few products, but never looked at as a chance to snag a free product
The "Art of the Promo" thread sheds some light on the balance between the "functional" and the "artistic" promo. Both help sell a product. https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/26232/art-of-the-promo/p1
I wasn't really thinking about free stuff because I do just like to help. I admit that it is very nice when a vendor surprises a user with a gift but this is their livelyhood, it shouldn't be expected. It's money out of their pocket. I'd be happy to purchase a product and do images.
There's a lot to think about on this topic. Please, keep on with the input/feedback. I had no idea this would get this sort of response. Thank you to everyone who has input a comment thus far.
Thank you. I missed this thread.
When I beta test a Daz store product, I do get the final released product "free". When you add up the many hours spent thoroughly testing and providing feedback over the course of a couple weeks, the retail cost of the "free" product divided by the hours spent testing, results in a pretty low equivalent "wage".
What you do get, is the satisfaction of helping the PA release a better product and the use of the product before it actually hits the store. To be a good beta tester, you have to have a lot of time to devote to testing the product, the discretion to not tell anyone about the unreleased product, a knack for finding problems, and good communication skills to provide valuable feedback to the PA.
I think we've gotten off the original topic, here.
Duplicate post. Ever since I switched to Chrome from Firefox, this kind of thing happens to me.