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CGI vs Product Photography Cost
For a small job, product photography is usually cheaper. CGI costs more at the start because the product has to be modelled, and it becomes cheaper once that model is reused for many colours, materials and angles. The calculator below shows both costs as ranges for your job and the number of versions where CGI starts to win. No signup, and every assumption is open and editable.
Written by Marco Mori, 3D artist, Lindau, Germany · Published 2026-10-09
Your job
Colours, materials or editions
Angles, details, scenes
Result
Photography is cheaper for this job.
With this few images, the one-off cost of building the 3D model outweighs the savings on versions.
Product photography
EUR 2,500 to EUR 6,600
CGI (3D renders)
EUR 9,600 to EUR 31,500
60 finished images in total. The white tick marks the middle of each range. Estimates, not quotes: real offers vary. Middle: photography EUR 4,500, CGI EUR 20,500.
Where does CGI start to pay off?
At the middle estimate CGI becomes cheaper from about 33 versions per product (roughly 495 images in total). If every assumption favours CGI that happens from about 7; if every assumption favours photography it does not happen within the search range.
Assumptions behind the numbersEstimate, not a quote. Every value is editable; the range runs from the low to the high column.
| Assumption | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Packshot studio day (photographer, assistant, studio)EUR/day | ||
| Finished packshots per shoot dayimages/day | ||
| Retouching per imageEUR/image | ||
| Samples, shipping, props, producer% on top | ||
| CGI artist day rate (floor 500)EUR/day | ||
| Model and look development, medium productdays/product | ||
| One extra colour or material versiondays/product | ||
| Camera and lighting setup per imagedays/image | ||
| Render check and polish per extra version imagedays/image | ||
| Render time, software, feedback rounds% on top |
Photography values are market assumptions, not quotes or statistics. A lower value in a throughput row (images per day) means a higher cost. The CGI day rate is held at 500 EUR or more.
Want the CGI side of your job scoped with real numbers instead of a model?
Start a projectHow much does CGI product photography cost?
It depends on three things: how complex the product is, how many images you need and how many versions of each product exist. The first model costs the most. In this calculator a medium product takes roughly three to six days of modelling and look development, and a CGI day is set at 500 to 700 EUR. After that, a new colour or material is a fraction of the first build. See 3D product visualization for what that work includes.
How much does a product photoshoot cost?
Photography cost is mostly shoot days plus retouching per image. The defaults assume a packshot studio day of 900 to 1,500 EUR with 30 to 50 finished images, and a lifestyle set day of 1,800 to 3,200 EUR with 6 to 12 finished images. Those are my own market assumptions, not quotes. Replace them with offers you have received and the result updates.
When does CGI become cheaper than photography?
When the same product appears in many versions. Every colourway on a photo shoot is a new setup, a new sample and new retouching. In CGI it is a material change on a finished model, as in the adidas ZK 2K Boost films, which were built entirely in 3D. The same logic is behind the CGI vs live action comparison.
When is product photography the better choice?
For a few images of an existing, simple product. A table-top shoot of one bottle beats a 3D build on cost and speed, and the calculator says so when the numbers point that way. Photography also wins when the product has to look handmade or imperfect, or when people appear in the picture. A hybrid is common: filmed footage with a digital product.
How does the calculator estimate the ranges?
Each route is a short list of assumptions you can read and change. Photography: shoot days from images per day, retouching per image, and an overhead share for samples, props and production. CGI: modelling days per product, extra days per version, camera and render time per image, and an overhead share for render time and feedback rounds. The low end of the range uses the low value of every assumption, the high end uses the high values. Break-even is the first number of versions per product where the CGI middle estimate is at or below the photography one. The cost of an actual project depends on scope, see the breakdown of CGI commercial cost drivers and 3D product animation for clips. If you need a freelancer rather than a studio, compare both in the freelancer vs studio cost calculator or read freelance 3D artist.
Frequently asked questions
Is CGI cheaper than product photography?
Only past a break-even point. For a handful of images, photography is usually cheaper because CGI starts with a one-off model build. With many colours, materials or angles per product, the model is reused and CGI overtakes it. The calculator shows where that happens for your numbers.
How many images do I need before CGI pays off?
There is no single number. It depends on how many products, how many versions of each, how complex the product is and whether you need a styled scene. For simple packshots it takes a lot of versions. For lifestyle scenes and complex products it can happen with a few dozen images. The break-even line in the calculator is built for your inputs.
Why does the calculator show ranges instead of one price?
Because a single number would be wrong in both directions. Studio rates, retouching standards and 3D scope vary a lot between providers and briefs. The range runs from the low to the high end of the assumptions you can see and edit.
Are the photography prices real quotes or statistics?
Neither. They are market assumptions I set as editable defaults. Treat them as a starting point, replace them with quotes you have, and the break-even moves accordingly. Real offers vary.
Does CGI look as good as a photo shoot?
For packshots and most product imagery, yes, given good reference material. The gap shows in organic imperfection such as scuffs, fabric and food. That is the reason the complexity setting raises the CGI cost.
What does the calculator leave out?
Usage rights, models and talent, location fees, rush surcharges, translation of packaging artwork and the cost of your own approval rounds. It is for comparing the two routes, not for budgeting a campaign.