AI? Yes. But with 3D and a Lot of Post-Production.

I'm still not entirely sure how to define artificial intelligence.

I remember discovering it while I was still working on projects for SEAT and CUPRA.

One day, someone in the studio said:

"Have you seen what Midjourney can do?"

"Mid... what?"

"Come here, take a look."

We generated a funny image, printed it, and I still have it hanging next to my desk today.

At the time, we were working on commercial automotive imagery, using Cinema 4D and Photoshop every day. Our world revolved around advertising photography, CGI, commercial retouching, and image production.

I clearly remember someone trying to generate cars with Midjourney just to see what would happen.

The result?

A complete disaster.

Of course, that was a long time ago.

A lot has changed since then.

Back then I was still rendering with Arnold. Later I moved to 3ds Max and V-Ray, and eventually settled on Cinema 4D and Redshift.

I kept learning new software, new workflows, and new techniques. The more I learned, the more I started wondering whether artificial intelligence would eventually take over everything.

A couple of years ago

Well... those two years have more or less passed.

So was I right?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Today, my ideal workday is heavily supported by AI tools.

Nano Banana.

Seedream.

ChatGPT.

I use them every single day.

Constantly.

They help me brainstorm, generate ideas, solve problems, and accelerate production.

But what happened to the good old CGI?

Where did it go?

The answer is simple.

It's still here.

And I use it every day.

I open Cinema 4D and Redshift almost daily.

First, because I genuinely enjoy working with them.

And second, because I believe they make artificial intelligence significantly more powerful.

Let's take a step back.

What does AI still lack?

Control.

That's the biggest difference.

With 3D, you can be pixel-perfect.

You can control cameras, lenses, lighting, materials, object placement, reflections, shadows, composition, and perspective with incredible precision.

Despite all the progress in AI image generation, complete control is still difficult to achieve.

Don't get me wrong.

The level of quality modern AI can produce is astonishing.

We are incredibly far from that funny image I still have hanging beside my desk.

But absolute control?

We're not there yet.

Why 3D Still Matters

Let's say I have a very specific scene in mind.

I could create a collage.

I could assemble references in Photoshop.

I could sketch something and ask AI to reinterpret it.

Or...

I could build the scene directly in 3D.

With CGI, I can quickly create complex environments, establish composition, define materials, block out lighting, and even replicate the exact focal length of a specific lens.

That level of structure becomes a powerful foundation.

And that's where the idea started.

Using 3D as a Foundation for AI

Today, one of my favorite workflows combines 3D, AI, and post-production.

I use Cinema 4D and Redshift to build the scene.

Not necessarily to create the final image.

Just to establish the framework.

The camera.

The perspective.

The composition.

The lighting direction.

The overall visual language.

Then I feed that foundation into AI tools such as Nano Banana and use image generation to develop textures, details, mood, and visual complexity.

The process becomes much faster while maintaining a level of control that would be difficult to achieve using AI alone.

And Then Comes Photoshop

The final step is still surprisingly traditional.

Photoshop.

Because no matter how impressive artificial intelligence becomes, it still doesn't read our minds.

At least not yet.

The difference between a good image and a great image often comes down to small adjustments:

Color grading.

Curves.

Contrast.

Local corrections.

Retouching.

Those final touches are what transform an AI-generated image into a finished visual.

For me, that's where the magic still happens.

Not in AI.

Not in 3D.

But in the combination of both.

The Future Isn't AI or CGI

The future isn't AI replacing CGI.

And it isn't CGI replacing AI.

The most interesting work is happening somewhere in the middle.

Artificial intelligence accelerates ideation and production.

3D provides control and structure.

Photoshop refines and perfects the result.

Together, they create a workflow that is faster, more flexible, and often more creative than any of these tools on their own.

Take a look at the images and let me know what you think.

I'm curious to hear where you stand on the relationship between AI, CGI, and post-production.