Eight-Step System Behind Perfect Architectural Visualization

AGNIESZKA KLICH: Hello. I'm Agnieszka Klich. Together with my husband, Adam, we create a platform for artists and creators with the premium courses, articles called Arch Viz Artist, and the YouTube channel with the same name. Across three years, we built a fantastic community consisting of international artists. Our videos were watched 10 million times in almost every country in the world. Just in the last three months, we had half a million unique viewers.

Today, you will discover the steps that need to be included to create interesting images. You will learn how to master the visualizations by applying the steps. And also, we'll analyze together a case study where the system is implemented.

Please note that we don't have time to dive deep into everything today. So if you want to know more details, you can find more information on my YouTube channel.

Anyway, what if I tell you that I managed to increase the number of visualization per week twice without decreasing quality, but even increase the number of visualization from two to four or even five times sometimes? Impossible to think? Not at all. And after today, I hope you will have a guide to achieve the same.

To give you a full picture, let me back up here for a moment and tell me-- and tell you my story in short. I started my professional journey in architecture studies. During my studies, I went on internships in LA. I was super excited. I thought I learned a lot. And I was very interested in the studio projects.

However, the reality was a bit different than I thought. And here, you can see Adam, who I mentioned at the beginning. The thing is that we didn't learn as much as I thought. We weren't involved in the project as much as we wished. And often, the task given to us were, let's say, not the most ambitious and developing.

Here is the photo after our last day at work. I don't really have to comment on it. So it was not definitely the best time for me. But on the other hand, it was one of the best ones in my life. We're able to travel and visit various places in the USA. By the way, it was one of the best trips I have done so far. I visited top places in the West Coast-- great experience.

Anyway, I came back to Poland to finish my engineering degree. But traveling was so exciting to us that we decided to take a break before doing a master's degree and go somewhere far away to get to know a different culture and learn new approaches.

We chose Australia. It was one of the best decision of my life. From everything in architecture, I always loved designing and visualizing my vision the most. For that reason, I decided to try my strength in arts. In short, I spent around two years in Australia. I learned so much there-- attention to details and new quality of making marketing images that I hadn't seen in Poland back then-- beautiful time, both privately and professionally. We're able to travel not only close to the place we lived, Sydney, but also far away in Australia-- great time and awesome memories.

Anyway, in Australia, we both understood that we have to plan our future if we want to live life on our terms. So we discussed a lot about what we want to do, what are our goals, and most importantly, what are our values in life. We wanted to create something big and have an influence but, at the same time, keep the freedom and be mobile so we could work from any place in the world.

We understood that in the long term, all of this wouldn't be possible when we had full-time jobs. So we decided to go back to the country and start our own company. All was great. We did a lot of artist projects. We traveled. And all of this was as we planned, as we wanted.

We decided to make one of our biggest dreams come true. And we went to Italy for the whole winter. Half of the day, we worked. And another half, we spent snowboarding. It was a perfect combination.

However, the thing is that if you have less time, but you still have to do the same number of projects at the same quality level, you have to somehow figure out the way to speed up your process. So that was a big challenge. But we knew that this was the only way we could make it happen.

So we studied our past projects, but also other artists to find out the answer to what makes some of them better than the others, what makes them more successful, and what common points they have. As a result, we came up with this eight-step system that I want to present to you today.

The first step is composition. And this is probably the most important one. Composition is the foundation of each great image. You can have everything great-- lighting, materials, beautiful design. But if the composition is not in place, the visualization is ruined. It simply doesn't look good.

Using composition rules is definitely a great way to start. Using [INAUDIBLE] is a perfect way to make sure that our composition is in place. With time, when you educate your eye, you can make some exceptions. You don't have to do everything precisely. You can play with those rules and choose what feels better.

Let's analyze this example. So here, we use the simple symmetric composition rule. It gives an impression of harmony in the image, but also makes the building look powerful in the shot. This was a main shot for the property. So we wanted to make it look dominant and influential. And this composition is just perfect for this task.

However, because the building is not symmetrical, we had to adjust the composition rule to the situation. We moved the white line to the right-hand side. And even though the two halves are not precisely symmetrical, we managed to have the same visual wave on both sides. How is it possible?

You can notice that the left-hand side of the building feels heavier. So we added some greenery to balconies to use darker spots that have more visual width. Also, we used another technique called framing. Here, we used the trees in the foreground not only to add extra depth to the image so we have a foreground and a middle ground in this case, but also to balance the composition by adding a more contrasted tree on the right-hand side. Another positive about this is that when your subject is surrounded by some large dull subject matter, like a sky without any clouds, like here, framing can help hide these things and make your visualization more attractive.

While creating an image, it's worth asking yourself the questions to check if your composition is correct like, where does my image grab the most attention? Is it the focus caught on the most important elements of the scene or not? Where do my eyes follow first? Where I can notice the tension? And where is the breathing space? Do I have any breathing space? Do I feel the balance in the image? Is it easy to look at or I can see that something is not right? And finally, is it in line with my main idea of the image?

The next step is a camera setup. And this stage is directly connected to the first one. I'm sure you know a lot about setting up the camera in the software. So here, I love to talk about two things that directly influence the perception of the presented space.

First, the focal length-- focal length tells you how much of the scene will be captured in the shot. And the shorter the focal length, the broader the view of the scene it shows. Depending on the focal length, the perception of the image is different. And we can achieve different effects.

If your goal is to get a more intimate, close-up shot, details view, the longer focal length will work better, as in this example in the top left corner. This way, you will focus your viewers' attention on the details and highlight the space experience. However, if your goal is to show more of the context and surrounding space, the better idea will be to choose a shorter focal length. This way, you can introduce your audience to the story you want to tell them for the image. We can also create something in between, like on the right-hand side, the best effect we achieve if we create a set of images that present all of these shots.

And the next thing is the depth of field. We can use shallow and deep depth of field, depending on our idea and goals. If your goal is to have as much as possible in focus, use deep depth of field-- so higher number of values. On the other hand, use shallow depth of field-- so lower number of values-- when you want your subject to stand out from the background and to add some mystery to the image when you create a vignette or when you use the framing effect in your images.

Here, we influenced the position of the viewer. He's more of an observer and scene observer rather than part of the space.

Lighting, the next step-- it's another very important part because without light, there is no scene. It's just a black render. What is more, lighting is one of the most powerful tools to capture emotions. We can completely change the perception of the scene and the atmosphere depending on the light direction, color, and intensity. Different lighting can create totally opposite effects.

For example, by using the golden hour lighting scenario, we add a very soft, warm, and cozy feeling. In the night shot, with lots of artificial lights, on the other hand, we can get a more vibrant, but also more mysterious and dramatic look. If we want to add to a space a more positive, friendly, and cheerful vibe, then using mid-morning or late afternoon lighting might be the best way to go.

However, lighting is not just about emotions. If we want to create a harmonious image, we have to focus on the light balance. This is one of the most common problems in visualizations-- that all the lights are too similar in terms of intensity. The idea is to always keep in mind which light is primary and which one is secondary.

We have to decide which light or lights will play a key role in illuminating the space and which will complement them. The less intense one will only brighten up the shadows of the main lighting source.

The next step will be to use color temperature to create contrast between warm and cold lights. In this example, we have a warm key light and cold fill light from the sky that complements this simple lighting scenario perfectly.

However, the important thing to understand is that light not only illuminates the scene, but also bounces off different surfaces. And depending on the darkness of the surface, it may create various results. But also, the color of the surface influence the color of the bounce light, as you can see in these examples. And we can use this effect to our advantage.

If you want to get a more "contrasty" image, we can add, for example, dark color to the walls that are invisible to the camera, or just simply create boxes in the scene with proper tones. It may work well when we struggle with a very bright room and everything looks a bit too flat. We can add more contrast by adding darker surfaces in the space. We can achieve exactly the opposite effect by creating bright surfaces in the scene.

The next technique to use is adding extra accent lights in the places where it could help to shape the object or emphasize the item's feature. And it doesn't have to be precisely as the design says. A great example is a leather sofa or an armchair. We can use the light to highlight the material creases. It helps in creating more interesting results.

Color balance-- it's important in design, but also in creating images. And it's a totally different story. Some colors just work great together, while others do quite the opposite. Using color harmonies in visualizations is a great way to make sure you will have color balance in your images.

Sometimes, even if the design is great, you will have to remember that we have extra colors-- for example, blues from the sky, greens from the planting, or color from the lights. It may happen that there is too much of everything, and it just doesn't work in the image. But on top of this, color changes the perception of the image. It affects our mood, influences our feelings, and evokes various emotions. And the question is if this is in line with our main idea of the image.

Let's analyze the example. Here we used a complementary color scheme, the one where you choose two opposite colors on the color wheel. It's one of the most powerful combinations. And when done correctly, it guarantees outstanding results, especially the oranges and blues combo. It creates a very vivid effect.

You can notice that the coldness of the sky emphasizes the warmth of the orange interior lights, and vice versa. The orange color adds an energetic feel. It gives the space this inviting vibe, while blue color makes it more relaxed and melancholic.

If you all want to create realistic results in 3D software that are close to reality as possible, you have to be a careful observer of the surrounding world. You should investigate what specifies the material, what are the characteristics of this material, are the reflections sharp or glossy, how sharp are refractions, are they clear or blurry, and whatever the material has any roughness or not. By analyzing the materials, we can recreate them in the software. But this is just a base.

If you want to jump to the next level, we should consider adding some imperfections. Nothing in real life is perfect. And by adding all the materials perfectly looking, we actually make it look fake. And we intuitively can see that something is not right. It's just not realistic.

By adding small imperfections, like scratches, smudges, and perhaps some dust or defects, we can make the image look more realistic. If we create an image of the new apartment, we obviously don't want to make it look all messy. So we have to be careful here and make these imperfections very subtle, almost invisible at the first glance.

Arranging the assets is the next step. And in the image, it's a very important part. Creating a design is one thing. But placing assets in a way that fits the composition and camera is another story.

We have to understand that even small objects in the image affect composition. So we keep this in mind when placing the various assets. Sometimes, it's even better to delete some of these elements from the camera view so the space doesn't look too cluttered or too small.

Assets are part of storytelling. They add personality to the space and present who can use it or live there. It may very clearly articulate who is the potential inhabitant or user of the space. From a marketing perspective, it's very important to get to the right people, to the target audience. By adding these small details, we can communicate it in a very subtle way to whom this space is dedicated.

One of the most powerful assets we can use in the image to convey a specific story or indicate the target audience are the characters-- the look of a person in the image, style of the clothes, expression, number of people, the type of activity. Everything can help in conveying a story you want to tell for the image. So when choosing the characters, you have to answer some questions. Who is the target audience? How old are they? Which social group do they belong to? What type of interest can they have? What lifestyle do they have? By answering these questions, you can choose the right characters for your visualizations.

I'm sure that you're very proud of the design studio. You'd like everyone to see it. It's understandable. But the thing is that if you want to create an image that attracts the viewer's attention, you have to think about what the viewer is interested in.

Here, I love you to understand that if your goal is to create a successful image that evokes emotions, the architecture should be just the background in the image, the background to the story you want to tell for it.

We can add the story in many ways. You can use all the previous steps we've learned so far to convey your story, plus post-production-- we'll talk in a minute. Composition, the way we place our viewers in the context of the image, the colors, and assets we use if we include the people or not-- all of this affects the story. But we can, additionally, use extra elements, like in this example, the steam above the bathroom. It's an open story. Everyone can interpret this how they want.

But as the colors are subtle and the lighting is soft, we can imagine it's a very chilled place where we could have a warm, relaxing bath or, in this case, the goal was to engage young people in love and evoke their emotions and desires. So we decided to show a romantic mood. The soft sunset lighting and gentle palette of colors play a significant role in creating a place from their dreams. By using the roses and wine, we evoke specific emotions related to intimacy. We gave the viewers the part of the story that they could experience and interpret in their own way.

And the last step, the post-production-- an image without post-production is like an unfinished product. It works like icing on the cake, turning a good image into an excellent one. But don't think that post-production can fix your image. The base has to be good. This is a rule. You shouldn't fix your problems from the 3D software. It's more about adding the final touch to the image.

We can do various things in post-production-- highlight the most important parts, tone down the areas that should not be emphasized, keep the image coherent in terms of colors, add the elements of the story, and so on. But a great tool you can use in post-production process are LUTs. They integrate color from the original image to the final concept.

Why is it worth to use them? First of all, they speed up the workflow in the software because you can test specific atmospheres by using different LUTs. They help to keep images consistent in terms of color balance. They tone down some tones and highlight others. They can also help you in creating your own style of images. And they add a cinematic look to the visualizations.

Let's take a look at these two examples so you can see how the LUTs change the look of the image. The first case uses the LUT which makes colors more subtle and muted. So a warm, cozy, even more intimate look is added to the image this way. It gives the impression of a family-friendly relaxed atmosphere and adds a welcome effect.

In the second example, we got the opposite appearance. The colors are muted and highly desaturated. This color grading makes the place look cold, melancholic, and kind of mysterious. It gives the impression that this is a deserted and lonely place. It doesn't seem to be a space where a father with a son wants to walk.

So we can see that with these two different LUTs, we're able to quickly get a totally different effect. It's a great way to test the various ideas, but also to speed up the post-production process.

In the end, let's analyze this visualization and see how we implemented the system. First, I explain the idea. Here, the goal was to create an impression of an exclusive, high-end bar area that will give a welcoming look to come in and spend free time there. We wanted to create a more glamorous, luxury look and add a bit of mystery to this space, making it more interesting for the viewer.

With this in mind, we started to work on the visualization step by step. As this was the main shot, we wanted to make it a big statement. So we used the symmetric composition to add power to the visualization. We wanted to show more of the context of the space. So we decided to go with a quite wider shot. Also, we gave the viewer the possibility to be a participant in this space.

At first, we decided to start with the triadic color harmony, in which you pick any three colors evenly distributed on the color wheel. In our case, there will be red, yellow, and blue. Finally, we used more of the mix between red and yellow-orange, as we felt this was a slightly better choice for our goal.

The choice of lighting was influenced by our main idea. Different kinds of lighting carry a unique emotional impact. By controlling the brightness and contrast between light and shadow, we affect the space atmosphere. For this reason, we used the dark light to make our space appear more mysterious and moody.

To add more realism, we added some imperfections to the materials-- for example, to the wooden bars. Also, asset selection was crucial here-- classic-style furniture, elegant materials, like velvet, brass, gold-ish metal, dark woods, and so on.

Besides, you can notice that we haven't included any people in the image because, as mentioned previously, we didn't want to determine for whom this space is intended. Instead, we wanted to invite all people who feel this space-- it will feel comfortable there.

In this example, we decided to use an open story that gives the viewer room for interpretation. We wanted to engage our viewers, allow them to read this space differently depending on their experiences and past emotions. Of course, we create the background story for this. And we guide the viewer for the story. But we don't show everything directly. And finally, we used post-production to highlight the most important part of the image and to enhance the idea we had in mind in the first place.

I use this system every time. And I also recommend it to you. It not only speeds up the workflow, which was a goal in the first place, but also is a guide to make sure that the image will be successful.

Thank you for your time. And I hope you will be able to use this system in your projects and make real use of it.