Daylight Generated Images
Daylight Generated Images (DGI) is a photo-technical process that is used in photo production. The light reflections of the object to be photographed are reproduced with daylight exactly like the background motif taken in natural light. With photo montages , the superimposition of foreground and background motifs, an image is created with a real-looking level of perception. Light reflections and lighting mood are identical on both levels. In contrast to Computer Generated Imagery (CGI), DGI is limited to photography and is not used in film technology . However, the same principle is used in special effects with motion control .
history
DGI is a relatively new method of creating new imagery. The principle is not new, however. Very early in the history of photography, attempts were made to merge two different image levels into one. But these composing methods seemed very amateurish. At the end of the 1980s, with technical advances in image processing programs such as Adobe Photoshop , there was a veritable flood of images that were created using photomontage. The advertising industry in particular discovered this kind of relatively inexpensive way of inserting objects into existing images. One of the leading companies in Europe for photo production with Daylight Generated Images are Otto Kasper Studios. It was the first photo studio in Germany to professionally promote photography with a digital camera in 1994 on behalf of Kodak AG.
commitment
This method is to be seen as a supplement to the well-known Computer Generated Imagery. Today's computer animation still quickly reaches its limits, especially with highly complex reflections that occur in nature, such as the movement of water and fire . Natural systems with a tendency to disorder ( entropy ) are still very time-consuming and costly to produce using computer animation, especially if they are to look realistic and credible. DGI is mainly used when there is no possibility of photographing the motif in the desired location in large photo productions. There is no need to transport the large objects to be photographed (such as cars). This also eliminates the bad weather insurance, which is taken out for large photo productions if the production period is extended and thus the production costs would rise. Even if there is not enough time to wait for detailed computer-generated images, DGI photography is faster to produce. The advertising industry in particular benefits from this.