3D virtual product photography: transforming eCommerce & product marketing | Omi.so

How 3D virtual product photography works

3D virtual product photography might seem complex, but here at Omi, the process takes just 2 weeks. Here’s how it goes:

1. Request your Digital Twins

Book a demo with an Account Manager from Omi, then ship your products to us. Omi's 3D artists will then transform them into photorealistic Digital Twins within 2 weeks. Every detail is captured precisely — from the way light reflects off metallic surfaces to the subtle textures of fabric and the transparency of glass. These become your master digital assets.

2. Set up your template library

Establish your core scenes, lighting configurations, and brand guidelines — just like Moët Hennessy did with their 4 signature virtual worlds: a Mediterranean veranda, French hillside, minimalist dining room, and dreamy beach backdrop. These templates become your brand guardrails, where you control which elements stay fixed (lighting, camera angles) and which can be changed (products, accessories). This lets markets create content independently while maintaining perfect brand consistency. You'll also get access to hundreds of pre-made templates that you can customize to match your brand's style.

3. Create unlimited content

Once your Digital Twins are ready, anyone on your team can start producing professional content immediately — no technical expertise required. Create everything from clean white-background packshots for Amazon, vertical shots for Instagram Stories, or even massive billboard displays for Times Square, all from a simple browser-based interface.

Best practices for high-quality 3D virtual product photography

High-quality 3D virtual product photography combines technical precision with creative artistry to produce visuals that not only match but often surpass traditional photography. By following proven best practices, brands can create photorealistic content that maintains consistency across channels while adapting to each platform's unique requirements. From selecting the perfect background to crafting compelling scenes, these techniques help ensure your virtual product photography achieves maximum impact.

Emphasize photorealism

True photorealism through 3D modeling is what sets 3D virtual product photography apart. Unlike AI background editors or photo editing software that modify existing images, 3D virtual photography creates new photorealistic visuals from scratch — capturing every surface, texture, and material property with physical accuracy.

For example, when Endro Cosmétiques first considered virtual photography, their CEO worried the renders might look "too perfect" for their artisanal brand image. But they found that Omi’s true 3D modeling actually provided the control they needed to achieve their minimalist, natural aesthetic. The key was having physically accurate lighting and materials — something they couldn't achieve consistently with their in-house photo setup, where even a passing cloud would disrupt their visual uniformity.

This level of photorealism isn't just about looking good — it's about reliability and consistency. While AI tools might swap backgrounds or adjust lighting, they can't recreate the subtle interactions between products and light that build consumer trust. That's why Endro's best-performing ads consistently feature their Omi-modeled products, and why their visuals maintain perfect quality even in print materials for B2B resellers.

Select appropriate backgrounds

Your product's environment shapes how customers perceive it. Each platform has distinct requirements: marketplaces demand pure white backgrounds, while social media needs lifestyle contexts that help products tell a story. Smart brands maintain their identity while adapting to these channel-specific needs — using minimalist backgrounds for eCommerce clarity, then transforming those same products into rich lifestyle scenes for social campaigns.

Getting this balance right traditionally meant juggling multiple studio setups and endless material options. But in Omi's Virtual Photo Studio, you can create and save complete scene configurations, then adapt them instantly for different platforms while maintaining perfect brand consistency. 

For more detailed tips and guidance about your specific needs, check out this guide to the best backgrounds for product photography.

Make use of accessories and scenes

Context helps customers connect with your products and imagine themselves using them. Omi's Virtual Studio comes with thousands of photorealistic props — from seasonal decorations to lifestyle accessories — that you can instantly drop into any scene to tell your product's story. Each prop maintains perfect lighting and shadows, letting you create rich contextual imagery without the logistics of sourcing and photographing physical items. 

Some brands take this even further: Moët Hennessy built their own library of custom accessories like lemons, oysters, and ceramic vases, creating a unique accessories collection that perfectly matches their brand aesthetic.

Maintain consistent branding

3D virtual product photography is one of the most powerful tools for maintaining brand consistency, as it lets you control exactly how your products appear across every market and channel. 

Visual consistency builds brand recognition, but traditionally this meant endless rounds of feedback and revision. 3D virtual photography changes this dynamic through pre-approved scene designs. You can lock in specific elements (like lighting, camera angles, and brand colors) while keeping others flexible (like products and accessories), ensuring teams can create content independently without the central marketing team having to approve final assets. 

This pre-approved approach means markets can move quickly while maintaining perfect brand consistency — no more corporate bottlenecks slowing down global projects.

Optimize for platform specifications

Different platforms demand different technical specifications, from Amazon's strict RGB requirements to Instagram's varied aspect ratios. Institut Esthederm shows how to master this complexity — they activated 5 different channels (CRM, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and website) across 13 markets using the same base assets. By using platform-specific presets in Omi's Virtual Studio, their team exported content in the right format for each channel in one click, maintaining consistent quality from social stories to website banners.

Misconceptions about virtual photography

Moving from traditional to virtual photography naturally raises some questions. Let's address the most common concerns head on.

Perceived costs — however, virtual photography is much cheaper

Many brands hesitate at the initial investment in 3D modeling, but the numbers tell a different story. Traditional product photography averages over $50 per photo and takes 3 weeks to complete, while virtual photography works out at less than $1 per image and takes just 2 minutes to create. Factor in unlimited revisions, instant multi-market adaptation, and no studio rental fees, and the cost advantage becomes clear. 

As Institut Esthederm proved when launching across 13 countries, virtual photography eliminates the need for market-specific photo shoots while maintaining perfect quality.

Technical complexity — actually, virtual photography requires less expertise

"Do I need a 3D expert on staff?" This is a common worry, but modern virtual photography platforms like Omi are designed for everyone on your team — not just the designers.

As Endro Cosmétiques found, you don't need technical expertise to create professional content. Two team members with no 3D experience now create all their visual content independently, from eCommerce packshots to social media assets, achieving what they call "a perfect 5/5 quality rating."

Quality concerns — but virtual photography is photorealistic and performs better

Some worry virtual images won't match traditional photography's quality, and that this will impact their performance. Fortunately, this is not the case. Not only are virtual pictures photorealistic, but they allow for creativity and speed of production that enable you to produce more often, A/B test any hypothesis, and create more uniform image collections on demand.

After switching to Omi, clients usually see:

• 32% higher engagement rates

• 12% fewer returned purchases

• 19% higher conversion rates 

As Gamel Helmets discovered: "It's impossible to see the difference" between virtual and traditional photography.

Key takeaways

Virtual product photography represents more than just a new way to create images — it's transforming how brands approach visual content creation. The ability to generate unlimited photorealistic product shots without physical photography is changing timelines, budgets, and creative possibilities.

For marketing teams, virtual photography means:

• Creating high-quality product visuals without the wait and expense of traditional photo shoots

• Scaling content production to meet the demands of multiple channels and markets

• Adapting quickly to new opportunities without booking studios or shipping samples

• Maintaining full brand control even while scaling global production

Daan Tech certainly made good use of their switch to virtual. Look how they churned out beautiful visuals for every channel — even print!

The future of product photography is shifting from physical studios to digital creation. Brands that embrace this transition gain a significant advantage: the ability to create better visual content, faster and more efficiently than ever before.

The real question isn't whether to make the switch to virtual product photography — it's how quickly you can start using it to get ahead of your competition.