Substance 3D sales guide overview > Recommend

Virtual photography benefits

The following chart showcases Substance 3D benefits for virtual photography.

Customer challenges	Substance 3D benefits	Substance 3D competitive advantages	Return on investment
Standard photography is slow and expensive, slowing time to market and reducing revenue: After the initial cost of a photo shoot, corrections are expensive and time-consuming. It may take days or weeks to reschedule for new photography. Prototyping items to be captured is expensive and slow. Correcting issues with an image of a prototype is extremely time-consuming. Localizing assets for multiple markets increases the cost of a photo shoot—often significantly.	Using virtual photography from 3D models is more flexible, faster, and less expensive. Images created in 3D are easier and faster to update and manipulate, making 3D a more flexible way to display across all internal and external content platforms. Assets can be quickly localized for multiple markets—without requiring multiple shots for different languages.	Substance is easy-to-use—even for beginner 3D artists. Approachable tools lower the barrier to entry for 3D and leverage skills developed with other design tools, such as Photoshop of Illustrator. Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud tools means designers can create and deliver 3D assets faster. CAD import means creators can import 3D models from a wide range of CAD software. APIs enable automation of time-consuming tasks. Adobe Substance 3D brings an unmatchable realism for 3D material and capture.	"3D is 10x cheaper than the cost of traditional imagery and drives key next-generation merchandising experiences."—Wayfair, NRF 2020 Annual Convention, 2020 "We saw a 20–30% increase in conversion rate for items with 3D models and imagery."—Wayfair, NRF 2020 Annual Convention, 2020 "Coca-Cola created dozens of 3D designs created in days instead of weeks, and saved $200K in photography costs using virtual photography."—Benny Lee, Global Manager of Experiential Design, Coca-Cola Ben and Jerry's has saved hundreds of hours of labor and thousands of dollars per month by making the move to virtual photography. (Source: How Ben & Jerry’s is leading the virtual photography revolution) "Virtual photography can reduce up to 60–70% the number of photos."—INDG, Discover Why the Best Product Shots Are Often Made in 3D, Adobe MAX, October 2021
Using 3D is specialized and expensive as an alternative to traditional photography Outsourcing 3D is too expensive and slow, taking weeks to create and edit. There is a steep learning curve for traditional 3D tools, deterring people from using 3D and requiring budget for additional time to learn and create. The cost of investing in new 3D equipment is difficult when 3D may only be a small portion of the work. Designers can only use one program at a time due to 3D processing power requirements. macOS and 3D are not a good match.	Creating a true virtual photograph includes capturing lighting, material surfaces, and camera angles. As a simple-to use and familiar tool, Substance 3D increases the ability of existing staff to create 3D and virtual photography. Substance works on standard design systems and with skills developed by designers using other Creative Cloud apps. Substance integrates with Creative Cloud apps such as Photoshop and Illustrator as well as third-party 3D apps and services like Unreal Engine, Unity, 3ds Max, Maya, Marvelous Designer, CLO, VRED, Modo, CATIA, and many more. A fully cross-platform toolset enables designers to work in Windows or macOS. The Substance 3D asset library includes more than 11,000 powerful industry-standard materials, lights, and models to help you easily set up your 3D scene, even if you are not a 3D expert. Substance 3D Collection offers a 100% nondestructive workflow. That means every action is recorded and can be recomputed at any time, and any step of the process can always be modified later. Try everything, adjust anytime, and never lose your work.	Substance 3D apps integrate with the Creative Cloud platform for faster and easier sharing of materials and settings. Integration with Photoshop and Illustrator make it easy to create the basic scene, add 3D, and roundtrip into and out of standard creation tools for editing. Substance 3D apps provide robust layout tools, including snapping, collision, and alignment features. Substance 3D Stager offers more robust compositing with AI-driven features such as Match Image automatic background matching. And with the AI-powered Image to Material feature in Substance 3D Sampler, you can easily import a real-life reference photo and transform it into a high-quality 3D asset or HDR environment with features powered by Adobe Sensei.	“3D has provided us many benefits: A key aspect of 3D is that the imagery can help teams make important decisions in their meetings.... An area where 3D provides additional benefit is that it can help hasten the decisions not only by being faster but also earlier in a company’s development cycle.... Visual merchandising now uses 3D assets to design key looks within the floor plans of our stores. 3D in this space really allows us speed, flexibility, and scale.“—Target, Target’s 3D Journey from Product Design to Photography, Adobe MAX 2021 “We like that we can iterate quickly with Substance Source/Player to get a strong base and then add the finishing touches in Substance Painter.”—TJ Mitchell, 3D Artist, Bose By experimenting with photo-realistic 3D models to create 2D images, companies such as Wayfair have found that they are able to reduce the overhead associated with traditional catalog development methods, while creating the models they need to deliver augmented shopping experiences for their customers. Using similar processes, Coca-Cola transformed its traditional prototyping process for package design, reportedly saving 33% of the cost of a project’s visualization phase. (Source: Deloitte Insights, Augmented shopping: The quiet revolution. Uncovering value for retailers and customers through 3D technology, January 2020) Shoppers have high expectations for retailers’ image and video content on an online product page, and a lack thereof is a consumer deal breaker. According to a January 2019 survey from product experience management platform Salsify, US digital shoppers expect an average of about six images and three videos when looking at a product on Amazon or another retailer. (Source: eMarketer, Online Shopper Expectations for Visual Merchandising Rise Dramatically, April 2019)

Customer challenges

Substance 3D benefits

Substance 3D competitive advantages

Return on investment

Standard photography is slow and expensive, slowing time to market and reducing revenue:

After the initial cost of a photo shoot, corrections are expensive and time-consuming.
It may take days or weeks to reschedule for new photography.
Prototyping items to be captured is expensive and slow.
Correcting issues with an image of a prototype is extremely time-consuming.
Localizing assets for multiple markets increases the cost of a photo shoot—often significantly.

Using virtual photography from 3D models is more flexible, faster, and less expensive.

Images created in 3D are easier and faster to update and manipulate, making 3D a more flexible way to display across all internal and external content platforms.

Assets can be quickly localized for multiple markets—without requiring multiple shots for different languages.

Substance is easy-to-use—even for beginner 3D artists.

Approachable tools lower the barrier to entry for 3D and leverage skills developed with other design tools, such as Photoshop of Illustrator.

Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud tools means designers can create and deliver 3D assets faster.

CAD import means creators can import 3D models from a wide range of CAD software.

APIs enable automation of time-consuming tasks.

Adobe Substance 3D brings an unmatchable realism for 3D material and capture.

"3D is 10x cheaper than the cost of traditional imagery and drives key next-generation merchandising experiences."—Wayfair, NRF 2020 Annual Convention, 2020

"We saw a 20–30% increase in conversion rate for items with 3D models and imagery."—Wayfair, NRF 2020 Annual Convention, 2020

"Coca-Cola created dozens of 3D designs created in days instead of weeks, and saved $200K in photography costs using virtual photography."—Benny Lee, Global Manager of Experiential Design, Coca-Cola

Ben and Jerry's has saved hundreds of hours of labor and thousands of dollars per month by making the move to virtual photography. (Source: How Ben & Jerry’s is leading the virtual photography revolution)

"Virtual photography can reduce up to 60–70% the number of photos."—INDG, Discover Why the Best Product Shots Are Often Made in 3D, Adobe MAX, October 2021

Using 3D is specialized and expensive as an alternative to traditional photography

Outsourcing 3D is too expensive and slow, taking weeks to create and edit.
There is a steep learning curve for traditional 3D tools, deterring people from using 3D and requiring budget for additional time to learn and create.
The cost of investing in new 3D equipment is difficult when 3D may only be a small portion of the work.
Designers can only use one program at a time due to 3D processing power requirements.
macOS and 3D are not a good match.

Creating a true virtual photograph includes capturing lighting, material surfaces, and camera angles. As a simple-to use and familiar tool, Substance 3D increases the ability of existing staff to create 3D and virtual photography.

Substance works on standard design systems and with skills developed by designers using other Creative Cloud apps.

Substance integrates with Creative Cloud apps such as Photoshop and Illustrator as well as third-party 3D apps and services like Unreal Engine, Unity, 3ds Max, Maya, Marvelous Designer, CLO, VRED, Modo, CATIA, and many more.

A fully cross-platform toolset enables designers to work in Windows or macOS.

The Substance 3D asset library includes more than 11,000 powerful industry-standard materials, lights, and models to help you easily set up your 3D scene, even if you are not a 3D expert.

Substance 3D Collection offers a 100% nondestructive workflow. That means every action is recorded and can be recomputed at any time, and any step of the process can always be modified later. Try everything, adjust anytime, and never lose your work.

Substance 3D apps integrate with the Creative Cloud platform for faster and easier sharing of materials and settings.

Integration with Photoshop and Illustrator make it easy to create the basic scene, add 3D, and roundtrip into and out of standard creation tools for editing.

Substance 3D apps provide robust layout tools, including snapping, collision, and alignment features.

Substance 3D Stager offers more robust compositing with AI-driven features such as Match Image automatic background matching. And with the AI-powered Image to Material feature in Substance 3D Sampler, you can easily import a real-life reference photo and transform it into a high-quality 3D asset or HDR environment with features powered by Adobe Sensei.

“3D has provided us many benefits: A key aspect of 3D is that the imagery can help teams make important decisions in their meetings.... An area where 3D provides additional benefit is that it can help hasten the decisions not only by being faster but also earlier in a company’s development cycle.... Visual merchandising now uses 3D assets to design key looks within the floor plans of our stores. 3D in this space really allows us speed, flexibility, and scale.“—Target, Target’s 3D Journey from Product Design to Photography, Adobe MAX 2021

“We like that we can iterate quickly with Substance Source/Player to get a strong base and then add the finishing touches in Substance Painter.”—TJ Mitchell, 3D Artist, Bose

By experimenting with photo-realistic 3D models to create 2D images, companies such as Wayfair have found that they are able to reduce the overhead associated with traditional catalog development methods, while creating the models they need to deliver augmented shopping experiences for their customers. Using similar processes, Coca-Cola transformed its traditional prototyping process for package design, reportedly saving 33% of the cost of a project’s visualization phase. (Source: Deloitte Insights, Augmented shopping: The quiet revolution. Uncovering value for retailers and customers through 3D technology, January 2020)

Shoppers have high expectations for retailers’ image and video content on an online product page, and a lack thereof is a consumer deal breaker. According to a January 2019 survey from product experience management platform Salsify, US digital shoppers expect an average of about six images and three videos when looking at a product on Amazon or another retailer. (Source: eMarketer, Online Shopper Expectations for Visual Merchandising Rise Dramatically, April 2019)