1.5M ratings

277k ratings

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t wanna

This is Not Food Photography

This is Not Food Photography – Daily Series.
Wait, what? You read it right! This photo is not taken from a camera.
It’s a composition of various photos stitched together to form a whole.
Most of the elements are rendered in – Photoshop.

Brought to you by the people of – Rain (www.raincreativelab.com)

This post clearly illustrates the step by step process on how we do these images. We use the same approach to all the images we have done so far. As per how long an image takes to render depends on how detail we want it to be. But roughly, each image... — This post clearly illustrates the step by step process on how we do these images. We use the same approach to all the images we have done so far. As per how long an image takes to render depends on how detail we want it to be. But roughly, each image takes around 4 - 5 hours of work.
Step 1: Sketching
Before we even start working, we normally sketch the layout of the image we are creating. Broad strokes. It’s a quick 10 minute job to see how each element will be placed into the stage. We use various compositional techniques to help us do this.
Step 2: Preliminary Staging
Now that we are done with sketching, we do some preliminary staging. This enables us to see how the actual element would fit into the stage. We searched and sourced out royalty-free, with creative commons licenses images from the web (using various sites) that we can use. We prefer high-resolution images with clear and crisp details.
As you can see, cropping is a bit sloppy. The main goal for this is to visually place the element together.
Step 3: Cropping
This is the most tedious and fairly boring stage of the process. Each material is extracted manually from its source taking only what we need.

We might need only the texture, the leaf, the entire fruit, etc.
Step 4: Volume Shading
The image below, shows the final composed image without volume and shadow. We paint all the shadows and highlights of each of the element to reflect the mood we want to have. It’s a pain-staking process but the best part by far. This stage is the part where we see everything comes to life.
You can clearly see the difference when volume is added. We spend a lot of time shading each element.
That fruit right there would have this number of layers applied to it just to get those colors properly. Those layers include the highlights, shadows and color adjustements.
(Yes, I know. Don’t criticise me for not naming my layers…)
Asset Recreation
There will be a time where we need to create our own set of asset that we find fit for the image. That’s the time we do some manual rendering. This clearly illustrated with the bowl.
The following images, shows how the bowl is rendered. Some details may not be visible in the final image, but that’s fine.
Basic shadows are added the image. This creates the depth and volume.
Just to add that rustic feel to it, cracks have been added as well.
Highlights are added at the end to complete the look.
Fitting Elements Together
Some source materials may not have the type of angle, look or feel we are aiming for. For those scenarios, we edit our source materials and recreate them our selves.
The image below shows the original source image with the pit included, and the recreated image without the pit. It’s a combination of layers and technique to achieve those effect.
What we have here is the completed volume render of the image with all those details added. Some elements have been color corrected as well.
Step 5: Highlights and Color Correction
The last part would include adding highlights and color filters. We do this to finally set the tone of the image.
Closing
All in all, it takes 4 - 5 hours just to get to this stage. There are times where we do it with one sitting; sometimes, spread across the day.
Why are we doing this?
For starter its a stepping stone to something we are building in the near future. Next, it’s a way to hone our skills.
Why don’t you just do some photo shoot?
For us it’s more economical to do this. And as far as comfort zone is concern, we are used to this kind of methods in most of our work. Plus we just loving discovering the magic of it all.
How many are we rendering?
Our initial target was 300 popular ingredients. But it can go as high as 600 or more. Who knows.
Well, I hope you like and learn something new. For the next post, I’ll just do some actual breakdown without the explanation…

If you have any question, go like our Facebook page or visit our website.
If you want to learn how to render, you can attend our workshop where we teach you these kind of stuff and more.

This post clearly illustrates the step by step process on how we do these images. We use the same approach to all the images we have done so far. As per how long an image takes to render depends on how detail we want it to be. But roughly, each image takes around 4 - 5 hours of work.
Step 1: Sketching
Before we even start working, we normally sketch the layout of the image we are creating. Broad strokes. It’s a quick 10 minute job to see how each element will be placed into the stage. We use various compositional techniques to help us do this.
Step 2: Preliminary Staging
Now that we are done with sketching, we do some preliminary staging. This enables us to see how the actual element would fit into the stage. We searched and sourced out royalty-free, with creative commons licenses images from the web (using various sites) that we can use. We prefer high-resolution images with clear and crisp details.
As you can see, cropping is a bit sloppy. The main goal for this is to visually place the element together.
Step 3: Cropping
This is the most tedious and fairly boring stage of the process. Each material is extracted manually from its source taking only what we need.

We might need only the texture, the leaf, the entire fruit, etc.
Step 4: Volume Shading
The image below, shows the final composed image without volume and shadow. We paint all the shadows and highlights of each of the element to reflect the mood we want to have. It’s a pain-staking process but the best part by far. This stage is the part where we see everything comes to life.
You can clearly see the difference when volume is added. We spend a lot of time shading each element.
That fruit right there would have this number of layers applied to it just to get those colors properly. Those layers include the highlights, shadows and color adjustements.
(Yes, I know. Don’t criticise me for not naming my layers…)
Asset Recreation
There will be a time where we need to create our own set of asset that we find fit for the image. That’s the time we do some manual rendering. This clearly illustrated with the bowl.
The following images, shows how the bowl is rendered. Some details may not be visible in the final image, but that’s fine.
Basic shadows are added the image. This creates the depth and volume.
Just to add that rustic feel to it, cracks have been added as well.
Highlights are added at the end to complete the look.
Fitting Elements Together
Some source materials may not have the type of angle, look or feel we are aiming for. For those scenarios, we edit our source materials and recreate them our selves.
The image below shows the original source image with the pit included, and the recreated image without the pit. It’s a combination of layers and technique to achieve those effect.
What we have here is the completed volume render of the image with all those details added. Some elements have been color corrected as well.
Step 5: Highlights and Color Correction
The last part would include adding highlights and color filters. We do this to finally set the tone of the image.
Closing
All in all, it takes 4 - 5 hours just to get to this stage. There are times where we do it with one sitting; sometimes, spread across the day.
Why are we doing this?
For starter its a stepping stone to something we are building in the near future. Next, it’s a way to hone our skills.
Why don’t you just do some photo shoot?
For us it’s more economical to do this. And as far as comfort zone is concern, we are used to this kind of methods in most of our work. Plus we just loving discovering the magic of it all.
How many are we rendering?
Our initial target was 300 popular ingredients. But it can go as high as 600 or more. Who knows.
Well, I hope you like and learn something new. For the next post, I’ll just do some actual breakdown without the explanation…

If you have any question, go like our Facebook page or visit our website.
If you want to learn how to render, you can attend our workshop where we teach you these kind of stuff and more.

thisisnotfoodphotography layerbreakdown process design

More you might like

Day 10: Bell Pepper
Bell pepper, also known as sweet pepper or capsicum. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as “sweet peppers." Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America. The ribs and... — Day 10: Bell Pepper
Bell pepper, also known as sweet pepper or capsicum. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as “sweet peppers." Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America. The ribs and seeds inside bell peppers may be consumed, but some find the taste to be bitter.
Most often bell peppers are green, yellow, orange, and red (between stages of ripening). More rarely, color can be brown, white, lavender and dark purple, depending on the variety of pepper. Most typically, unripe fruit are green or, less commonly, pale yellow or purple. Red bell peppers are simply ripened green peppers. Green peppers are less sweet and slightly more bitter than yellow or orange peppers, with red bell peppers being the sweetest. The taste of ripe peppers can also vary with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment; the sweetest fruit are allowed to ripen fully on the plant in full sunshine, while fruit harvested green and after-ripened in storage are less sweet.
Though bell pepper is a fruit, in culinary terms it is used as a vegetable. Bell peppers make a delicious addition to salads and other pepper dishes such as stir-fried vegetables or grilled vegetables. Various meat dishes also include peppers as a flavoring ingredient. The bell shape of the pepper makes it an ideal vegetable for stuffing purposes. Mashed potato, minced meat and cottage cheese are some of the common pepper stuffing ingredients. Stuffed pepper tastes best when charred under a grill. Soups and stew dishes also make good use of bell pepper. They can also be grilled, skinned and pureed to accompany meat, pasta or fish.

thisisnotfoodphotography food foodporn bellpepper

Day 8: Cabbage
Cabbage is a leafy green or purple plant, grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is closely related to other cole crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts.
Cabbage is prepared and consumed in... — Day 8: Cabbage
Cabbage is a leafy green or purple plant, grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is closely related to other cole crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts.
Cabbage is prepared and consumed in many ways. The simplest options include eating the vegetable raw or steaming it, though many cuisines pickle, stew, sautée or braise cabbage. Pickling is one of the most popular ways of preserving cabbage, creating dishes such as sauerkraut and kimchi.

thisisnotfoodphotography food foodporn cabbage

DAY 7: Apricot
An apricot is a fruit or the tree that bears the fruit. Apricots have been cultivated in Persia since antiquity, and dried ones were an important commodity on Persian trade routes. Apricots remain an important fruit in modern-day... — DAY 7: Apricot
An apricot is a fruit or the tree that bears the fruit. Apricots have been cultivated in Persia since antiquity, and dried ones were an important commodity on Persian trade routes. Apricots remain an important fruit in modern-day Iran.

Due to their high fiber to volume ratio, dried apricots are sometimes used to relieve constipation or induce diarrhea. Effects can be felt after eating as few as three.

In Europe, apricots were long considered an aphrodisiac.
Apricot is a luscious fruit that is fondly used as an ingredient in various sweet and savory recipes. Apricot dishes are either made with fresh apricots or with canned and dried apricots. The main characteristic of apricot is that it never loses its nutrients while cooking; hence it can be used in either form. The skin of the apricot contains lot of nutrients and it is quite healthy to use the fruit with skin. The apricot blends very well in several savory dishes such as lamb and poultry recipes.

thisisnotfoodphotography food foodporn apricot

DAY 6: Avocado
Avocado or alligator pear also refers to the fruit, botanically a large berry that contains a single seed. It is native to Mexico and Central America.
Avocados are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean... — DAY 6: Avocado
Avocado or alligator pear also refers to the fruit, botanically a large berry that contains a single seed. It is native to Mexico and Central America.

Avocados are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world. They have a green-skinned, fleshy body that may be pear-shaped, egg-shaped, or spherical.
Avocado is believed to be a fatty fruit hence it can easily be substituted in the diets where other fatty foods are not prevailing. In vegetarian diet, avocado is a good source of fats. Avocado dishes are usually subtly-flavored with smooth and creamy texture. This creamy fruit forms the base of various dips and spreads. Various seasonings and spices can be mixed in the avocado dips to provide flavor to the dish. In the list of sweet dishes, avocado recipes are quite popular. It is often included in several ice creams and milkshakes and other desserts. Salads and juices are some other additions to the list of avocado dishes. In savory dishes also avocado is a well-liked ingredient. Avocado dishes are fondly served as side dishes to chicken and meat.
Source

thisisnotfoodphotography food foodporn avocado

DAY 5: Tomatoes
Tomato is the edible, often red fruit/berry of the nightshade commonly known as the Tomato plant. Its many varieties are now widely grown, sometimes in greenhouses in cooler climates.
Tomato is consumed in diverse ways, including raw,... — DAY 5: Tomatoes
Tomato is the edible, often red fruit/berry of the nightshade commonly known as the Tomato plant. Its many varieties are now widely grown, sometimes in greenhouses in cooler climates.

Tomato is consumed in diverse ways, including raw, as an ingredient in many dishes, sauces, salads, and drinks. While it is botanically a fruit, it is considered a vegetable for culinary purposes. The fruit is rich in lycopene, which may have beneficial health effects.
Tomatoes are used extensively in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, with Italian being the most notable. The tomato has an acidic property that is used to bring out other flavors. This same acidity makes tomatoes particularly easy to preserve in home canning as tomato sauce or paste. Tomato juice is often canned and sold as a beverage. Unripe green tomatoes can also be used to make salsa, be breaded and fried, or pickled.

thisisnotfoodphotography food foodporn tomato

Day 4: Garlic
Garlic is a close relatives of the onion, shallot, leek, chive and rakkyo. With a history of human use of over 7,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent... — Day 4: Garlic
Garlic is a close relatives of the onion, shallot, leek, chive and rakkyo. With a history of human use of over 7,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. It was known to Ancient Egyptians, and has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.
Some eat it raw, while for some, garlic is revered as a condiment with its pungent flavor. Its spicy taste is quite disagreeable to many people’s noses, but cooking unravels this popular vegetable’s natural sweetness.
Garlic can enhance the taste of bread in recipes like garlic toast, crostini or other appetizers. The shoots may also be pickled, not just the bulbs. Or it could simply be used in stir-fry dishes, as is the custom in many countries. The common pickled variety mixes young bulbs with salt, sugar and other spices.
Source

thisisnotfoodphotography food foodporn garlic

Day 3: Lemon
The lemon is a small evergreen tree native to Asia. The tree’s ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world, primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used in cooking and... — Day 3: Lemon
The lemon is a small evergreen tree native to Asia. The tree’s ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world, primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used in cooking and baking.
After salt and pepper, lemon may be the most commonly used flavoring ingredient in the culinary arts. Used in everything from baking to sauce making to meat and vegetable cookery, lemons bring their own tangy flavor and bright aroma, while actually enhancing a dish’s other flavors. Lemon is said to be a “flavor catalyst,” meaning that it interacts with the taste buds so that the flavors that follow are more pronounced.
Source

thisisnotfoodphotography food foodporn lemon

Day 1: Carrots
The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist.
Carrots can add vibrant color to a dish, a subtly sweet flavor, and a pleasurable crunch that no other vegetable or... — Day 1: Carrots
The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist.
Carrots can add vibrant color to a dish, a subtly sweet flavor, and a pleasurable crunch that no other vegetable or ingredient can match. Full of vitamins and nutrients, western carrots are an indispensable ingredient in every kitchen.
Carrots can also be steamed, boiled, or roasted. When boiling carrots, add salt and some herbs to flavor the vegetable. You can also boil the carrots with salt and sugar, some butter, and a bouquet of herbs like rosemary, parsley, bay, and thyme. Or use just one herb that you prefer.

Sources

thisisnotfoodphotography food foodporn

thisisnotfoodphotography

This post clearly illustrates the step by step process on how we do these images. We use the same approach to all the images we have done so far. As per how long an image takes to render depends on how detail we want it to be. But roughly, each image... — This post clearly illustrates the step by step process on how we do these images. We use the same approach to all the images we have done so far. As per how long an image takes to render depends on how detail we want it to be. But roughly, each image takes around 4 - 5 hours of work.
Step 1: Sketching
Before we even start working, we normally sketch the layout of the image we are creating. Broad strokes. It’s a quick 10 minute job to see how each element will be placed into the stage. We use various compositional techniques to help us do this.
Step 2: Preliminary Staging
Now that we are done with sketching, we do some preliminary staging. This enables us to see how the actual element would fit into the stage. We searched and sourced out royalty-free, with creative commons licenses images from the web (using various sites) that we can use. We prefer high-resolution images with clear and crisp details.
As you can see, cropping is a bit sloppy. The main goal for this is to visually place the element together.
Step 3: Cropping
This is the most tedious and fairly boring stage of the process. Each material is extracted manually from its source taking only what we need.

We might need only the texture, the leaf, the entire fruit, etc.
Step 4: Volume Shading
The image below, shows the final composed image without volume and shadow. We paint all the shadows and highlights of each of the element to reflect the mood we want to have. It’s a pain-staking process but the best part by far. This stage is the part where we see everything comes to life.
You can clearly see the difference when volume is added. We spend a lot of time shading each element.
That fruit right there would have this number of layers applied to it just to get those colors properly. Those layers include the highlights, shadows and color adjustements.
(Yes, I know. Don’t criticise me for not naming my layers…)
Asset Recreation
There will be a time where we need to create our own set of asset that we find fit for the image. That’s the time we do some manual rendering. This clearly illustrated with the bowl.
The following images, shows how the bowl is rendered. Some details may not be visible in the final image, but that’s fine.
Basic shadows are added the image. This creates the depth and volume.
Just to add that rustic feel to it, cracks have been added as well.
Highlights are added at the end to complete the look.
Fitting Elements Together
Some source materials may not have the type of angle, look or feel we are aiming for. For those scenarios, we edit our source materials and recreate them our selves.
The image below shows the original source image with the pit included, and the recreated image without the pit. It’s a combination of layers and technique to achieve those effect.
What we have here is the completed volume render of the image with all those details added. Some elements have been color corrected as well.
Step 5: Highlights and Color Correction
The last part would include adding highlights and color filters. We do this to finally set the tone of the image.
Closing
All in all, it takes 4 - 5 hours just to get to this stage. There are times where we do it with one sitting; sometimes, spread across the day.
Why are we doing this?
For starter its a stepping stone to something we are building in the near future. Next, it’s a way to hone our skills.
Why don’t you just do some photo shoot?
For us it’s more economical to do this. And as far as comfort zone is concern, we are used to this kind of methods in most of our work. Plus we just loving discovering the magic of it all.
How many are we rendering?
Our initial target was 300 popular ingredients. But it can go as high as 600 or more. Who knows.
Well, I hope you like and learn something new. For the next post, I’ll just do some actual breakdown without the explanation…

If you have any question, go like our Facebook page or visit our website.
If you want to learn how to render, you can attend our workshop where we teach you these kind of stuff and more.

This post clearly illustrates the step by step process on how we do these images. We use the same approach to all the images we have done so far. As per how long an image takes to render depends on how detail we want it to be. But roughly, each image takes around 4 - 5 hours of work.
Step 1: Sketching
Before we even start working, we normally sketch the layout of the image we are creating. Broad strokes. It’s a quick 10 minute job to see how each element will be placed into the stage. We use various compositional techniques to help us do this.
Step 2: Preliminary Staging
Now that we are done with sketching, we do some preliminary staging. This enables us to see how the actual element would fit into the stage. We searched and sourced out royalty-free, with creative commons licenses images from the web (using various sites) that we can use. We prefer high-resolution images with clear and crisp details.
As you can see, cropping is a bit sloppy. The main goal for this is to visually place the element together.
Step 3: Cropping
This is the most tedious and fairly boring stage of the process. Each material is extracted manually from its source taking only what we need.

We might need only the texture, the leaf, the entire fruit, etc.
Step 4: Volume Shading
The image below, shows the final composed image without volume and shadow. We paint all the shadows and highlights of each of the element to reflect the mood we want to have. It’s a pain-staking process but the best part by far. This stage is the part where we see everything comes to life.
You can clearly see the difference when volume is added. We spend a lot of time shading each element.
That fruit right there would have this number of layers applied to it just to get those colors properly. Those layers include the highlights, shadows and color adjustements.
(Yes, I know. Don’t criticise me for not naming my layers…)
Asset Recreation
There will be a time where we need to create our own set of asset that we find fit for the image. That’s the time we do some manual rendering. This clearly illustrated with the bowl.
The following images, shows how the bowl is rendered. Some details may not be visible in the final image, but that’s fine.
Basic shadows are added the image. This creates the depth and volume.
Just to add that rustic feel to it, cracks have been added as well.
Highlights are added at the end to complete the look.
Fitting Elements Together
Some source materials may not have the type of angle, look or feel we are aiming for. For those scenarios, we edit our source materials and recreate them our selves.
The image below shows the original source image with the pit included, and the recreated image without the pit. It’s a combination of layers and technique to achieve those effect.
What we have here is the completed volume render of the image with all those details added. Some elements have been color corrected as well.
Step 5: Highlights and Color Correction
The last part would include adding highlights and color filters. We do this to finally set the tone of the image.
Closing
All in all, it takes 4 - 5 hours just to get to this stage. There are times where we do it with one sitting; sometimes, spread across the day.
Why are we doing this?
For starter its a stepping stone to something we are building in the near future. Next, it’s a way to hone our skills.
Why don’t you just do some photo shoot?
For us it’s more economical to do this. And as far as comfort zone is concern, we are used to this kind of methods in most of our work. Plus we just loving discovering the magic of it all.
How many are we rendering?
Our initial target was 300 popular ingredients. But it can go as high as 600 or more. Who knows.
Well, I hope you like and learn something new. For the next post, I’ll just do some actual breakdown without the explanation…

If you have any question, go like our Facebook page or visit our website.
If you want to learn how to render, you can attend our workshop where we teach you these kind of stuff and more.

thisisnotfoodphotography layerbreakdown process design