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reeeeee | 3 years ago

That's nice and all, but isn't that a huge waste of time/money/resources? What is the advantage of doing it this way over just creating a wallpaper digitally?

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michaelt|3 years ago

With products like Windows, there's a chance that the desktop background, the startup chime and suchlike will end up as iconic as the Coca-Cola logo.

The designers would have told the CEO that this is going to be seen by 100x more people than a Superbowl ad spot, and 100x as many times per person too. So getting the perfect image/sound made for the cost of a single superbowl ad is a great deal.

Of course, whether they've succeeded at producing the perfect image is another matter.

The Windows 95 startup chime was composed by Brian Eno, so MS are used to paying for this stuff.

Dalewyn|3 years ago

Why, you might ask? Because why the hell not?

This kind of maximal efficiency attitude is precisely why programs aren't "fun" anymore. Oftentimes, taking the scenic route instead of the highway is how you awe and inspire people; I know I was.

If anyone reading this remembers the 90s and early 00s with Easter Eggs and other fun programs with character, y'all know what I'm talking about.

CyberDildonics|3 years ago

This kind of maximal efficiency attitude

It's a company, efficiency is money. That's why companies exist.

why programs aren't "fun" anymore

Programs have nothing to do with this, you grabbed that out of thin air. This is about making an image.

Oftentimes, taking the scenic route instead of the highway is how you awe and inspire people; I know I was.

That's good advice for vacation, not a professional environment where someone is paying you for results.

bombolo|3 years ago

But nobody even knows they didn't take the highway. We are all surprised it wasn't a render.

CyberDildonics|3 years ago

In this case specifically it deals with light going through a pattern and into mist, which is going to have a lot light scattering inside an uneven volume. This still takes a lot of time to render and will be more difficult to match to a photograph than other things.

BulgarianIdiot|3 years ago

Big old corporations suck at efficiency. Much like the government does.

astrange|3 years ago

Practical effects aren't that inefficient.

A lot of product photos that people think are renders are real photos too, just done with a Phase One.