# The CGI Brief

> Clear, practical guides for brands and agencies on CGI: what it costs, when to use it instead of a shoot, and how to run a project. An initiative by Not Important Studio.

The CGI Brief is published by Not Important Studio (https://notimportant.studio), a CGI studio for luxury and beauty brands. Every article is reviewed by Martin Sweers, Creative Director at Not Important Studio.

## CGI vs. photography

- [CGI or photography for a beauty campaign: how do you choose?](https://cgibrief.com/articles/cgi-or-photography-beauty/): Choose CGI when the product, its materials or impossible moments carry the story. Choose photography when skin, hair and real people do. Many campaigns use both.

## Budget & process

- [What does a CGI beauty campaign cost, and what drives the price?](https://cgibrief.com/articles/cgi-beauty-campaign-cost/): Published prices run from a few hundred dollars per render to six figures for a cinematic film. Liquids, shot count, revisions and usage decide where you land.

## Product & packaging

- [Perfume bottles in CGI: what makes glass and liquid look real?](https://cgibrief.com/articles/perfume-bottle-cgi/): Exact geometry including glass thickness, liquid color that changes with depth, lighting built for reflections, and a real bottle to compare against.

## Working with a studio

- [What should you put in a brief for a CGI studio?](https://cgibrief.com/articles/cgi-studio-brief/): A good CGI brief covers product files, every visible finish, the shots and formats, where the work will run, who approves, the deadline and any embargo.

## Trends

- [Does CGI need an AI label under the EU AI Act?](https://cgibrief.com/articles/eu-ai-act-cgi-label/): Usually not. A rendered product image is not AI output, but a label can be needed once generative AI creates or substantially changes what viewers see.