We are a rendering studio, so read this with that in mind. It still contains the advice we give people who decide not to hire us.
The short answer
Keep the images you use to decide and outsource the images that are the deliverable. Testing whether a ceiling height works or which of three finishes reads best needs an answer in minutes, not in three days, and a real-time engine on your own machine is enough. Client presentations, planning submissions and marketing imagery need to be right rather than fast, and there the gap between competent and good is mostly experience. Most studios end up doing both, which is the correct answer rather than a compromise — and we would say that, being a rendering studio.
When outsourcing is the wrong answer
Start here, because it is the part most guides skip.
Do not outsource the images you use to make decisions. If you are testing whether a ceiling height works, whether the island is too long, or which of three finishes reads best, you need that answer in minutes, not in three days. That loop belongs in your own hands, and a real-time engine is enough — see best 3D rendering software for interior design.
Do outsource the images that are the deliverable. Client presentations, planning submissions, marketing. These need to be right rather than fast, and the gap between a competent render and a good one is mostly experience.
Most studios end up doing both, and that is the correct answer rather than a compromise.
What it costs, and why quotes vary so much
Interior rendering ranges from a few hundred to a couple of thousand per image. That spread is wide because these are not the same job.
| Drives cost up | Drives cost down |
|---|---|
| The space must be modelled from scratch | You supply a usable model |
| Bespoke joinery and detailed FF&E | Standard or library furniture |
| Exterior context and neighbours | Interior only |
| Multiple times of day | One lighting condition |
| Unspecified finishes | Finishes named properly |
| Additional revision rounds | A decided brief |
| The first image of a space | Further angles of the same space |
That last row is the one to exploit. Once a space is built, additional cameras are dramatically cheaper than the first image. If you need three views, ask for three at the outset rather than coming back twice.
How to choose a studio
Look for your material in their portfolio. A studio that renders glossy modern apartments beautifully may struggle with honed stone, aged brass or heavy linen. Judge on the materials you actually specify.
Ask what happens on revision three. The answer tells you how they price and how they behave under pressure. Two rounds included is standard; what matters is that the third has a stated cost rather than an atmosphere.
Ask who does the work. Some studios sell on a portfolio produced by people who will not touch your project. This is not necessarily a problem, but you should know.
Send a small job first. One image on a real project tells you more than any amount of correspondence — about the work, and about how they communicate when something is unclear.
Warning signs
- No questions. A studio that accepts a vague brief without asking anything is either very experienced or about to guess. Usually the second.
- Unlimited revisions. Priced defensively or heading for a dispute. Neither is good.
- A portfolio with no interiors like yours. Residential and commercial, warm and cool, photoreal and stylised are different skills.
- Quotes without a stated revision policy. The price is not the price.
- Turnaround that sounds too fast. Good interior imagery involves iteration. A promise of finals in 24 hours describes a template, not a render of your space.
What to send
The brief matters more than the budget. A well-specified job at the lower price band beats a vague one at the top of it, every time.
- Dimensioned drawings or a model. Plans and elevations. If you have a SketchUp model, send it — it will reduce the quote.
- Finishes named properly. Not "oak" — the actual product, supplier and finish code. This is the single largest cause of revision rounds.
- Camera positions. Mark them on the plan. Everyone has an opinion about camera height once they see it and nobody mentions it beforehand.
- Time of day and lighting mood. A room at 11am and the same room at dusk are different products.
- What the image is for. Planning approval, an investor deck and Instagram are three different images. This changes more than people expect.
Test with one image, not twelve
The cheapest way to evaluate a studio is to pay one of them properly for a single image, and it is worth more than any portfolio review.
- Pick your most awkward room, not your easiest. A studio that handles a difficult ceiling and mixed lighting will handle everything else; one chosen on the basis of a simple view tells you nothing.
- Brief it exactly as you would a full set, then keep the brief. What comes back is a measurement of how well they read, which is the thing you are actually buying.
- Count the rounds it takes. One substantive round is normal. Three means either your brief or their reading of it needs work, and it is worth knowing which before twelve images are in flight.
- Ask what they would change. A studio that answers “nothing, whatever you like” is selling compliance. The useful ones push back on a camera or a finish, because they have seen it fail before.
One image is a small fee against a set that has to be redone. Anyone unwilling to be tested that way has told you something.
Making it work once it starts
Give feedback in one pass. Collect every comment, from everyone, then send them together. Drip-fed notes across three days produce three partial revisions and burn a round for nothing.
Be specific about what is wrong. "It feels cold" is a real observation and an unusable instruction. "The walls read grey — they should be warmer, closer to the sample" is actionable.
Approve the clay render. If the studio offers an untextured view before materials go on, look at it properly. Geometry and camera problems are cheap to fix at that stage and expensive afterwards.
If you are considering us
We produce interior and product CGI from drawings, hand sketches and site photographs, working with designers and brands in the US, UK and worldwide. Two revision rounds are included as standard and the third has a stated price.
The fastest route to a firm quote is drawings, named finishes and marked camera positions. Send those here, or see how the service works.
