Feeling Visuel is a post production studio founded by Florent and Denis, creating photoreal imagery for luxury and automotive brands with a photography first approach. Blending retouching, CGI, and careful use of AI, their work balances flawless detail with an organic, believable feel.

Before we talk about images, let’s talk about you. Who are the two founders?

‍Florent Vaille and Denis Seounes, at the origin of Feeling Visuel’s DNA.

What paths led you to create the studio?

Florent: 

Self taught and passionate about visual arts, I specialise in image retouching and photomontage. I founded Feeling Visuel in 2012 and developed the company through numerous editorial and advertising projects, gradually building strong artistic and professional maturity within the luxury and automotive sectors. Demanding and detail oriented, I constantly strive to refine my skills to meet clients’ expectations and adapt as their needs evolve. I support them at every stage of their projects, from image optimisation to final validation, making full use of the possibilities offered by post production. Five years ago, Denis, a CGI artist, joined me to combine our expertise and officially create the Feeling Visuel studio.

Denis:

I have been passionate about drawing since childhood, I always knew my future would unfold in the artistic world. After an initial academic path, I naturally turned to 3D graphics, a field that allowed me to turn this passion into a profession. My career truly took off in Angoulême, in the animation industry. I had the opportunity to be trained and mentored by three senior artists who taught me far more than technique, they instilled in me visual discipline and an uncompromising attention to detail. It was a decisive turning point. In 2009, discovering the automotive industry became a second revelation, enabling me to specialise in photorealistic rendering and apply my expertise to product design. After 15 years working within large organisations, meeting Florent was the final catalyst. Despite our different backgrounds, we share the same vision of the profession and a constant pursuit of excellence. From this synergy, and our shared ambition to offer an exceptional client experience, the Feeling Visuel studio was born.

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If you had to summarize Feeling Visuel’s vision in one sentence, a sentence you repeat internally, what would it be?

To craft controlled photorealism rooted in the rules of photography, while preserving an organic and believable feel.

In the automotive and luxury industries, the image must be flawless, but never cold. How do you find the balance between visual perfection and authentic emotion in your images?

We always begin with photographic fundamentals. Light is our primary starting point. An image can be technically perfect and yet completely empty. Conversely, carefully controlled imperfections can create emotion. Our work is about pushing quality to the highest level, while allowing the image to breathe. Luxury is not a technical demonstration, it is a sensation.

Behind ultra-luxurious images, there are human beings. What personally drives you when starting a new production? And what still makes you question yourselves?

What drives us is the moment when a brief becomes a clear vision, understanding what the brand truly wants to express, sometimes beyond what is explicitly stated. Doubt arises when the image starts to feel too obvious. That is often when we ask ourselves the right questions, does this image tell a story, will it stand the test of time, that doubt is a constant creative engine.

Retouching and CGI are sometimes perceived as solitary professions. What is the reality of teamwork at Feeling Visuel? How are creative exchanges organized on a daily basis?

In reality, it is quite the opposite, our work is highly collaborative. An image is never built alone. We are in constant dialogue with clients, agencies, and collaborators.Each project is a succession of back and forth exchanges and collective decisions, light choices, materials, rhythm. The technique may be individual, but the vision is always shared.

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Tell us about a recent project that left a mark on you. Not necessarily the most visually spectacular, but the one where you felt: “This is where we truly leveled up.”

These are often the projects where we are granted genuine creative freedom. Recently, an automotive project allowed us to manage the entire workflow, from artistic direction to final production, combining photography, CGI, and AI. We felt our vision was fully understood and embraced, and that is when we reached a milestone in terms of maturity and mutual trust.

If Feeling Visuel were at the beginning of a very large, almost oversized project, what would this ideal production look like, the one that perfectly embodies your ambition and expertise?‍

A production blending photography, CGI, animation, and AI. A project where we are involved from the very first creative concept, with full freedom over light, environments, and visual storytelling. An ambitious, technically complex production, where communication with the client is clear and fluid. A campaign we are authorised to communicate about, allowing each party to showcase its brand image.

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AI is gradually becoming part of creative workflows. At which specific stages of your process does it intervene today at Feeling Visuel  and where have you deliberately chosen not to use it?

AI mainly comes in during exploration, visual research support, and the optimisation of certain tasks. However, everything linked to the final render, light, materials, and the overall feel, remains entirely in our hands. We see AI as a powerful tool, but the final aesthetic decision must stay human. We are fully aware of AI’s impact and the pace of change in our industry, and we fully intend to be part of that evolution.

Do you have a piece of advice for an artist who would like to reach Feeling Visuel’s level and collaborate internationally with the most prestigious automotive and luxury brands?

Understand photography before trying to transform it. Be extremely rigorous technically, but above all, develop a real visual culture and personal sensitivity. Major brands are not only looking for executors, but for partners who can understand their image, and evolve it intelligently and respectfully. Finally, cultivate discipline, embrace effort, and learn to work with full autonomy.

Thank you, Florent and Denis, for opening up your world at Feeling Visuel, your photography first discipline, sharp eye, and quiet obsession with detail set a seriously high bar. View their member page to see more.

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