Why can we immediately spot the difference between a model car and a real one even if there is nothing to compare its size to?

2.09K views

Just take a look at [this picture](https://www.looksmartmodels.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/lamborghini-huracan-performante-spyder_03.jpg), you can tell immediately that its a model car even though there is nothing in the picture to compare its size to. My guess is that the paint isn’t authentic to our eyes, but are there other reasons as well?

In: 980

41 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Two possible reasons:

One is probably because it looks like the car’s door and hood aren’t really separate elements, but only modeled to appear that way. The slit between the hood/door and the car is just a small indentation in the plastic.

The other one is the depth of field. See how the back of the car is slightly out of focus? That’s what happens when you shoot something up close. This affect can actually be achieved when photographing life size subjects, by use of [tilt-shift photography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt%E2%80%93shift_photography).

You are viewing 1 out of 41 answers, click here to view all answers.