The Making Of Under the Water by Paloma Garcia Jimenez of Paris, France.

First of all, I want to thank Jeff and all the people interested in the image for the opportunity to share this 'making of'.

At first I wasn't very sure about it, since I didn't think it would be very didactic as I mostly improvised.
I am an architect that is specialized in architectural images, nevertheless this particular image was produced just for fun. The render was originally done by a colleague and I liked the base of the image but I wondered how it would look like in a totally different environment. I never thought it would end up being so different! The only thing remaining from the original render is the base geometry of the architecture.

I think this is a very good example of how even if 3D settings are very important in the world of visualization, Photoshop editing remains crucial. However, what we often have in mind doesn't work exactly as it should, or simply, we don't know what we are looking for.

In this case, we may do a simple render (it is important to do it as fast as possible, since we don't want to waste too much time when we are improvising), without too much color in the light and well-done materials that aren't too complex. The rest will be the result of personal inspiration and talent!
 

Important tips creating an image

1. Composition > There are many composition rules, and once you master them, there are infinite ways to break them.
2. Light direction> It will convey dynamism to the image together with a good composition.
3. Color balance > It will define the environment.
 

Details > Shadows, Reflections

Reference

Process