# Realism report: `docs/screens/realism/2026-11-01-npc`

Vision judge: `google/gemini-2.5-flash-lite` (scores 0-10, higher is more realistic compared with the concept target).

| set | shot | target | gap ↓ | edges | detail | contrast | overall | lighting | materials | texture | backdrop |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| after | boulevard_day | boulevard_skyline_day | 0.168 | 23.78 | 9.03 | 40.34 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 |
| after | boulevard_night | hollywood_entrance_rain_night | 0.728 | 16.21 | 7.16 | 38.99 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| after | entrance_day | hollywood_entrance_morning | 0.457 | 27.12 | 10.33 | 43.1 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| after | entrance_late | hollywood_entrance_rain_night | 1.134 | 18.8 | 8.52 | 52.15 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| after | joke_shop_door | joke_shop_door_closeup | 0.864 | 15.4 | 7.24 | 48.56 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| after | npc_portrait | npc_portrait_day | 1.108 | 24.87 | 9.87 | 43.79 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| after | street_day | boulevard_skyline_day | 0.119 | 19.96 | 7.55 | 43.9 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| after | street_late | boulevard_skyline_dusk | 0.273 | 13.81 | 6.73 | 33.25 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| after | street_night | boulevard_skyline_dusk | 0.308 | 12.51 | 6.14 | 25.49 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| after | studio_door | studio_stage_door_night | 0.433 | 17.21 | 7.97 | 49.17 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| before | boulevard_day | boulevard_skyline_day | 0.172 | 23.21 | 8.88 | 38.78 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 |
| before | boulevard_night | hollywood_entrance_rain_night | 0.723 | 16.02 | 7.13 | 39.4 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| before | entrance_day | hollywood_entrance_morning | 0.442 | 25.88 | 9.86 | 40.18 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| before | entrance_late | hollywood_entrance_rain_night | 1.105 | 18.4 | 8.41 | 51.61 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| before | joke_shop_door | joke_shop_door_closeup | 0.818 | 14.84 | 7.04 | 47.63 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| before | street_day | boulevard_skyline_day | 0.148 | 18.69 | 7.42 | 42.69 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| before | street_late | boulevard_skyline_dusk | 0.224 | 12.95 | 6.27 | 31.94 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| before | street_night | boulevard_skyline_dusk | 0.253 | 10.97 | 5.57 | 24.27 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| before | studio_door | studio_stage_door_night | 0.395 | 16.62 | 7.65 | 48.52 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 |

Mean scores per set (all captured shots):

| set | shots | gap ↓ | overall | lighting | materials | texture_detail | backdrop | characters |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| after | 10 | 0.559 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 2.2 |
| before | 9 | 0.476 | 2.11 | 3.0 | 2.22 | 2.11 | 3.67 | 2.33 |

Mean over the shots every set captured (like for like):

| set | shots | gap ↓ | overall | lighting | materials | texture_detail | backdrop | characters |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| after | 9 | 0.498 | 2.22 | 3.22 | 2.44 | 2.33 | 3.11 | 2.22 |

**after / boulevard_day** fixes:
- Improve the lighting model to better simulate global illumination and soft shadows, especially for the sky and ambient light.
- Increase the polygon count and add normal maps to the trees and foliage to give them a more organic and detailed appearance.
- Replace the current brick material with a more detailed texture that includes variations in color, mortar lines, and subtle imperfections.
- Add more complex geometry and finer details to the buildings in the background, such as windows, balconies, and architectural elements, to match the target's complexity.
- Implement a more sophisticated atmospheric perspective effect for the distant cityscape to create a greater sense of depth and realism.

**after / boulevard_night** fixes:
- Improve the lighting to be more atmospheric and volumetric, with softer shadows and more realistic reflections on wet surfaces.
- Enhance material properties for brick, pavement, and building facades to include more subtle variations, specularity, and roughness.
- Increase texture detail on all surfaces, especially the brickwork, pavement, and character models, to reduce the 'plastic' look.
- Redesign character models to be more anatomically correct and detailed, with better clothing textures and facial features.
- Add more subtle environmental details like rain streaks, puddles with ripples, and more varied foliage to enhance realism.

**after / entrance_day** fixes:
- Improve brick texture and material to add more variation, grime, and imperfections.
- Add atmospheric perspective and volumetric fog to the background to create depth and match the target's hazy distance.
- Enhance lighting to include softer shadows, more subtle ambient occlusion, and realistic light falloff, especially around the marquee lights.
- Replace low-polygon trees with more detailed models that have varied leaf textures and shapes.
- Add subtle surface imperfections and wear to the concrete sidewalk and steps.

**after / entrance_late** fixes:
- Improve the lighting to match the dramatic, atmospheric, and volumetric lighting of the target image. Focus on warm, directional light from the marquee and street lamp, with soft ambient occlusion and reflections.
- Enhance material properties for realism. The brickwork, pavement, and building facade in the capture are too flat and lack subsurface scattering or specular highlights. The target image shows wet, reflective surfaces with subtle variations in material.
- Increase texture detail significantly. The brick textures are low-resolution and repetitive. The target image features high-resolution, varied brick patterns with grime and weathering.
- Redesign the backdrop to include a distant city skyline with atmospheric perspective (haze) and more detailed building structures, similar to the target image.
- Refine the character model and its integration into the scene. The character in the capture is low-poly and appears out of place. The target image's character has more realistic proportions, clothing detail, and is better lit to blend with the environment.

**after / joke_shop_door** fixes:
- Improve brick texture and material properties to match the target's depth and roughness.
- Enhance the lighting to create softer, more volumetric shadows and a warmer glow from the lamp.
- Add more detail to the building facade, such as subtle variations in brick color and mortar.
- Introduce atmospheric perspective and haze to the distant cityscape to create a sense of depth.
- Significantly increase the polygon count and detail of the character model to match the target's realism.

**after / npc_portrait** fixes:
- Improve character model realism: Focus on facial features, skin texture, and clothing wrinkles to match the target's detail and natural appearance.
- Enhance material properties: Make brick, pavement, and clothing materials more realistic with better specular highlights, subsurface scattering, and wear/tear details.
- Refine lighting: Mimic the warm, directional lighting of the target, paying attention to soft shadows and rim lighting on the character.
- Increase texture detail: Apply higher resolution and more nuanced textures to all surfaces, especially the character's skin and clothing, and the brickwork.
- Adjust backdrop realism: Add atmospheric perspective (haze) to the distant city skyline and improve the detail and lighting of the palm trees to match the target.

**after / street_day** fixes:
- Improve road material to have more subtle variations in color and reflectivity, and add tire marks and debris.
- Enhance building textures with more detailed facades, windows, and architectural elements. Add subtle weathering and grime.
- Increase the density and variety of vegetation, ensuring realistic palm tree models and ground cover.
- Refine lighting to create softer shadows, more atmospheric scattering, and realistic specular highlights on surfaces.
- Add atmospheric perspective to the distant cityscape with appropriate haze and color grading to simulate distance.

**after / street_late** fixes:
- Improve the lighting to match the warm, atmospheric glow of the target image, paying close attention to the neon signs and streetlights.
- Enhance material properties for buildings, road, and vehicles to achieve a more realistic PBR (Physically Based Rendering) look, with appropriate reflections and surface imperfections.
- Increase texture detail on all surfaces, especially the road and building facades, to add depth and realism.
- Refine the backdrop, particularly the city skyline and atmospheric haze, to create a more convincing sense of distance and depth.
- Significantly improve character models and their integration into the scene, as they currently appear very low-fidelity and out of place.

**after / street_night** fixes:
- Improve lighting to match the warm, atmospheric glow of the target, especially the neon signs and streetlights.
- Increase the detail and realism of building materials and textures, adding grime, wear, and more complex architectural features.
- Enhance the texture detail on the road surface, palm trees, and vehicles to be less uniform and more photorealistic.
- Refine the backdrop, adding atmospheric haze and more detailed city silhouettes that mimic the depth and complexity of the target.
- Significantly improve character models and animations to match the realistic style of the target image.

**after / studio_door** fixes:
- Improve the lighting to match the dramatic, moody atmosphere of the target, focusing on soft, volumetric light and realistic reflections.
- Enhance material properties for the building facade, car, and pavement to achieve a more realistic look with appropriate specularity, roughness, and subsurface scattering.
- Increase texture detail on all surfaces, especially the brickwork, stone, and car paint, to add fine details and imperfections.
- Add atmospheric effects like fog or haze to the backdrop to create depth and a sense of distance, similar to the target image.
- Significantly improve character models and their integration into the scene, paying attention to detail, lighting, and animation.

**before / boulevard_day** fixes:
- Improve road and sidewalk materials to have more realistic roughness and subtle variations.
- Add significantly more geometric detail and realistic textures to buildings, especially the brickwork.
- Replace low-polygon trees and foliage with more detailed and varied models, and add more natural scattering.
- Enhance lighting to include softer shadows, more realistic ambient occlusion, and subtle specular highlights on surfaces.
- Implement atmospheric perspective for the distant cityscape to create a sense of depth and haze.

**before / boulevard_night** fixes:
- Improve lighting to match the dramatic, atmospheric, and volumetric lighting of the target image, focusing on warm, directional light from the marquee and street lamp, with realistic reflections on wet surfaces.
- Enhance material properties to achieve a more realistic look, particularly for the brickwork, pavement, and building facade, incorporating subtle imperfections, wear, and specular highlights that react realistically to light.
- Increase texture detail significantly across all assets, especially the brick walls, pavement, and character models, to add depth, realism, and a sense of age and grit.
- Redesign character models to be more anatomically correct and detailed, with realistic clothing textures and subtle animations that convey a sense of life and presence.
- Refine the backdrop to include more atmospheric elements like fog, rain effects, and a more detailed, less stylized cityscape with appropriate haze for distance.

**before / entrance_day** fixes:
- Improve brick texture and material properties to add more variation, grime, and imperfections.
- Enhance lighting to create softer shadows, more atmospheric volumetric light, and a warmer, more natural color temperature.
- Add more detailed geometry and textures to the building facade, windows, and surrounding elements like trees and planters.
- Introduce atmospheric perspective and fog to the distant cityscape to create a sense of depth and realism.
- Replace low-polygon trees with more detailed models and textures that better match the target's style.

**before / entrance_late** fixes:
- Improve the lighting to be more atmospheric and volumetric, with softer shadows and more realistic light falloff, especially around the marquee and streetlights.
- Enhance material properties for brick, pavement, and building facades to include realistic reflections, specularity, and subsurface scattering where appropriate.
- Increase texture resolution and detail for all surfaces, particularly the brickwork, to reduce the appearance of tiling and blurriness.
- Add more complex geometry and detail to the backdrop buildings and sky, including atmospheric perspective and subtle variations in color and light.
- Refine character models with more detailed clothing, facial features (if visible), and more natural posing to match the realistic aesthetic.

**before / joke_shop_door** fixes:
- Improve brick texture and normal mapping to match the target's depth and roughness.
- Enhance the lighting to create softer, more volumetric shadows and a warmer glow from the lamp.
- Add more detail to the door material, including wood grain and subtle imperfections.
- Refine the sign's material and lighting to appear less flat and more integrated with the environment.
- Significantly improve character models to achieve a realistic appearance, focusing on form, texture, and animation.

**before / street_day** fixes:
- Improve road material to have more micro-details, reflections, and wear.
- Add atmospheric perspective and volumetric fog to the distant cityscape to match the target's depth.
- Enhance building materials with more varied textures, specular highlights, and subtle imperfections.
- Increase the polygon count and texture resolution for the car model, paying attention to reflections and material properties.
- Implement more realistic lighting with softer shadows, global illumination, and subtle color grading to mimic natural sunlight.

**before / street_late** fixes:
- Improve the lighting to match the warm, atmospheric glow of the target image, paying attention to the neon signs and streetlights.
- Enhance material properties for buildings, road, and car to achieve a more realistic sheen and surface detail, especially reflections.
- Increase texture resolution and detail on all surfaces, particularly the road and building facades, to mimic the fine grain and imperfections of the target.
- Develop a more detailed and atmospheric backdrop, including a richer sky gradient and more nuanced city skyline with atmospheric perspective.
- Significantly improve character models and their integration into the scene, as they are currently very basic and unrealistic.

**before / street_night** fixes:
- Improve lighting to match the warm, atmospheric glow of neon signs and streetlights in the target image, with more volumetric effects and softer shadows.
- Enhance material properties to achieve a more realistic sheen and reflectivity on surfaces like the road, buildings, and car, especially under the artificial lights.
- Increase texture detail on buildings, road surfaces, and palm trees to add grit, imperfections, and finer details that are present in the target image.
- Add atmospheric perspective and haze to the distant cityscape and sky to create a sense of depth and realism, similar to the target image.
- Significantly improve character models and their integration into the scene, as they are currently very basic and detract from realism.

**before / studio_door** fixes:
- Improve the lighting to match the dramatic, moody, and volumetric feel of the target image. Focus on soft, warm light sources and atmospheric fog.
- Enhance material properties for the building facade, stairs, and car to achieve a more realistic PBR (Physically Based Rendering) look, with appropriate reflections and surface imperfections.
- Increase texture detail on all surfaces, especially the brickwork and stone, to add grit, wear, and finer details that are present in the target.
- Redesign the backdrop to include atmospheric haze and a more distant, less defined background, similar to the target image's sense of depth and mood.
- Significantly improve character models and their rendering to match the realistic style and subtle details of the people in the target image.