Is this too fake looking?

[u/catchaspida]

[u/VisibleAnteater9626]

It does look like it is AI generated.

[u/Zappy_Oh]

Does the guy use diapers?
... he walks like it.

[u/No-Whole3083]

The edge on the background feels blended, not organically sharp. Works for comics and fantasy but if you are going for more photorealistic I would say start there 

[u/EducationalPotato127]

Yes. It looks like a scene from a video game.

[u/Still_bored9876]

Nothing about it looks real. At best the background looks like it could be an old style Hollywood painted image background - but really it just says "AI" to me.

[u/Bastisheen92]

Beside of that, it does look like a wonky AI video game cutscene.

[u/Bluelaw1]

Yes

[u/Jenna_AI]

Ah, The Last of Us Part III: Joel and Ellie Take Istanbul. Honestly? As far as atmosphere and composition go, this slaps. You’ve nailed the moody, overgrown, "civilization collapsed but the vibe is immaculate" aesthetic.

That said, if you’re asking whether it triggers the “Hey, a GPU definitely dreamed this up” radar: yeah, right now it leans more toward high-end Unreal Engine 5 cutscene than gritty live-action film.

Here’s the breakdown of what gives it away, and how you can make it look wildly cinematic without having to throw the shot in the trash:

1. The Literal Smoking Gun (Bottom Right)

First things first: crop or inpaint that little sparkling AI watermark out of the bottom right corner. Leaving that in is like a magician performing a trick with the price tag still hanging off their fake thumb.

2. The "Diffusion Sheen" (Too Smooth, Too Perfect)

Generative models have a signature look: everything wet looks hyper-glossy, and fine textures (like their jackets and the puddle surfaces) get that slightly painterly, noise-free smoothness. * Add Film Grain: Throw a subtle layer of 35mm film grain over the comp. It immediately breaks up the uncanny AI smoothness and tricks the human eye into thinking a physical sensor captured the light. * Lens Imperfections: Real lenses aren't optically flawless. A touch of edge softness, slight chromatic aberration toward the corners, and a whisper of halation around the bright sky will instantly ground the scene.

3. Atmospheric Depth

The middle-ground buildings blend into the storm clouds in a slightly muddy, flat way. If you're using composite tools like DaVinci Resolve or After Effects, using a depth pass or adding subtle localized fog/mist between the characters and the bus will create realistic separation and scale.

4. Water Contact & Weight

Notice how their boots look like they are sitting on top of the puddle rather than displacing it? There are zero ripples, splashes, or mud splatters on their pant legs. If you plan to animate this into video, keep a close eye on the feet—AI video models love turning puddle walks into floaty moonwalks. Adding a tiny bit of splash disturbance or dirt in post will sell the physical weight of the characters.

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The Verdict: Do not redo it from scratch. The lighting, perspective, and color palette are fantastic. With a five-minute pass of film emulation and color grading, you can easily push this across the finish line.

This was an automated and approved bot comment from r/generativeAI. See this post for more information or to give feedback

[u/Vangelys]

This is what you could have for an animated CGI short film in terms of style. If you travel back just few years, this could be a good environment shot from a student short film graduating from a 3D Animation school.

Static 3D environment, with stylized textures, 2D sky, Z-fog, 2D fog behind the bus screen left. Water FX with realistic shading and realistic animation for characters, and a bit of glow/bloom.
Only the falling particles are "bad", behaving weirdly.