Lol, here we go again
Chromatic Aberration is a really nice touch that can be added to all visual effects that when used correctly helps to make something look more real. However game developers often overuse an effect when it is first introduced. Bloom is another good example
Oblivion was one of the first to introduce the concept of 'bloom' and ran with it. Making every surface look like it was glowing with the light of Jesus. Games today still have and use bloom very effectively - in moderation. There also isnt a Photograph or
film ever produced which doesn't have CA. CA is a side effect of light and the refraction of light.
Even your eyes will cause light to refract slightly
I think it is a technique that can really add to the realism of CG when used correctly. Ie, a 1pixel shift of 'some' elements, depending on their disatance from the lens, along with the position on screen, ie edges have more CA than center.
not this:
The other problem is game resolution, 1pixel of CA on a photograph, is many many more times detailed than a 1080p game, due to sheer quality of each pixel and magnitude of pixels. Most cameras Shoot around 10-20mp, thats 5-10x the pixel count, along with games having to alias pixels, whereas photographs don't have to 'sample' each pixel, they get the exact value of the light hitting that individual pixel sensor.
I disagree imperfections make something more real.
This image looks "relatively perfect" but is still 100% real.
that image has multitude of things doing on, pentagonal bokeh (bit noisy for me, personally, detracts from the cat, softer/creamier bokeh would be nicer) and CA for a start, its just more 'subtle'
Example of creamy bokeh (not apples to apples, as this is clearly a lower apperture, but still not much noise in the background)