22k followers prove that he is the worst kind of cheater and his approach isn't accepted -> https://www.artstation.com/pascalblanche But as Jonas puts it - its all about context and what you are showcasing.
Well I guess it depends on what you want to promote with your 3D stills, if it's for example meant to showcase your realtime 3d skills for employers it might not be a good idea to do a paintover on top of that and call it realtime.