More On How I Use AI-Art

Here are two #aiart bird images I created from scratch using nothing but AI. The. top image is a mashup of CF AI, Jasper AI and Midjourney. The bottom image is from Adobe #firefly.

Note that both images were run through Topaz Gigapixel because the working file size in almost all AI Art programs is very, very small. (http://bit.ly/topazgigapixel)

These two images illustrate the two paths I am finding for #aiartwork beyond my most typical use, which is to create amazing backgrounds in AI for my toy photos and then to composite in an actual photograph to make a mashup that works.

For images where there is no photo — I do stuff like this. The waxwing image does not look like a photo, but rather a graphic or an illustration. It has had some noteworthy work done to it in post (Photoshop, Topaz Studio 2, BorisFX Optics & Topaz Photo AI) to get it to this stage.

The hummingbird image below looks more like a photograph. It’s wild how good it looks. No camera needed. It was made with Firefly and it needed little work in post. I just fixed the beak because the AI kind of mangled it. I also had to do some dodging around the bird’s head to get the color to show. The shadows were a little blocked up in the original AI output. Then I just used Topaz AI as a finishing step. (https://bit.ly/autopilotai)

I know photographers are worried the AI will replace them. I don’t think so — at least not for a while anyway. The stuff coming from all the available art generators is really good but all of it is flawed in some way and photographers will be needed to do the editing if nothing else. Also, the better photographer you are — meaning the more vision you have, the better your AI prompts will be. There is skill required there. And light, composition, etc. still come into play. Those who know how to make all those elements work will be better at AI Artwork.

No matter how you feel about it — AI ART is here to stay. You can lambast it and be angry but it won’t help you or anyone else. I suggest trying to master it and see where you can use it in your workflow.

For me photography has always first and foremost been a means of expression and communication. I have primarily used photography to share the wonder of the bird world with people who aren’t as familiar with birds as I am. I am unable to do that with photography these days for health reasons, but using these new AI tools, I can still express myself. I can still communicate the beauty of birds. I can still share the wonder I feel. Even after all these years, I marvel at their beauty. I am just using a different medium to do that and I am not trying to fool anyone into thinking it’s photography. I hope all of you can look for the positives in this new tech and figure out a path for yourselves.