twosummers Loc: Melbourne Australia or Lincolnshire England

Hi my friends - I've been absent from the site for a few months trying to get my head around all of this AI stuff. Maybe I'm just getting old (I am) but it is truly frightening. From a photography interest perspective I have been looking at 2 applications - one is called DALL-E and the other is Midjourney. Here's the scary part - I spent some time writing a prompt (you have to tell these AI machines what to do) - let's say you want a photograph - it can be just a regular one or an exiting one (say for a poster or an advertisement). The prompts can be what you need the photo to depict, the aspect ratio, camera model, lens, aperture, filter, shutter speed, weather, location - you can be as creative as you like. So from a prompt of about 50 words I got this image in a few seconds! If you are a graphic designer (for example) you've just saved yourself a bunch of time and brainpower. I read today that images of people created by AI cannot be distinguished from real photographs.......

(Download)

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

Fun composite image. I'm guessing two images. Cityscape with cars one image and motorcycles the second. Looks like you are about the have a head on collision on the left.

hannaco Loc: People's Republic of California

Unless you start counting fingers, feet, and number of arms or legs. Skull shape and hence face shape can be a bit strange at times. Just keep refining the prompt until you get what you want.

This is a very nice image.

Lyn Buchanan Loc: Alamogordo, New Mexico

Not just photography. I do realistic artwork and have heard that AI is replacing artists. So, I took one of my paintings, that of an ancient warrior weeping outside a ruined ancient temple. I typed that into the AI just to see what it could come up with and compare my work to the AI's. Sobering results. Mine is the wide picture with the warrior's head in his hands. The AI's is the warrior looking like a statue and holding his hand up to the temple. Other than the fact that the AI's looks more like a statue than a person and that his arm is all gimpy, I'm amazed at the AI's results, just from typing in a sentence. Mine took a really long time (lost count) to do and AI's took seconds. I guess I'm headed the way of the dinosaur. I don't care. I still like mine better.

hannaco Loc: People's Republic of California

Did you count the fingers on the hand of the hero?

Lyn Buchanan Loc: Alamogordo, New Mexico

Yes, and he has two right arms, as well.

Bill Hancock Loc: Wausau, WI

I was curious to see what Bing could do up next to your painting, which is very good I might add. Here is the result. I think it is a close 2nd to your painting. I think I am sold on Bing.

(Download)

Lyn Buchanan Loc: Alamogordo, New Mexico

The AI is getting better and better. It looks like art as a paying profession may be a thing of the past. But Ai can't mimic the smell of linseed oil or the feel of moving and blending the paints on a canvas. Art will never quit being a personal joy.

By the same token, I still have my darkroom. Digits on a computer chip can never equal the smell of fixer or the joy of seeing a picture slowly appear on a sheet of paper in the tray.

hannaco Loc: People's Republic of California

Why will professional artist stop existing? Similar statements were made when photography first started saying that the photograph would replace the painted canvas.
AI can only mimic media on canvas. Some people will always want the "real" item and not a computer generated substitute.

Lyn Buchanan Loc: Alamogordo, New Mexico

I hope that's true.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

You say "let's say you want a photograph". You won't get a photograph from one of the AI image generator. It may look like a photograph, although the one you posted doesn't look like one. but it won't be one. You would be accurate if you called it an image. AI images are getting better, but I have yet to see an AI image of a person which I would mistake for a photograph.