Artificial Intelligence & Art
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the field of graphic design by providing designers with new tools and techniques that can automate repetitive tasks, improve creative workflows, and enable a more personalized design experience. AI algorithms can analyze user data and behavior to create more effective design projects in fields like marketing, advertising, film, social media, and many more. We are just beginning to understand the capabilities of AI software and should be eager to learn where it can take us.
I generated a number of artificial intelligence images to gain experience using the software and learn the methods behind writing prompts. A prompt is text or information you provide to the AI model to generate its output. The software I used to make these prompts and images included Craiyon, Dall-E2, Midjourney, and Adobe Firefly (beta).
Craiyon
Oil painting of a field of black and white flowers with the sun in the background
Painting of a monkey holding a red balloon in the style of Banksy
Dall-E2
Silhouette of a person floating weightlessly into an alien spaceship with a spotlight over them. The alien spaceship is hovering in the sky, its metallic surface gleaming in the moonlight and the starry sky.
An astronaut painting in space, black and white digital art
When writing prompts I tried to follow the Dall-E2 prompt book as closely as possible. It’s important to use “prompt words” to convey certain energies, emotions, moods, etc. For example, when trying to generate an image that you want to have a positive mood/high energy, you should include key words like “bright”, “vibrant”, “colorful”, or “saturated”. If you want it to generate in a specific style, you could reference artists/ designers or their famous works.
Craiyon and Dall-E2 are free and available for the public to use on Open AI. Another popular AI software is Midjourney which you need a subscription and an account on Discord. Out of all the programs, I found Midjourney to produce most of the best-quality images. I was also accepted to try the beta version of Adobe Firefly which is in the early development of creating detailed text effects and recoloring vector images.
Ask questions and do in-depth research: AI is expected to have a significant impact on the future of graphic design. It is essential that we keep up with emerging technologies and ask the most important questions. How can you tell if artwork is AI-Generated?, Should artists be afraid? (or should they embrace new technology)?, Is there gender or racial bias in AI image generators?
Keep a record of the words you use: Different words will generate completely different images. The words are your “paintbrush.” It’s essential to recognize which words are causing a significant effect on the image.
AI is still in the early stages: Artificial Intelligence has to develop much more before its accuracy is perfected. There have been multiple occasions where I’ve generated images and human features like hands and faces are morphed or deformed. These are just a few of the inaccuracies AI must learn to evolve.
Midjourney
Day glo image of a dragon flying over a volcano. -aspect ratio 2:3, -chaos 0, -stylize 250, -quality 1, -seed 12345
An ominous wide-lens photograph of a threatening great white shark swimming towards a scuba diver.
A vibrant photograph of a mother and daughter sitting on a bench together at the beach. Wide shot, outdoors, sunset at golden hour.
A vibrant close-up photograph of a determined lion stalking its prey in the jungle. aspect 1:1 --chaos 0 --stylize 250 --quality 1 --seed 12345
Extreme close-up of a gecko camouflaged in the Arizona desert soil. --aspect 2:3 --chaos 0 --stylize 250 --quality 1
Vaporwave photograph of 2 robots violently fighting. Wide-shot, colorful.
A vibrant photograph of a little girl running and playing with bubbles in the summertime. Medium shot, outdoors, at 12:00 pm
Medium-shot photograph of a snow leopard in the mountains staring peacefully into the distance. --aspect 2:3 --chaos 0 --stylize 250 --quality 1
An extreme close-up vibrant photograph of a ladybug sitting on a leaf with raindrops around it. aspect 1:1 --chaos 0 --stylize 250 --quality 1 --seed 12345
Medium-shot photograph of a jaguar in the mountains staring peacefully into the distance. -aspect 2:3 -chaos 0 -stylize 250 -quality 1