BIRD, MAN, TREE (AI)

 Looking at four different modes of AI image generation using Samsung Gallery. I haven't hit any charge or limit for this tool as yet. It's also good at creating collages. Replacing for me PIXLR, a long time favourite which is trying to bully me into paying a subscription by limiting collages to three per day, on top of intrusive advertising.

Crayon, Anime, Watercolour and Oil are the four choices illustrated here. It takes a few seconds as the image is rebuilt, rather than just applying an algorithm across the whole surface as image processing software has done for a couple of decades now. Crayon worked well for a street scene I shared a couple of weeks ago, not so much here. Anime has yet to find a use for me. Watercolour is very effective at simplifying and focusing attention on what matters.

Could this be because it draws on thousands of images by real watercolour artists who have honed that skill? Oil is good at capturing rough textures such as tree bark. Is there a way to control this with a prompt that says use watercolour for the background, oil for trees and rocks,crayon for grass, etc?

Far beyond my pay grade right now.

 

Four interpretations of Temple Moore, the architect of my local church. This is the AI built in to Samsung Gallery which I have been exploring for a couple of weeks now.

My first instinct was watercolour and that is vindicated by the results. The oil paint version gave a horrific background but this was easily erased with more AI magic.

More serious is the facial expression. This just goes to show how sensitive we are to tiny visual cues in human faces. The attentive eyes and strong features of the watercolour become a vacuous gase and/or puffy face in the other treatments. And I can't even say why. It's just an immediate subconscious reaction.

Maybe you have a different take?

Could it be the reversed parting? Surely not. But I know who I would trust. The watercolour man every time.

 

Four curches by Temple Moore, the architect of All Saints, Basingstoke. There are commonalities in the detailing, but each project is approached with a fresh eye. All are Gothic but with a streak of inventiveness that is late Victorian. He leans towards simplicity but not in a severe way.

These are photographs downloaded from Wikipedia and given the AI watercolour treatment that I am finding very helpful. It brightens dark images, simplifies and focuses attention on essentials.

Here is a man who worked in GG Scott's office and went on to build new churches across Britain, honing his craft and developing his vision as he went along. Eventually taking on Scott's grandson as a pupil and help him to become a major force in his own right.

 

 

This is not sand and palm trees. Dubai was great in so many ways, and I'm grateful to have lived in a place like International City. But it's such a relief to have this kind of nature close at hand.

I'm varying my walks, getting beyond the exploring phase, starting to look more closely, to frame views and think about why they speak to me. I'm even trying to learn species names. I've always struggled with names.

I hope to start painting again. What's stopping me? Well I don't want to splash paint on the carpet. Probably I will change the floor finish in my lounge... more of a work space really. If I want to "lounge" I use the bedroom. In any case, framing views seems like an important preparation for deciding what I want to paint in my next phase/iteration... period?

Snapshots taken in War Memorial Park, and processed in various ways.