AI in Photography - How and when it should be used.

The Impact of AI on Photography: Revolutionizing Creativity and Convenience

In recent years, the world of photography has undergone a significant transformation thanks to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. From smartphones to professional cameras, AI has revolutionized the way we capture, edit and share photographs. We take a look at how AI affects photography, both in terms of enhancing creative capabilities and providing convenience for photographers, but at what cost?

Advanced Image Recognition and Enhancement

AI-powered algorithms have made significant advancements in image recognition, allowing cameras and photo editing software to identify and analyze various elements within a photograph. This technology enables automated scene detection, facial recognition, object tracking, and even the recognition of emotions and sentiments captured in an image. As a result, photographers can focus more on the creative aspects of composition and storytelling, knowing that AI can handle the technical details.

AI has revolutionized image enhancement techniques. From automatically adjusting exposure, contrast, and colours to reducing noise and sharpening details, AI algorithms can enhance the visual quality of photographs with astonishing accuracy. This empowers photographers to produce professional-looking images effortlessly, whether they are capturing a breathtaking landscape or an intimate portrait. This is the issue with AI images. The time and effort that goes into taking a beautiful landscape or an intimate portrait can be created in seconds with no effort. AI images have no emotional aspect to them. With Adobe Photoshop’s Beta new update which adds an AI-generated prompt, you can simply type in what you like to add to your photo. This creates a problem, AI-generated images are created by searching the internet for images you have asked for and bringing what it finds into your project, BUT it doesn’t think about copyright. The original artist or photographer has no idea their image has been manipulated to create a new bit of art. All AI-used images should only be used by a set photography stock where creators can add their images if they wish.

The image below is from a walk I took, I asked AI to add a puddle in the prompt section of Photoshop Beta, giving me a few different images of puddles to pick from. Some did not work in the images and some worked well. With some additional tweaks to the puddle it looks ok, BUT where did that image of the puddle come from? Who took it?

AI has replaced the Sky and added a puddle to this image with a text prompt

Intelligent Composition Assistance:

The art of composition is vital in photography, as it directly influences the visual impact and storytelling of an image. AI has introduced intelligent composition assistance features that guide photographers in framing their shots effectively. Using machine learning algorithms and vast databases of aesthetically pleasing photographs, AI can suggest optimal compositions, and rule of thirds guidelines, and even identify potential distractions within the frame. These intelligent suggestions provide valuable insights and help photographers capture visually stunning images more consistently.

AI image

Automated Post-Processing:

Traditionally, post-processing has been a time-consuming and technically demanding aspect of photography. However, AI has simplified this process by offering automated post-processing solutions. AI algorithms can analyze the characteristics of an image and apply a range of adjustments automatically, such as noise reduction, colour correction, and even artistic filters. This allows photographers to save time and effort while achieving impressive results.

Facial Recognition and Photo Organization:

AI-powered facial recognition has significantly improved photo organization and management. Smart algorithms can identify and tag individuals in photographs, making searching and categorizing images easier. This feature is particularly useful for professional photographers who deal with large volumes of images and need quick access to specific subjects or events.

Moreover, AI can also analyze and interpret the content of photographs, recognizing landmarks, objects, and even specific scenes. This capability assists photographers in organizing and categorizing their images based on different criteria, providing efficient workflows and enabling effective archiving.

Intelligent Image Restoration and Upscaling:

AI is also playing a transformative role in image restoration and upscaling. Old and damaged photographs can be restored using AI algorithms that can remove scratches, dust, and noise while enhancing details and colours. Similarly, AI-powered upscaling techniques can increase the resolution and quality of low-resolution images, making them suitable for larger prints or high-definition displays. These capabilities help preserve historical photographs and clear old memories to life.

The integration of AI technologies into photography has undeniably revolutionized the field, offering photographers unprecedented opportunities for creativity and convenience. From advanced image recognition and enhancement to intelligent composition assistance and automated post-processing, AI empowers photographers to focus on their artistic vision while delivering professional-quality results. Additionally, AI streamlines photo organization, restoration, and upscaling, further enhancing the overall photography experience. As AI continues to evolve, we can expect even more exciting possibilities, pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve with our cameras and unleashing new realms of artistic expression.

This Blog post was written with the help of AI. AI is everywhere and we need to be prepared. The founders of AI have there spoken about how they are also worried about what AI could do and legislation should be bought in.

A guide to editing Jewellery

So you've been asked to photograph some Jewellery. Firstly you need to know what background the client wants the item on. White, Black and so on. You'd then need to shoot the item making it look the best you can. The diamonds need to sparkle, you don't want a reflection of your camera and tripod in the item, so make sure you shoot the item correctly. I'll go into shooting jewellery in more depth in the future. 

Now the item is shot but the background isn't pure white. What do you do? Firstly take the image into photoshop. Create a new copy of the image in a new layer, on mack thats cmd and J. Once on you have your new layer make sure that the correct layer is selected. 

With this image above, I wanted one part of the necklace, so with the pen tool you cut out your item. The pen tool is very tricky to use if you don't know how, I'm still trying to figure it out now. If you can't get to grips with it you can use the quick selection tool by pressing W on a mac keyboard. The quick selection tool is great but not a precise as the pen tool so make sure you check the area you want to cut out is selected correctly before the next step. 

Once the item is selected again create a new layer via copy so cmd J on the keyboard. This will cut your selected item out and put it on a new layer. 

This image is an example and not cut out correctly 

Then, make sure the layer below is selected and create a new blank layer. Once that is open and selected press shift and F5 giving you the Fill box. Make sure the fill content is White and mode is normal and the opacity is 100% then click ok. 

Once that is done turn on your above layer. The cut out image, if you've cut it out correctly, should end up with your item on a pure white background. 

You'll know its pure white by picking the eyedropper tool and selecting any part that is white and if the # is #ffffff then its pure white 

Layer mask 

Once that's done, you can create a reflection. This is achieved by copying the original cut out and going to EDIT in the menu bar and clicking transform. In the transform section, selecting Flip Vertical. You would then, whilst holding the shift key drag the second image below allowing the two bass parts to just about meet. Once they meet you would go back to the layers panel and create a layer mask.

You would then choose the gradient tool, and from there pick the Foreground to Transparent mode. Whilst on your new layer you would drag up. This will softly blend away, giving the impression of a reflection. 

Once this is all done you can perform the normal editing changing levels and brightness of your item and maybe some colour correction. Though if you have shot the image correctly you wouldn't have much to do.

I hope this helps anyone trying to reach these types of results.