AI Photo Wednesday: DRY
Posted on January 24, 2024 • 2 min read • 365 words
Every Wednesday, I post a photo/illustration that has been created by AI, with accompanying text and explanation.
I use Midjourney to create images and photos for my blog and other media. Today’s topic is DRY. Want to read the article? Click here
The Story
DRY stands for Don’t Repeat Yourself. It’s a technique described as such in a book for programmers, but it fits just as well into the rest of your life. At least, that’s what I think. In [this article], I describe what it is.
For the article, I initially wanted a photo that would indicate that repetition. But I couldn’t come up with a good prompt for it. So it became a photo of someone standing under an umbrella in the rain.
The Photo
Used Prompt
This is the prompt I used to create the image.
a black and white pencil drawing of a woman with an umbrella in a streetBelow, you can see the other photos from the grid that Midjourney created based on that prompt. I was slightly more drawn to the photo in the top right than the others.
Editing
As with most images, I do a bit of post-processing. For the articles, I almost never replace parts, but I do a few things with exposure and such.
I also opened this photo in Photoshop. I then removed the lock from the first layer and converted that layer to a smart object.
For this photo, I only used the Camera Raw filter. I used the auto values for most of the options under Lights (shift-double click), except for the whites. I found the photo a bit too bright and wanted to make it darker.
I usually add some sharpening (now +150), and then I selectively apply it to the recognized edges (mask 53). This action made the photo a bit brighter, so I set the exposure back to -0.75.
To emphasize the person in the photo more, I added a vignette (-42, midpoint 52).
I often alternate between the words ‘photo’ and ‘illustration’. Can you still call it a photo if ’the AI’ has created an image? Even if it looks real? I’m still unsure.
