Lens-Artists Challenge #302 – Artificial Intelligence and Photography
Recently, the discussion about AI (artificial intelligence) use seems to be in every article about photography. There is no consensus on whether it’s a good or bad thing. However, the truth is that in some cases, AI can be used creatively. Should photographers disclose when an image is changed dramatically from its original view? When has editing gone too far? Is an image created entirely from a text prompt still a photograph?
This week, John ( of Journeys with Johnbo) brought the AI topic to Lens-Artists’ challenges. He wrote:
“The question for today is to what extent AI makes the work something other than photography and at what point should it be identified as such.”
If you prefer to skip my text and see only the photos I shared below, you can head directly to the slideshow section
My take on editing is simple. I am comfortable adjusting the light, highlights/shadows, eliminating distractions, and similar things. I do not see that disclosure of that workflow is needed when I share a photo. However, if I combine images or replace skies, I will disclose the image as a composite. It is a personal decision. If I use generative AI to add more room to a photo canvas, I do not think it’s altering the photo, as long as I am not changing the scene’s reality. I have used AI in that sense without significantly altering the reality. Take this selfie I captured this week.
Since it was a selfie, I had little control (or wanted to spend too much time) figuring out where I would be in the frame. The result was okay, but I wanted more room to my right. AI created that small addition without making the scene fake. Everything was there, but my cell phone was incorrectly positioned for my desired composition. Other edits I applied to the photo included desaturating the grass and punching my skin color to create the illusion of heat and tiredness.
Through the years, AI and other photo manipulation techniques have slowly crept up in my photography journey. I remember when HDR first appeared. I created some not-so-wonderful edits. I now refer to those as “nuclear” edits because of the intense color results. The colors were too punchy. More recently, sky replacements have become a big trend. What a lot of people forget to do is pay attention to the light source when doing sky replacements. I’ve seen many lousy sky replacements where the light in the sky does not match the light on the ground. I often think about what one of my photography teachers used to say: “Just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should.” Here are some sky replacements I did in some of my photos. The skies in the original images were plain. So, I tried adding my vibrancy by changing reality. I am also posting the original image for your comparison.
In these images above, I also relit the entire image to match the tones in the sky. You can quickly notice the images’ warm tones throughout the scene. That is essential to making the sky replacement look more realistic. Nowadays, if the sky is dull, I try to eliminate most or all of the sky in my composition.
Do you think the following two images are authentic or AI-generated? The answer will be at the bottom of the post.
In closing, I want to post another couple of images. This is an example of having fun with AI tools in modern software. The image is real, but I created the edited image using Lightroom, Photoshop, and Luminar Neo. Here’s the story behind the photo. A photographer friend was visiting Austin a couple of months ago. She had seen a lighthouse photo on Lake Buchanan on social media and wanted to check it out. She, another friend, and I went there. When we arrived, we began comparing the image she had seen with the location. We could not see how the social media photo could have been real. Anyway, I created a similar photo to the one she had seen on social media. I used a second photo with a better foreground. I changed the light from daytime to nighttime in Photoshop using one of its automatic filters. In Luminar Neo, I replaced the sky with stormy skies that included lightning. I moved the sky to align the lightning with the lighthouse and added some light coming from the lighthouse. Final edits were done in Lightroom. So, this started with two real photos and turned into a composite with added AI elements.
So, what did you think of last week’s Lens-Artists challenge? Sofia (of Photographias) gave us an incredible floral challenge, and you shared stunning images.
I look forward to your take on John’s AI challenge this week. Be sure to check John’s post for more information and inspiration, and don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag when responding to it so we can easily find it in the Reader.
Next week, Donna of Wind Kisses will be our host. She will get our creative juices flowing with a new and ingenious challenge. Check her blog on Saturday at 12 noon (EDT in the USA). Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history.
“Mountain Majesty” is an AI-generated photo. “Emerald Pond” is at Westcave Preserve in Austin. I used an Orton filter to create a dreamscape look.
Slideshow
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photobyjohnbo
Excellent examples, Egidio! Unless I am trying for a special effect, I don’t use sky replacement much anymore either. Changing the time of day in the image, though, is an opening to do so. With tools like Neo’s Twilight filter, a full replacement might not be necessary. Relighting the scene to match the sky brings out the best in a photo.
Nice work on the Emerald Pond. It looks so mystical and magical. It deserves a place on a wall, maybe even a metal print.
Finally, you touched on one of my favorite things to do with lighthouses. I almost always see them in the middle of the day, but love to convert them to dusk or night and then illuminate the light. >grin<
Rebecca Cuningham
Thanks for the education, Egídio. Very interesting to learn what AI can do!
Ingrid
Well, you fooled me. I thought the Mountain Majesty was real. I’ve actually seen a similar scene in person in western Colorado. I thought Emerald Pond was total A.I. Great photos and write up regarding A.I. and editing.
Yinglan
Very nice on the sky replacement. I’ve tried it once but struggled with picking one that suited my photos. I think sky replacement will only make the photo look real if it suits the photo, otherwise, it will just make the photo look fake. My favorite is the last photo – the sky replacement with the lighthouse. Very cool.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the feedback, Ingrid. I think the soft edit on Emerald Pond can mislead our eyes. I also agree with you about Mountain Majesty. When I saw the photo, it gave me a deja vu feeling.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you very much, Yinglan. I appreciate your feedback. I am 100% in agreement with you about sky replacements. I’m happy you liked the fun experiment with the lighthouse. Thanks.
Terri Webster Schrandt
I’m rather a photo purist like you, Egidio, but I admit to having fun with AI. I like what you did with yours. I tend to create a new image from CoPilot, something I cannot take it real life. This way it’s pure fantasy and I admit it, LOL. After the Northern Lights show, I also saw a lot of scenes on Facebook, in which I doubt the northern lights were really there IRL (like in Yosemite). Looked like a lot of AI generated skies using auroras made their way through the pages. Your example of AI-gen tools with the lighthouse examples supports my theory!
Albatz Travel Adventures
Mountain Majesty is perfect but pretty generic; there is no personality of the photographer behind it. I like all your original photos better – I suppose I’ve been seeing too many generic ‘dramatic skies’ lately. I like your Long Bike Ride and Emerald Pond best, possibly because I sense a real brain (yours) behind the edits?! (I’m still working out what I think about AI, starting with your post…)
Egidio Leitao
Terri, I appreciate your feedback very much. Thank you. I get a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more AI on social media.
Egidio Leitao
Elizabeth, your feedback is so kind. Thank you a lot. I look forward to seeing your post.
Anne Sandler
Great informative post Egidio. And beautiful images.
Tina Schell
Egidio, I must admit I agree with Elizabeth, I prefer all of your originals vs your edited images. I will admit though that I got the mountain vs Pond question wrong!! That is NOT good 😊. I’ve learned so much about AI already this week and it’s only Sunday. How fun is that?!
I.V. Greco
I do like originals best and I, as others, are becoming more proficient at spotting AI produced images. I do think AI can help if one wants to give a different feel to photos. Your sky replacements look like photos taken in twilight where the originals are in full daytime. AI is helpful in manipulating the feel of photos. That aside, I do enjoy seeing photos that represent what the photographer saw that drew him or her to photograph a particular scene or object as they originally saw it; that being said, sometimes photos may not come out as intended so AI is definitely a useful tool to help correct those images.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Anne. This challenge is enlightening in so many ways.
Egídio
Thanks for your detailed feedback, John. I guess that just as I was once a fan of punchy HDR images, the same happened with sky replacements. Once I liked them.
Egídio
Rebecca, thank you for your feedback.
Egídio
Tina, I agree with you. Just as I wrote John, I have been through phases with my editing and the tools available. Once I had a bunch of punch HDR photos. The same happened with sky replacements. Nowadays, I prefer to crop a sky, if possible, instead of making the scene unreal. I am looking forward to the responses we’ll see this week. It’ll be great to learn what everyone is doing.
Egidio Leitao
You touched on very important point, I.V. Yes, the real scene is what leads me to capture it. Why make drastic changes, right? I believe AI has a long way to go. Just the other day, I saw another challenge and felt like the images did not look real for some reason. When I asked the original poster, my feelings were confirmed. Thank you for your feedback.
I.V. Greco
Agreed. I enjoy seeing the beautiful sights you capture!
margaret21
In your Compare & Contrast shots, I strongly prefer the originals, where your actual subject remains the subject with no distracting tricksiness. I was irritated with myself when I got your puzzle wrong. I thought the second was AI. In my defence I am having to read posts on my phone just now. An interesting post.
pattimoed
Hi Egidio. I enjoyed your post. Very thought-provoking. I remember the “early” days of HDR. Now I look back at my highly saturated images and shudder! I suspect we’ll feel the same way about some of the dramatic sky replacements. There’s a touch of unreality in them and exaggerated color. Interesting point about the light source. On our next call, I’ll ask you more about that. I’d love to know how you and John do that. To tell you the truth, I prefer the original lighthouse image and the parachute jumper. The new sky was distracting, I think.
Tra Italia e Finlandia
Ciao Egidio e complimenti per le tue creazioni. Penso che l’originale sia da preservare sempre e che bisogna dichiarare chiaramente le rielaborazioni fatte.
Comunque spesso le foto generate da AI sembrano disegni, o vignette, non sono realistiche.
Tomi Rovira
Hello Egidio I have a pretty clear opinion, at least for me, about what you discuss in this post and I would like to share it with you.
To me, it is quite clear that an image created from a line or paragraph of text is not a photograph. In any case, it will be one more image of so many.
Another thing is as you say, editing a real photo with AI to improve certain parts. In fact, to me, this is equivalent to using filters, changing the sky to another, or adding a cyclist to a road.
Thanks for reading me.
JohnRH
Great photos and ‘pictures’. I’m bummed that Mountain Majesty is AI. We have so much natural majesty here in Colorado. The sky replacements are interesting, but to me make the picture no longer ‘real’. I hope modifiers will honestly identify their pictures as such. We should have an A.I.-Artists blog for them, perhaps. Let’s just be honest.
carabeinsplash
Really great post Egidio! I feel like the discussion on the alteration of photos began with “photoshop” (used as a general term for any photo editing program) and has now extended to A.I. I have mixed feelings about altered photos, depending on the degree of manipulation. As for heavily altered, I think you answered your own question with the words “fake or authentic”.
restlessjo
I’m not clever enough or imaginative enough to create some of your (and John’s) photos, Egidio. I prefer simple and natural. There’s enough beauty in the world for a good photographer. But the technology is there to play with, if you enjoy that. I agree with your philosophy on disclosure 🙂💙
SoyBend
Nice photos, Egidio! I think I liked the Emerald Pond the best. The filter really enhanced it.
Egidio Leitao
Margaret, you are not alone in your preferences. I think everyone who has seen the post agrees the original is better. As for the puzzle, the Orton effect confused you. Thank you for your feedback.
Egidio Leitao
Patti, I did those sky replacements years ago. I totally agree with the various comments I’m getting on the post. The skies distract from the real subjects in the photos. Thanks for the comments.
Egidio Leitao
Sono d’accordo con te. Ho sempre scoperto che le immagini dell’intelligenza artificiale sembrano false a un certo livello. Grazie per i commenti e i complimenti.
Egidio Leitao
Tomi, thank you for sharing your views. Although I may agree that AI can be art, it is not photography in my opinion. I agree with the use of filters, too. The old dark room is now a digital room.
Egidio Leitao
I was surprised at Mountain Majesty. I did not like the sides of the mountains, though. They looked fake to me. I hope that people will disclose when they post an AI-generated image. Thank you, John.
Egidio Leitao
Jo, I like nature as it is. Those sky replacement photos I shared were done several years ago, when sky replacement was a hot topic. Disclosure is key, I agree. I hope users will be open to that. What they create falls into the realm of art, but it is not photography.
Egidio Leitao
SIobhan, thank you for the feedback. The Orton filter can enhance the look of a photo.
Egidio Leitao
You know, I had not thought about Photoshop. You are correct. That’s when it started. Although I have used sky replacements in the past, I am now more inclined to leave nature as is. Thanks for the feedback.
Marie A Bailey
While I prefer Nature as it is, I really llke your edited and AI-enhanced photos. (Actually, I enjoyed all your photos.) They seem artistics and you obviously put a lot of work and thought into them. The bottom line for me is that the artist/photographer/writer is honest about their work. If they use AI, then say so. If they use other tools to create an image different from the original, then say so. When people are honest, we can learn from each other, and we can have fun 🙂
restlessjo
Well said. So true 🤗🩷
Egidio Leitao
Marie, your point about being honest is perfect. I think that is what will be needed as more and more start using AI. Those images I posted with sky replacements are old edits. I have not done replacements since then. Thank you for your feedback.
Shelley
Egidio – very intriguing. Your journey has taken you from the moment of capture on to an adventure in creativity beyond the camera. There’s a place for imagination in AI. Claiming it is so seems to be a helpful factor. I guessed right on the two photos. The thirds in the photo, especially the water in the Mountain didn’t look real to me. The enchanting Emerald Pond felt surreal/real to me. All-in-all, I’d say I’m more a fan of the natural photos, but, if I were more inclined to learn how to play and what can be done with edits like you’ve done, I’d look to you for how to have fun playing and being creative with mixing photos. We’ve taken a bunch of family photos before and when one or two family members didn’t look right or didn’t smile where the majority of others did, my hubby or my daughter have photoshopped the photos by exchanging the good smiles with the not so good faces and no one knew the difference. Is that cheating? 🤣 I think those kind of edits would be if it were in the wrong hands and for the wrong reasons…
Egidio Leitao
Shelley, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this issue. Nowadays, I will play with AI — as I did with the night lighthouse composite — only when I want to have fun. I’m glad you got the photos correctly. The mountain shot, although pretty close, had me scratching my head about the water and mountain sides. I love the idea of getting family photos the right way. Those edits are great, I’m sure.
Wind Kisses
I was wrong about the Mountain Majesty, and sadly I was hoping you were going to tell me where to visit. Lol. The Emerald Pond was a great trick and looks very much like a fairy tale. This was a fantastic read, Egidio. I enjoyed all your photos and your careful selections to change the mood of the photos rather than change them all together. And aside of the photos…great ride!
Egidio Leitao
Donna, the good thing is that you got the intended mood in Emerald Pond. That’s very reassuring for me. I chose those two images for the challenge because of the way the look. Although Mountain Majesty looks real, the water and mountain sides give it away for me. The sky replacements had been done a long time ago. Now, in retrospect, I see the skies were overpowering the subjects. I think I would do them differently nowadays. Thank you so much for the support!
Shelley
You’re welcome – thanks for entertaining my thoughts. Having fun while we’re doing anything with photos is the key, isn’t it? 😉😊
And…making sure the family is all smiling in photos makes for extra special memories. 😁
Toonsarah
I like that quote from your teacher, ‘Just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should’ 😀 I was especially interested in your workflow for the lighthouse image and I like the result, even if it is ‘faked’! Your sky replacements are well done but to be honest I think the skies in the originals are fine as they are 😉 As for the two images you ‘tested’ us on, I thought both were AI!
Leya
A very interesting and illuminating(!) post, Egidio. I must say I liked all your originals and the others as well…even if some looked better original. I saw the AI immediately and recognised the pond – or a similar one – from earlier posts. The dreamy look is a favourite with me. I hope to understand more about AI, already learned some this week. It is a fun tool, but it is only a tool, and as far as I can see, you have to know what you want to achieve – and how. Otherwise there will be too much laughter! I am with you about clarifying if it is an AI enhanced or full AI picture.
Egidio Leitao
Ann-Christine, thank you for your detailed feedback. You are very perceptive about the pond. Yes, I had featured it previously. I love the dreamy look in photos.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you very much, Sarah. If something in the brief workflow I mentioned is not clear, please feel free to reach out. I’ll be glad to share further details, if you desire.
Egidio Leitao
Shelley, I can spend hours by my computer just editing photos. It’s so fascinating being able to reproduce the effect of a scene with the edits I make.
Shelley
That’s wonderful – anytime we as adults can enjoy play & creativity is a grand thing!
Philo
Lovely!
Loved all your experiments.
Wonderful outcome.
Lighthouse with lighting my fav!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Philo. I’m surprised how well it turned out.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
I have to admit you have the skills to use AI well, but I do prefer the originals, the AI produce little plastic images , emotionless. Skies I also sometimes do, but mostly I prefer to be authentic and show what I saw. Over colorize or too much edit makes them look unrealistic. As I said, you have the skills as a photographer, AI is not needed in my opinion.
Egidio Leitao
Ritva, thank you so much for your compliment. It means a lot coming from you. You nailed it when you said AI images look plastic and emotionless. I think that is my biggest disappointment with AI.