Have you ever had AI try to draw your characters/covers?

[Leyelle]

Humans will always do it better. For one thing, even when I would tell AI "dark skin" it still never strayed past the middle-brown spectrum.

Also it can't read. Like it really really can't read. I'd already made the cover for my new novel "A Dozen Morning Glories" but decided to see what the AI would create if I plugged all the same factors I included in the real cover into the computer.

This is the real cover. I like it. It's neat and news-printish with colors and lowered-saturation gray-tones that I think represent the vibe of the story and the leads really well. I also drew the flowers myself, which I love doing. If only all my covers only required me drawing flowers I'd be on cloud nine lol. As it is they don't and I really really need to remake the cover for "Rigamarole" because it's so blah.

The computer wrote some higgedly-piggedly alphabet soup that had my siblings and I in stitches trying to read it.

[ArtGremlin]

Nah- That last one looks like the spelling of my sister when she was six. (We were looking at some of her old papers today and is was bad)

[cherrystark]

All the time. They work very well.

The alphabet soup language is what's called loren ipsum. It's basically like Simlish and is a computer language used for "filler". AI-generated text in titles is still pretty new so it's the "default" for now. The titles and subtitles are almost always editable. The smaller text in some of the AI-generated images is the artistic equivalent of drawing scribbles, pages with blocks representing text, or even weird symbols in place of standard lettering.

Here is a poster I did for a contest I entered. If I was ever to use it for a commercial project, it would only need minor edits to be good to go.

Here is a sample cover I did today. It's dramatic and is very eye-catching. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to update the book cover on Amazon yet, but this cover is a high contender.

A friend helped me do some edits on this one. It's gorgeous and hits all the marks I was looking for before I relaunch the story for sale. The goal of a cover is to make readers stop and open the book. If you plan on selling books, you must ensure your cover appeals to the right audience. A good number of new writers when they join the world of indie publishing can't afford to hire traditional artists and are at constant risk of scammers. This option gives them a chance to build an audience and network.

If you don't want to use it, don't. I don't judge anyone for it because it's literally an accessibility tool. I don't know their circumstances.

[KevinReijnders]

Not in a million years across a million live times.

AI is a fucking plague on the industry, a wastefull use of power and resources all in a desperate attempt by silicon valley to remain relevant and for the rich to eliminate even more human labor.

[KevinReijnders]

A good number of new writers when they join the world of indie publishing can't afford to hire traditional artists

You know what, I call bullshit on this arguement.

There are a plethora of artists out there where you can get a cover made on a relatively low price. You'll probably be down a couple hundreds bucks if you want something of decent quality. If your intent is to sell, this is a very small investment cost you can easily earn back through sheer volume of sales.

Depeniding on your asking price and the specific cost, I'm assuming you'll need to sell likely somewhere around 20 to 30 books to effectively break-even. Sorry, but if you can't even accomplish those numbers, then you just suck at marketing your book. No amount of AI shit is going to help you there.

are at constant risk of scammers.

Oh yeah, it is you again. What does this argument assume really? That most artist are scammers? We're all always at risk of scams in everything we do. But that risk is generally quite negligable, otherwise most markets would have broken down for a lack of trust already. What you are admitting here is that you think the majority of artists are scammers, so instead you turn to the biggest scam of the moment.

[faisalhussein394]

I only use AI at work, but not for building some artwork from scratch, but by removing something on the background that is either distracting or needs to be replaced like getting rid of a vent from the wall. Which is mostly on PHOTOSHOP.

Many people keep hinting on the tips and tricks on how to detect an art made by AI but the most simplest way to detect is looking at the hands and if the so called "Artist" draw a character with the reveal of his/her hands, challenge them to draw a hand and see if it's AI or not.

I am so envious of the AI's way making such beautiful background but it sometimes gives me the motivation to keep improving.

[WildMoonCrow]

I wouldn’t even touch AI if you paid me. It’s not only horrible for art but it’s also bad for the planet in the sense that it uses ridiculous amount of resources. I won’t even play around with it for this reason. It’s incredibly unethical, and that won’t change any time soon. I think people who use AI just don’t care about how it affects other people and the planet 🤷‍♀️

[Stargazer31]

AI art is inherently theft. And it sucks at generating women who look over the age of 20 and black people, as well as... Just hands in general. It's a no from me

[NickRowler]

For one thing, even when I tell AI "dark skin" it still never strays past the middle-brown spectrum.

AI is pulling from image libraries online which can sometimes prioritize white people. There was a conversation a feel years back about how when you Google words like “woman” you mostly get white people. In recent years they have been trying to tackle this, so doing that now you are probably will get a larger range of ethnicities.

But, I think AI doesn’t really understand the difference between a light skinned black person and a dark skinned black person. Because to AI, these are both darker than someone with pale skin.

[heyerimv]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[cherrystark]

You know what, I call bullshit on this arguement.

And yet you still respond. My guy. When I say a lot of newer authors can't afford to hire an artist to do their covers, I mean it. Dropping a couple hundred on a single image, most people can't afford that. They have bills to pay, life is expensive.

around 20 to 30 books to effectively break-even.

We get 3-4 bucks per book. So selling 20-30 books only nets you between 60-90 bucks. That gets eaten up really quickly when a basic FB ad costs about 50 bucks. You could market like crazy every day and still not get any reads. It takes YEARS to make real money. Most indie writers end up writing dozens of books to fill up their catalog to increase their profits. They usually try out several cover making methods before they find a cover artist that fits their styles and budget.

Oh yeah, it is you again. What does this argument assume really? That most artist are scammers? We're all always at risk of scams in everything we do. But that risk is generally quite negligable, otherwise most markets would have broken down for a lack of trust already. What you are admitting here is that you think the majority of artists are scammers, so instead you turn to the biggest scam of the moment.

No, I'm not accusing most artists of being scammers. I'm stating that I've seen cover artists take pictures they got off Google, invert the image, and sell it to writers for 50 bucks. I've seen people take celebrity photos, toss on a filter, and sell them as covers. I've seen artists make generic covers and sell them at high markups. I've also them charge 50 bucks an edit on a 200 dollar custom cover. I've also seen artists claim an AI generated picture is their own work and sell it for the same rate they'd charge for one they painted by hand. I've also seen artists charge 50+ bucks an hour for a piece that looks like it was done on Microsoft paint by a toddler. What I am saying is that it can take years to find an artist that they trust and whose style compliments the writing.

[Leyelle]

I personally don't use AI for my stories either, because I think it takes away from what art is meant to be and takes jobs from artists as well. Art is self-expression, and since computers don't have selves to express it isn't real art. I love to draw and design covers and I'd hate to believe that in a few years cover designers will no longer have jobs because of it. I've played with AI before to see what it does, and like with the covers mentioned above, to compare the real work to the AI because I found it interesting (didn't know it was scraping at the time) but I definitely don't use it for my stories or characters

[Leyelle]

but by removing something on the background that is either distracting or needs to be replaced like getting rid of a vent from the wall.

This makes sense to me.

It’s not only horrible for art but it’s also bad for the planet in the sense that it uses ridiculous amount of resources.

Really? I did not know that. What does it do to the environment?

[Leyelle]

Alright everybody, let's please try to speak to each other kindly and respectfully. This space is for respectful discussions.

[llobucervallince]

used ai once for the moodboard for the design of one character. just that. I think is as far as I'd go, like not even actual references, but like just the basic ideas of what I want the character to be or the vibe I want them to have.

[Leyelle]

I could see that being kind of like using a prompt generator for a writing challenge

[KevinReijnders]

respectful

Tbh I have little to no interest in offering the usage of AI and its defenders any kind of respect. The AI models, those who created them and those who champion them have no respect for the artists they stole from and gleefully cheer on their replacement.

[abigaillmartin]

Yeah I tried it

It ABSOLUTELY SUCKS

LOL SCREW IT

I’LL JUST PHOTOSHOP IT AND MAKE IT IN CANVA

I’ll keep the ai chats but this

NOOOOOOO NOT IN A MILLION YEARS

drops mic

[Leyelle]

I don't think you have to respect the use of AI, just treat people with kindness. It's entirely okay to disagree with the use of AI. I agree with your view, it's replacing artists and stealing from us. But people are still people, you know? We can hate the robots without hating the people who use them for their stories.

[Leyelle]

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