Might Not Pass the Sniff Test

My original image vs the generated image

I am a fine and graphic artist. I work in traditional as well as digital media; but truthfully, for the past Iyear or so I've been repelled, yet tantalized by the irresistible siren call of AI image generation.

Recently I decided to take the plunge. For the past several weeks I've been researching AI image art generating platforms, to see if that's something that would enhance my earning power. What I've found, on several levels, was a god with feet of clay. One of my first studies was Adobe Firefly, mainly because I was already using Adobe Suite, and several online pundits were touting Firefly. After extensive research I came to the conclusion that it's got frustrating glitches. I would write in a description - in several different ways - of what I wanted: for instance (among other details), a clean-shaven, or beardless, or smooth faced man. What I got back, over and over again, was a man with a short or long, straight or curly, neatly trimmed or wild beard. Then I uploaded a file of a painting of an old man that I had made, texted directions and pressed the generate button. What I got, among other mistakes, was two fingers of the generated old man blended into one fingernail. Here's another example: an old man wiith a cane walking up the stairs. That's a pretty simple direction, right? Not for Firefy, it wasn't! I got back four images. Two were of men walking downstairs, one was of a man walking sideways on one of the steps. His trajectory was the wall. The cane was the killer. It was either too short to be useful, or so long it actually went through the step, and hit - nothing. Even in my frustration I had to laugh.

The other image generator platforms pose a different kind of irritation. You have to share a credit card info with the website, and have only a couple of days trial. That's just (in my humble opinion) not long enough to check out the goods; and, I think, sometimes a "pundit" is getting a kick-back for promoting an AI app. If you're like me and absent-minded, you'll miss the deadline and have to start paying the monthly rate you'd signed up for. At least these creators should allow two weeks' grace to thoroughly check the app out. Many of them don't give any time at all - bada-beem-bada-boom - you're paying before you're allowed into their "hallowed halls".That's just not right. Buyer, Beware!