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Made with DeviantArt muro

My entry for Malintra-Shadowmoon 's Contest 5 (and) 7 is 1 (and) 2 is 3 , under the Sky Sensations topic, under the AI category.

First, the subject of the image.
This 8th April, we had an amazing total solar eclipse here in Quebec, with the next one expected to come only in 2106. And I finally got to see it, my first and last total solar eclipse!!!
So, I joked with my family that my only remaining celestial event on my bucket wishlist was a full-fledged aurora borealis. You know, the stunning ones, not the barely visible subtle gray cloud-like ones I see in my southern region.
So considering I've never seen one, I decided to generate an image to show off what I hope to one day witness in its full glory.
Because an eclipse is awesome. But to see an aurora borealis like the kinds I've heard talk about.... Now that would be a true Sky Sensation.

And now... AI.
Yes, yes, AI. I know, I know, I used to refuse to use that. Add to it that it can't even be called AI; it's just an advanced form of photoshop using existing images.

Now, yes, I used to look down on AI art, as an artist myself.
But I have another set of skills, and that is independent music making. Considering I have zero budget to dedicate to physical musicians, I have to rely on royalty-free music loops, such as, for example, drum and guitar loops (since I don't play those instruments, unlike piano).
Now, AI art is like commercial music loops. Yes, you can make decent stuff with it, and it sounds/look decent enough. But trust me, a drum loop sounds nothing like having a true pro veteran drummer, like say the awesome Steve Smith, formerly drummer of Journey:
Yes, drum loops will give you decent drums for your songs; but they're ain't beating Steve Smith's actual innovative and sheer drumming skills. But... I can't afford Steve Smith. Neither can most indie musicians. So, we go to cheap commercial drum loops.

AI art is, for me, the same. Yes, they don't beat the actual digital artists; in fact, it's hard to even be able to ask the AI engine to make some concepts. No matter what I wrote as a prompt, DreamUp couldn't make an image based on my request, which was people gathering and celebrating under cherry blossoms trees in spring, which was an intended art for the Spring topic, as I wanted to represent the Hanami festival. Forget it; DreamUp was unable to give me that. However, an human artist would have been able. But I can't afford a human digital artist, and I don't have the skills, nor the time to learn those skills, to do it myself. If I stick to common concepts, DreamUp will do it for free, and give me a somewhat decent image, such as the one above. I'm poor, and food and rent currently takes priority over commissions; and that is the reality for a lot of starting artists, or simply people who need digital art to accompany their hobbies (like book covers, character sheets, etc).

So that ends my preemptive rant about AI art backlash.

The submitted art is AI, and is made with DeviantArt's DreamUp app. I don't know the models and images used, but I did not tag any artist or art style specifically, and the prompt used was: "aurora borealis reflecting on ice water in a snowy environment", with the Cinematic option selected.

Description
Made with DeviantArt muro

My entry for Malintra-Shadowmoon 's Contest 5 (and) 7 is 1 (and) 2 is 3 , under the Sky Sensations topic, under the AI category.

First, the subject of the image.
This 8th April, we had an amazing total solar eclipse here in Quebec, with the next one expected to come only in 2106. And I finally got to see it, my first and last total solar eclipse!!!
So, I joked with my family that my only remaining celestial event on my bucket wishlist was a full-fledged aurora borealis. You know, the stunning ones, not the barely visible subtle gray cloud-like ones I see in my southern region.
So considering I've never seen one, I decided to generate an image to show off what I hope to one day witness in its full glory.
Because an eclipse is awesome. But to see an aurora borealis like the kinds I've heard talk about.... Now that would be a true Sky Sensation.

And now... AI.
Yes, yes, AI. I know, I know, I used to refuse to use that. Add to it that it can't even be called AI; it's just an advanced form of photoshop using existing images.

Now, yes, I used to look down on AI art, as an artist myself.
But I have another set of skills, and that is independent music making. Considering I have zero budget to dedicate to physical musicians, I have to rely on royalty-free music loops, such as, for example, drum and guitar loops (since I don't play those instruments, unlike piano).
Now, AI art is like commercial music loops. Yes, you can make decent stuff with it, and it sounds/look decent enough. But trust me, a drum loop sounds nothing like having a true pro veteran drummer, like say the awesome Steve Smith, formerly drummer of Journey:
Yes, drum loops will give you decent drums for your songs; but they're ain't beating Steve Smith's actual innovative and sheer drumming skills. But... I can't afford Steve Smith. Neither can most indie musicians. So, we go to cheap commercial drum loops.

AI art is, for me, the same. Yes, they don't beat the actual digital artists; in fact, it's hard to even be able to ask the AI engine to make some concepts. No matter what I wrote as a prompt, DreamUp couldn't make an image based on my request, which was people gathering and celebrating under cherry blossoms trees in spring, which was an intended art for the Spring topic, as I wanted to represent the Hanami festival. Forget it; DreamUp was unable to give me that. However, an human artist would have been able. But I can't afford a human digital artist, and I don't have the skills, nor the time to learn those skills, to do it myself. If I stick to common concepts, DreamUp will do it for free, and give me a somewhat decent image, such as the one above. I'm poor, and food and rent currently takes priority over commissions; and that is the reality for a lot of starting artists, or simply people who need digital art to accompany their hobbies (like book covers, character sheets, etc).

So that ends my preemptive rant about AI art backlash.

The submitted art is AI, and is made with DeviantArt's DreamUp app. I don't know the models and images used, but I did not tag any artist or art style specifically, and the prompt used was: "aurora borealis reflecting on ice water in a snowy environment", with the Cinematic option selected.