I Asked an A.I. Image Generator to Show me Pipe Smoking...

[cosmicfolklore]

I would practice film photography as an art if I had access to a photolab where I could process my own film and make my own prints.

I sometimes see enlargers at the thrift store. You could probably find one on ebay. There are places online that still have b&w film. I used to buy bulk and roll my own.
Really, it’s not very hard.

Now, photo prints with a press is where magic can happen. We have an artist in our group that does these large lithographs that are remarkable, because so much magic happens in the ink. He sells them like crazy. He quit practicing law to make prints.

 

[dottlejockey]

Interestingly surreal. Wish Salvador Dali was around to comment...

 

[mikethompson]

My great grandad would wear a 3 piece suit to the beach.

The rules are reversed below the equator I believe

 

[pappymac]

Could you not do so, starting with a hi Rez digital file? Photoshop and Lightroom offer all that a genius with darkroom experience can do. Of course, missing is the wonder of a print in developer, the peace and sanctity of the darkroom....

Both the above apps can go far beyond what a wet process offers, but you can limit yourself to just the basics are if you wish.

And if you get that perfect black and white that needs paper with plenty of silver, I believe there are those who can process that from a file.

If you get as much enjoyment out of the process as you do from the finished product, then by all means, go with wet. My priority is the end product, and there is simply no way that I could achieve the same level of quality and quantity shooting film as I do with digital. I shot film for decades, really enjoyed printing (my personal work), but having to do darkroom work for clients sucks.

The "key words" in my statement were "I would practice film photography as an art..."

I have been using Adobe Photoshop since it first came out in 1990 and Camera Raw when it was released as part of Photoshop 7.0. (I also learned Pagemaker & Quark Express when they were first introduced. I switched to InDesign when 2.0 came out.)

Depending on the result I need for what photography I do now, I do most of my editing in RAW or Photoshop.
Whether digital editing goes far beyond what a wet process offers is another debate especially in regards to B/W photos.

 

[pappymac]

I sometimes see enlargers at the thrift store. You could probably find one on ebay. There are places online that still have b&w film. I used to buy bulk and roll my own.
Really, it’s not very hard.

Now, photo prints with a press is where magic can happen. We have an artist in our group that does these large lithographs that are remarkable, because so much magic happens in the ink. He sells them like crazy. He quit practicing law to make prints.

I have an Omega D3 enlarger in my garage.
I had planned on building a darkroom but sometimes life decides to not let you do what you want.

 

[woodsroad]

My Beseler 45MXII and the rest of it all have been packed away for 23 years.

 

[anotherbob]

this image is an A.I. abomination. I love A.I. for it's ability to make monsters.

 

[anotherbob]

I sometimes see enlargers at the thrift store. You could probably find one on ebay. There are places online that still have b&w film. I used to buy bulk and roll my own.
Really, it’s not very hard.

No it really isn't. Used to do that all the time. And I love how you'd usually end up with more negatives from a roll then if you spent more for Kodak or Fuji to roll it for you.

Now, photo prints with a press is where magic can happen. We have an artist in our group that does these large lithographs that are remarkable, because so much magic happens in the ink. He sells them like crazy. He quit practicing law to make prints.

 

[woodsroad]

Now, photo prints with a press is where magic can happen. We have an artist in our group that does these large lithographs that are remarkable, because so much magic happens in the ink. He sells them like crazy. He quit practicing law to make prints.

What kind of content sells the best for him?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

What kind of content sells the best for him?

I wouldn’t call them landscapes, nor botanicals. Different stuff, but he gets fine details of walls of plants, natural, like kudzu or ivy on trees. Unreal resolution… well, it’s not resolution as you would get digitally printed , but the grain of the litho gives this different kind of resolution. I’m not a photographer, so I don’t have the jargon.

We have another who is doing these large plates etched with a digital laser. Something odd happens when the digital photo meets laser… the prints look dot matrix, very low res. Odd. But, the plates can be inked intaglio or relief. But, his images don’t interest me the same as the lawyer guy.

Me… I’m in the corner cutting and pasting collagraphs , ha ha. Cutting some linoleum, etc…

I just took a printing press out to our big art show of the year. I’ll be doing demos of printing techniques all weekend. I’m a printmaking nerd, ha ha.

 

[bent1]

Guess our hobby is safe when the anti smoke crowd tries to confiscate our pipes. Interesting chair, looks quite electric

 

[sablebrush52]

Here's a link to an AI image generator in development at Microsoft that's going to put a lot of VFX and Animation people out of work.

BTW, the two women talking in this demonstration are themselves entirely synthesized AI creations. Have fun!

Cool or creepy? Microsoft's VASA-1 is a new AI model that turns photos into 'talking faces'

Impressive lip-syncing

www.tomsguide.com

 

[mikethompson]

BTW, the two women talking in this demonstration are themselves entirely synthesized AI creations

Then are they really women?

 

[mikethompson]

So I asked an AI-chat generator this:

AI, I asked an AI image generator to generate an image of pipe smoking, and it was hilariously inaccurate. It generated an image of a man sitting on a chair in a field, and he's holding a metal tube over his face. How do you account for this? What is pipe smoking to you?

This was it's answer:

AI: Pipe smoking, as it is traditionally understood, is the practice of inhaling smoke from a pipe, which typically contains tobacco or other dried plant matter. The image you described appears to depict a man engaging in a different activity altogether, possibly the burning of herbs or other incense materials. While it is possible that the image generator may not have a comprehensive understanding of all cultural practices and their associated imagery, it is important to note that its interpretation of your request may be influenced by its training data and the context it was designed for. As an AI language model, my understanding of pipe smoking is grounded in its historical and cultural context, as well as its widespread use as a recreational activity. I am unable to provide specific information about the practices or beliefs associated with the image you described, as they are not within the scope of my knowledge or training.

 

[jpmcwjr]

A bot's explanation! As bad as many humans.

It could have said, "Yeah, we blew it out our ass. Sorry."

 

[sablebrush52]

Then are they really women?

That is an existential question.