My AI tools: A personal look at the present and a glimpse of the future
I never thought I would delve so deeply into the world of AI tools when I first tried Midjourney in early 2022. But here I am, more than a year later. Reflecting on my favourites, the disappointments and the rising stars.
The picture says more than...
Midjourney was my introduction to AI-based image making. It was like suddenly holding a paintbrush that knew exactly what my innermost thoughts were. And the best part? I wasn't alone. Thanks to a Discord group I discovered early on, I was regularly sharing the best prompts. It was like a book club, except we shared pictures instead of words.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Midjourney was the evolution of the prompts from v1 to v5.2. It was like watching a child learn to talk, walk and eventually run. With each version, the prompting became more intuitive, more detailed and more precise. It was like suddenly having the ability to guide the AI brush with even finer strokes. And, of course, the quality of the results took an impressive leap forward.
Naturally, I was curious and tried other tools. Stable Diffusion and Dall-e were like those exotic holiday flings - interesting for a moment, but not really for a long-term relationship. Firefly, on the other hand, was like the silent suitor who suddenly shows up with a new haircut and a boost of confidence. With Firefly v2, the tool has taken a quantum leap and could seriously compete with Midjourney.
Stories that touch the heart
Textually, ChatGPT was my constant companion. It was like having a ghostwriter who knew exactly what made me tick. But it would be a misunderstanding to think that I simply fed it keywords and expected it to adopt the style of a New York Times bestselling author. No, I see ChatGPT more as my creative sparring partner. He helps me work out thoughts, create structure for copy and challenge myself. This approach of seeing ChatGPT as an overqualified assistant with twenty doctorates under his belt sums it up pretty well. It gives you something to think about - but when all is said and done, you write it.
Claude and Bard? They were like those two conversations at a party that you have a nice chat with, but at the end of the night you'd rather go home alone.
Moving image and text innovations
In addition to the tools I've already mentioned, I've also been experimenting with programs like Runway and Elevenlabs. Runway has proved to be a fantastic tool for creating moving image content. The developments and progress it has made in such a short time are impressive.
Elevenlabs, on the other hand, has really impressed me in terms of audio text creation. I would even go so far as to say that it is the leading tool in terms of audio text creation. For example, I have used Elevenlabs to test the length of voice-overs and to try out different wordings. It's a powerful tool that I wouldn't want to be without in my AI toolbox.
What does the future hold?
It's hard to say which AI tools will set the tone in the coming years. But one thing is certain: they will continue to play an important role in our creative process. I'm excited to see what new tools will emerge and which of the old favourites will evolve.
One company I'm keeping a close eye on is Adobe. With its long history in content creation and constant innovation, I believe Adobe could become a big player in AI-powered content creation and a serious competitor to Midjourney.
Until then, I will continue to experiment with my tried and tested tools and keep an eye on the latest developments. Because in the world of AI, the only thing that is certain is constant change. And I'm ready for the next adventure.