Have you been hearing about AI—artificial intelligence—in the news? I’ve heard everything from how amazing and cool it is to horror stories about how it is going to end mankind as we know it. The former is essentially a database trained by humans using material that is already created and is mostly innocuous (think of Siri, Alexa, GPS, etc.) The latter is “general AI,” which has the ability to actually teach itself and has far exceeded expectations. That should scare us. And I do want to caution everyone to think carefully and seek godly, biblical wisdom about any use of either type of AI. There are serious ethical and even spiritual considerations that come with this new facet of technology.
I don’t pretend to understand either kind of artificial intelligence, but today, I want to share one of the really amazing aspects of AI with you. My husband, an illustrator and graphic designer, has been experimenting with an application of AI in the art world via an app called Midjourney.
By simply entering prompts telling the Midjourney app what image you want it to create, you have access to a vast database, and can end up with some incredible images in every style from photo-realistic, to paintings, to any other medium or style you can think of. And that’s the point: it’s whatever the artist can think of. With amazing accuracy and uniqueness, these images can take the place of the stock art that graphic designers currently use to create book covers or other types of illustration.
Here is an example of some images Ken generated for the hero and heroine of my work in progress. This is the prompt Ken entered to get these images: Blond female travel writer, 30s, working in coffee shop in North Carolina
I was blown away to see this image—almost exactly how I’ve been picturing my heroine, Leisl.
Each prompt creates 4 images and you can continue creating groups of four images with the same prompt, refine your prompt, or select one of the four images and ask for variations of it, until you get something that looks close to what you had in mind.
A second and third try with the same prompt created more great images, but none as accurately depicted as the one in the first batch. Since the people pictured in these images aren’t real people, but are generated by artificial intelligence from a vast database of widely varied images, there aren’t issues with getting model releases or permission to use a real person’s likeness.
This was the prompt for my hero: Caucasian male, 30s, dark hair, brown eyes, clean-shaven, Airbnb proprietor in his North Carolina country kitchen with coffee.
These images clearly show AI’s shortcomings. For one thing, AI apparently doesn’t know the meaning of clean-shaven. And (like many real artists!) AI apparently isn’t very good at drawing hands. There have been many reports of hidden hands, missing fingers, extra fingers, etc. And I have no idea why the second guy has two long belt straps overlapping or why the coffee mug in the last image is levitating!
Still, with a little tweaking from a real artist, these images could eventually become the background or characters on a book cover. For now, they simply serve as inspiration for me as I write about these characters. And another round with the same prompt gave me this image of my Zach. (It even included a bowl and tea kettle in my two favorite colors! Ha!)
Ken can now use these AI-generated images the same way he uses stock photos, combining, meshing, changing and refining images using programs like PhotoShop and Illustrator. For example, while I prefer the woman in one image, I like the coffee shop scene from another one. Ken can combine the two, adjust the color and tone, add textures, lay type or decorative swirls over them, and voilà!—my dream book cover!
Whether they end up being part of my story or not, it’s hard to explain how much the images have helped me capture the mood and setting of my story.
Creating contemporary images has never been much of a problem, but Ken says the most difficult thing for a designer creating book covers is finding stock photos for historical novels. “There just aren’t many resources out there and the ones that do exist can be very expensive. But I just got a cover assignment for a book about a woman who took a train across the country in 1913 and kept a journal of her trip. There was virtually nothing like that in stock photography, but within minutes I was able to generate numerous variations on that image and they all look great!” Here are just a few that Midjourney came up with in response to Ken’s prompt:
Ken said the author was blown away to get cover roughs back from him within minutes of her assignment. Of course, there still needs to be research to make sure the clothing and settings are accurate and appropriate to the story, but the author can make suggestions for changes and Ken can incorporate those into his prompts and the final image. He did say he may have to start charging by the minute instead of by the hour! Haha! But he’s definitely viewing AI as a boon, not a hindrance, to his work as a graphic designer and illustrator.
I can’t wait to see what he comes up with for the covers of my new series, but so far, I’m thinking this kind of AI should stand for “Absolutely Incredible!”
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Wow!! Thank you for sharing this. It seems like all I’ve heard about lately is AI, but this practical explanation with actual output examples is fascinating and so helpful.
Glad you found it helpful, Deena. It just amazes me!
That’s pretty incredible. As a historical romance author, I’m especially intrigued by the possibilities for historically accurate and beautiful covers. I really appreciated this comment, “And that’s the point: it’s whatever the artist can think of.” Leaves hope that the God-given gift of human creativity will not be vanquished.
I agree! We don’t want to LOSE anything in the discovery of new ways of creating art! And above all, we want to be sure that all these new technologies are used in ethical and honest ways.
This was fascinating Deb. I had no idea that AI could create such realistic images without using images of actual people. I had to laugh at the levitating cup and double belt straps, though. Very funny. As a historical author, I’m particularly intrigued by the options for creating historical images. This could really broaden the possibilities. Thanks for sharing!
It was a fun post to write! As the title implies, it has really blown my mind!
Deborah, thank you so much for this info. It has been very helpful!!
You’re most welcome. This is just the tiny tip of the iceberg!
Wow, Deb, this is so interesting. I’ve been using Chat GPT for research with the historical novel I’m writing now. This morning I asked for quotes from a woman who was an activist who spoke out to protect women and children in England in the 1880s. It gave me three great quotes I can weave in when she is giving a speech. Then I asked for the lyrics to three hymns that mention children and were sung in the England in the 1880s. Those are great, and I will probably use one of those in the story. It has been a great help!
I’m really glad to hear applications of Chat GPT like this that are ethical and just add to our resources for research. Thank, Carrie!
I’m amazed! This capability is so impressive!
Isn’t it mind-blowing!? The more I look closely at the images, the more I’m amazed by the little details (but also the more oddities I find…like what looks like a periscope on the copper tea kettle in the image of my hero. And the odd “candle” on top of the red tea kettle…and more). Fascinating!
That is truly a game-changer for historicals! Wow!
Ken’s thoughts exactly!
Wow! The graphics are amazing. I can see how these images would help me write richer settings and connect with my characters more quickly as I discover who they are. Thank you for sharing this, Deb!
Yes! The images have such a mood to them. I love all the detail that is put into them.
All those pictures (that aren’t really photos) are amazing, but the historical ones are truly great. If not for a cover, for inspiration.
Wow!
Exactly! They’re great for stock art, but for me as a very visual writer, they provide SO much inspiration!
I’ve seen some posts recently from artists on Instagram around the AI creation of characters and book covers. It seems that the AI is scouring the internet and basically taking bits and pieces from various other sources to create a new image. While I think it’s incredibly cool that authors are able to see images that match what’s in their heads, it has been eye opening to see AI through the eyes of artists and how they feel about their art being used without their consent (more so when it winds up being used publicly – either for character products or covers). I’ve also seen where the AI may not be covered by any kind of copyright so that’s something authors would need to take into account for their covers. Some folks have started using AI to write books and I can’t imagine how the book world will be overrun with books before long. I am both awed by what it can do and scared out of my shoes…
I agree! There’s a very fine line and a very precarious balance required to navigate this technology! As it has always been with technology.
Wow, those are amazing. (I love the levitating coffee cup LOL)
It sure made us laugh!
Wow. I am very leary of AI. In some cases it can do more harm than good. However, these images are interesting and funny. The possibilities seem endless.
I do think it’s wise to be wary.
So interesting!
It sure is! I can just hardly wrap my mind around it!
Can I just say how much I love this post? Thank you for sharing your (and Ken’s) experiences with MidJourney.
I’ve used an AI app to turn my own photos into “cartoon-like” pics for a children’s picture book and have 2 more books in the works, so that’s a little bit of a different way of using AI. I own the rights to the the original images
On the book cover front, I’ve designed a few covers myself for my Indie work, and Ken is so right. It’s hard to find good images that I fall in love with for my historical novels, esp where heroes and heroines look authentic to the time period. I found one image that I really liked, but I had to do some airbrushing to make her skirt look like a late 1800s skirt vs. a modern day skirt with inverted box pleats. Maybe nobody would have noticed or cared, but I did! lol
I’m looking at the Midjourney app, trying to determine if the $10 cost is a one-time fee or monthly cost. And… also whether the $60 for the higher tier is also a one-time fee or monthly. Any advice from your resident artist? 🙂
Those are monthly fees: $10, $30, and $60 tiers. According to the website, “Midjourney has three subscription tiers. Pay month-to-month or for the entire year for a 20% discount.” You can start with a free trial version too. Ken felt he’d use it plenty to make the monthly fee worthwhile. (Of course, he does work for others full-time, so well worth it to him.)
Thanks Deb!
I am blown away by this, too. And a bit nervous… Thanks for this fabulous post, Deb!
It was a fun one to write. And yes, it makes me a bit nervous too!!
I’m fascinated and without knowing our great God is always in control, I might be slightly terrified. LOL Thanks for sharing, and I’m eager to see that finished cover.
Yes, GOOD reminder, Tammy. God is in control. But we want to be sure we’re allowing Him to control our lives and our use of AI.
That’s really cool! And scary! These AI might start replacing human artists. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, definitely proceed with caution.