By Eric Zentner
Contributed to by Eric Berman
In the swiftly evolving landscape of digital marketing and design, modern AI art tools have emerged as game-changers, transforming the way marketing and design agencies serve their clients. These cutting-edge technologies are not just about making things “look pretty” or creating conceptual or even “wacky” works of art, they’re also about getting creative and personal with projects, making everything a lot more fun and tailored towards our clients needs. With AI in the mix, we’re heading towards a future where we can keep pushing the limits of creativity to match what our clients can dream up.
In our case we’ve been actively following and testing the latest Ai tools in an effort to keep up with the wave of innovation, and to figure out what we can put in our toolbox today. The goal is to help us work more efficiently and create more engaging results for our clients.
Due to the speed these tools are evolving, we realise that this post may very quickly become outdated, so be sure to check back as we will attempt to keep it updated with the latest from the world of Ai design.
Here are just a few examples of how we’ve been using AI:
Creating Something from Nothing
Whether it’s extending an image by 100 pixels to make room for copy, or changing an image from Square to 9:16 for an Instagram story, the tools at our disposal today can do things in seconds that would have taken hours if not days before.
Images can be upscaled by 2x, 4x or sometimes even 8x their original size and still maintain a high level of quality and detail. Wish you could see the rest of the models arm in that stock photo? No problem. Need the model holding a phone instead of a book? Now you can… and more.
Here are some visual examples:
The original stock image.
The image resized for instagram stories, with the missing portions filled in using Photoshop’s Generative Fill.
The original Ai image created using Midjourney.
The image scaled up to 2x it’s original size using an Ai tool, with details like skin, hair and clothing texture added for additional realism.
Top-Left: The original stock photo from Getty Images.
Bottom: The unwanted image elements are removed and cleaned up using Adobe Firefly and Generative Fill, the background is cleaned up and expanded, and finally new elements and colouring are composited into the image to prepare it for Amazon.
Better than the Best Stock
Why rely on what’s available on Stock image sites when we can finely tune our Ai image generations to get just the right model, age, setting, ethnicity, lighting and accessories – all royalty free! Nevermind the cost and complexity of an actual photoshoot with real people and a crew. The speed and ease of use of modern tools like Adobe Firefly and Midjourney have opened up the gates to endless creative possibilities that cost next to nothing and are open to anyone.
An original stock photo from Getty Images.
Just one of many image generations created using Midjourney where we can control all the aspects of the image.
Just some of the countless image variations we can create for our clients using Ai in order to explore various ages, ethnicities, pairings, settings and expressions. We can iterate hundreds of times faster without simply relying on what’s available or what photographic conditions are present. For our clients, this can save hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
Top-Left: The original Ai image generated in Midjourney.
Bottom: The final image. A combination of Ai tools and photoshop compositing were used to expand and extend the scene behind the boy and to add the various other elements.
Real Shadows and Artificial Bows:
Blurring the line between “Real” an Ai images
When it comes to creating assets for our clients there is rarely if ever a one-size-fits-all solution. More often than not, the best results can be had by using all of the various tools at our disposal in combination, to ensure the best possible output in the shortest amount of time.
An Ai image of a couple generated using Midjourney is combined with a wooden table from a stock photo. Lastly the client’s product image is added at the end.
The client’s product is added over top and the lighting and shadows are created using a separate Ai tool (Claid.ai) to blend the images seamlessly. The finished product is a seamless Social Media post ready for our client’s ad campaign.
A stock photo background image of a christmas scene with a wooden table, is used along with the clients product image.
Photoshop’s generative fill and adobe firefly were used to generate the gold bow and to seamlessly composite the image into the background. The end result is a seamless and successful product ad.
Where do we go from here? The Future of Ai
No matter what your take on the wave of Artificial Intelligence tools and applications is, one thing is clear – they’re not going anywhere. The explosive growth of tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney, just to name a few, and their incredibly fast evolution can be overwhelming at times. Here at Canspan, we’ve embraced the wave and will continue to ride it out, staying right at the forefront of these digital tools. Not only do they add a new creative spark to our ideation and creation process, but the results they offer are making a noticeable difference to our clients’ campaign performance, and to their bottom line… and that is something that no one can argue with.
