I understand and agree with your definition of AI, however I think that it is still a major point of creation. I am currently writing a book which takes place between 1877 and 1976. The characters are all real people who lived the or live today, but are modeled to live then. For many I have combined old unknown tin types and Daguerreotypes with faces of those who are alive today. The Ai system in PS works great for that. However, some characters have to be generated because eI have no decent photos to use from current times. The AI system that photoshop has developed called firefly is pretty good. I have an idea of the image in my head to start with. Then by using key words I have to go through a few hundred renderings to get what I see in my mind's eye onto the screen. The test is having friends of mine look at a photo and tell me about the personality behind the character. Every time they are able to describe the character as I see them exactly. However, the AI is just the beginning canvas. After the AI gives me what I want, I have to put it through lots of filters in PS to get it aged properly to look like it was shot in 1890 or 1910. So I would say that is allot of artistic work that the AI system helps me along with. Before I discovered AI, I was having to go through 1000s of images on the web and pull them into photoshop to take them apart and put them back together again. Sometimes I had to have my son, daughter or wife pose for a phot so I could use the camera angle and body to get where I needed to be. The AI allows me to offload a ton of work. I am still the creator though. My complaint with AI are its programers and all the Woke crap that they have programed into the system. It is very frustrating when I put in the text "25 year old thin slender white European female in a blue dress in from of a palm tree" and I get four to pick from... a fat negro woman in a purple dress, an oriental chick in a white dress, one white girl in a blue dress and for the fourth picture I get a dude in a dress! I will be happy someday when totally OPEN AI is available and all these WOKE corporations can choke on it!!!

Thanks Marty, for the awesome video! I have watched several of these but you always give some extra tips like adding the texture and highlights. I am a beginner learning new techniques to convert photos to paintings. How do you prevent the faces in images from getting distorted using the AI painting technique?

I think, Marty, that it depends. It's complicated! I am a photographer who has a good eye for composition and story telling (also an author of fiction - novels) and mentor to a number of young men who have come to America from various parts of the world's back of beyond places - to America. Also, less than young and fourth generation American. I mention these points because I, myself, like to have at least an inkling of what may inform a person's thinking processes; I also have represented fine art painters for going on 25 or so years. I produce images from my photos that I sell "as is" after Photoshop adjustments; also produce digital imagery from them - using Photoshop and other program's magic and legerdemain. Sell them as giclées on canvas directly to clients and companies; don't believe in art shows or the black holes financially that are known as galleries. Much better to seek and find people with needs I can fill with the hundreds of various works I can avail them of and keep all the profit for myself and those I represent. To this end - I am about as informed as one can be re making giclée prints as anyone around; I am good enough - with Photoshop - to get wherever I want to go but will never be a master of it as are you and others I could name like Dave Kelly, Anthony Morganti or Unmesh Dida. It would, frankly, be a serious waste of my time to even seriously consider becoming so - because I have a skill that is more valuable in terms of generating income; I can sell. Create castles in the air in peoples' minds and then outfit their castles with images I imagine hanging there! LOL (Used to sell $10,000.00 oil paintings of peoples homes door to door, which is, as you can imagine not easy - unless you know what you are doing.) Anyway, my feeling is that most of what any of us produce - no matter how good it may be - how unique a "work of art" (which is a term with an almost infinitely nebulous panoply of meanings one can choose as its definition) in the end will have little meaning beyond the brief moments during which someone happens along to appertain it, take it in and feel what's "in there" - that we know we done did put in there. So - just as I mentioned in my comment on your recent post regarding how to turn a photograph into a painting - in response to the fellow who thought the whole thing was "lame"? Where I pointed out to him that The Goal, in my opinion, was not to pretend or claim it was actually a real oil painting (two of the artists I represent are fine art paintings in oil and other media) but rather is a tool for us to use, and it is up to us to use that tool as we - as creators of art - as we see fit to outfit our visions as we want to see them dressed up for God and everyone to see. Consequently, I'm afraid I must differ in some measure with your assessment that AI imagery is not true art. Yes, the fact a lifeless thing - a huge bank of high-powered computers is "generating" the images based on God only knows what is not creative; any more than a "novel" written by same qualifies as a real novel - because it will - cannot help but lack - real emotion and feelings and the depths of understanding that a true writer - a human who is living and going to die - can impart to a literary work of "art" (there's that pesky word again). But, that doesn't mean it (AI) can't help stimulate and provide a basis, an interesting jumping off point perspective that then someone truly creative can move beyond, extrapolate into something that is far beyond that starting point - until he arrives at the destination that starting point - road sign - so to speak pointed him in. In the end, I don't really give a good GD what stimulates a thought that leads me to an idea that I then - out of my own creativity's abilities - mold into something likely never before the world has seen and wouldn't if me, myself and I hadn't undertaken to take the journey that leads me to "it" - whatever IT happens to become - by way of my fantasies - MY artistic abilities (great, small or nonexistent they may be deemed in the opinion of others) - that I brought into being. After all - NO work of art exists - except save for a fleeting moment after which it is relegated to one's given to fading memory banks beyond the time it is seen - before forgotten. It's the EFFECT it AFFECTS, the story it tells and the lessons it may teach at that existing now but soon gone, forgotten moment - that is the telling part of how true it is and whether there was true "art", ability - genius even - employed in its creation.

Was going to mention had you not. Lovely as always.

I try to speak articulately for the very reasons you mention. Thank you!

@@BLTV_Photoshop: Thank you so much.

Great to hear!

Welcome aboard!

Good to hear!

Amazing ! What kind of PC do you use ?

Dell Laptop here@@rheannak3934

Yes, you should not select-all on the image again. I double-checked my video to see if I instructed to do that and didn't find it. If I did, please let me know when I said this (minute: second). Thanks!

@@BLTV_Photoshop Oh no, you didn't! Sorry, didn't mean to imply that. I just assumed I would have to since I didn't see the selection box after returning to the Layers tab. No worried, great tutorial!!

Good eye! I don't know if this would work since I haven't tried it yet, but the first step would be to add the canvas texture to the original photo and then proceed from there.

It's a digital painting whose base is a photo. Took 2 days to complete. Complex series of steps. Tones were converted into paths and then into shapes. Custom brushes were created. Textures were created and added.

Yes, some better than others. It's really hit or miss.

You would reduce the opacity of the layer mask.

Well, there is always the "Oil Paint" filter or go to Filter Gallery and Artistic.

Yes. Go to Image > Mode > RGB color, 8 bits/Channel.

After you make a selection, if the quick mask is active, you'll see a red color over your image. To remove it, at the lower, left of your PS screen, you'll see your foreground and background color squares. Directly below them is the quick mask icon. Click it to remove the quick mask.

Meh...presently, it does it's best, but it has a long way to go before it can replicate the styles of famous artists.

Thanks! Frankly, I don't know since I haven't tried it on images other than jpgs.

You can subtly restore the original photo with the art history brush. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q-BopbKYv8jOaHk.html

Frankly, I'm not sure. I was playing around with the channels. I think Ai uses the tone of the channel as a reference through the photo. This evening I discovered a way to use the channel to create an abstract, cubist-style.

No digital painting brush is used in this tutorial.

It could be due to any one of a number of factors. To determine the source of the problem, one must inspect your PSD file.

Yes, an action can be made to create the channel.

community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/asus-proart-studiobook-integrated-dial-plugin-error/td-p/12708202

It's because the quick mask is showing through. Open the channels panel and make sure the Alpha 1 channel is not visible or active.

@@BLTV_Photoshop thanks I'll try it

At 1:58 in the video, make sure you create a new channel and fill it with 30% or 40% gray. Very important: At 2:22 in the video, make sure you Ctrl-click the channel to make a selection of the gray channel.

Yes. PS did increased the size of gen fill recently , but it's still far from hi-rez.

At what point in the video is it not working (minute:second)? 🤔

@@BLTV_Photoshop All of the steps work for me, but when I use the AI generate it just makes a watercolor or oil painting, doesn't actually use the other layer. Could be me but idk.

🤔 Alt + Delete still works for me on the newest version of PS.

99% of the time, the solution is simple, however, it could be due to one of many reasons. Without inspecting your PSD file, it would be difficult to determine the reason it's not working for you. Sorry.

@@BLTV_Photoshop Has this method been tested on the most current version of beta photoshop? I’m guessing that could be it since it has updated since this video was posted. I tried changing resolution as well to no avail. I’m so excited to get this to work but it just won’t. I’m following every step exactly like you are. I’ll keep exploring options and will share if I find a solution. Thanks for all your videos Marty, I’ve learned so much from your tutorials!

At what time in the video were you having problems (minute: second)?

@@BLTV_Photoshop It's ok, I just had to update photoshop 2024, it works now, thank you!

I agree that some of the Ai variation results from which we can choose are similar to the look of the oil paint filter, but many of them veer off into other oil paint styles not found in the Filter Gallery.

I completely agree. Ai (i.e.: generative fill, Midjourney, Chat GPT) is both fantastic and devastatingly detrimental at the same time because of its awesome power. I think If Ai isn't harnessed and controlled, it will result in consequences we can't even fathom.

@@BLTV_Photoshop but with the AI we are going to loose the creativity.. And many people are going to use it in the wrong direction.. Remember the movie terminator? The AI is going to overtake the human as well.. And that's what's up Sir. 🤔I've been following you for a long time and I've learned some serious technics from you.. But this AI BS it ain't my thing... 😉

I'm really caught between feeling guilt and feeling proud. I started using templates from cartoon apps and manipulate then in photoshop to make very realistic art pieces. At the time (2 years ago) it was just for fun/ hobby... But soon people loved what I did and start making orders. Fast forward now it's my main business, I do the work, print and frame, and the feedback is always very positive. But at I look at the way A.I is criticized (rightfully) and I look at my archivement( if you can call it that) and I can't help but feel proud and abit anxious at the same time.

If you're doing it in the beta version of PS, close the application and open the non-beta version.

@@BLTV_Photoshop Thank you Marty. I uninstalled both Photoshops and reinstalled them followed by a restart. Problem solved.

@@BLTV_Photoshop This worked thank you!!

Sorry to hear that. What was the first part that was problematic in the video (minute: second)?

Same - followed step by step, and the generative fill still gave random oil paintings

When new PS features are introduced, it's just non-stop experimentation and exploring. There's always a flurry of activity that may or may not overlap videos by others. I've had videos of mine posted weeks or months before other instructors post their version of the same thing. It happens.

Ai does save time and energy, but I agree typing in prompts isn’t the act of creation. It’s simply telling a robot what you want rather than creating it yourself. Ai is both wonderful and dangerous at the same time. It's up to us to harness and control it otherwise it's awesome power could result in consequences we can't even fathom.

Thank you for your input. The videos that I appear in such as this one do tend to move more quickly than my others. My much earlier videos from many years ago were way too fast. Overall, now I always try to take into consideration the beginner and novice users because I remember how daunting learning new software is. There's a fine line I try to balance in my videos to accommodate the newbies as well as the more advanced users.