AI-Assisted Photography

AlanKlein · Apr 8, 2026

Here's an interesting study done with AI-produced writing. Most people devalue it more as soon as they know AI produced it. It would be interesting to study if the same applies to AI produced pictures.

People consistently devalue creative writing generated by artificial intelligence

A recent study involving over 27,000 participants reveals that people consistently give lower ratings to poems and stories when told a computer program wrote them. This negative reaction stems from readers viewing machine-generated art as less authentic.

www.psypost.org

GD Deckard · Apr 8, 2026

A good way is to try to detach yourself from your brain when making photos. Try to get into your emotional zone, which AI doesn't have, to get more original or creative.
- Dikkie
Hmm. I'm still processing the idea that one must "detach yourself from your brain to get more original or creative." Normally, I'd reject that as nonsense, but, when I do have an original or creative photo, I discover it after the fact. I'm surprised. So, hmmm....

:stung:

Now my problem is thinking about not thinking. Kinda like the old secret to converting lead into gold: Stir a pot of molten lead 100 times with thinking of the word, "Gold."
Thanks, Dikkie ...I'll work on this.

GD Deckard · Apr 8, 2026

AlanKlein said:
People consistently devalue creative writing generated by artificial intelligence

Marshall McLuhan said that new technologies are rejected because they demand new perceptual habits, while people cling to the old ones.
But A.I. is here and we always use whatever technologies we invent: ask the Japanese.

Dikkie · Apr 8, 2026

GD Deckard said:
A good way is to try to detach yourself from your brain when making photos. Try to get into your emotional zone, which AI doesn't have, to get more original or creative.
- Dikkie
Hmm. I'm still processing the idea that one must "detach yourself from your brain to get more original or creative." Normally, I'd reject that as nonsense, but, when I do have an original or creative photo, I discover it after the fact. I'm surprised. So, hmmm....

Now my problem is thinking about not thinking. Kinda like the old secret to converting lead into gold: Stir a pot of molten lead 100 times with thinking of the word, "Gold."
Thanks, Dikkie ...I'll work on this.

When I force myself to be creative, with a deadline, to come up with a specific idea about a song I want to write for example, or an original Christmas Card I need to create... it's difficult because it is purposely. I give myself the task to do so and while having pressure, I get stressed and can't come up with specific ideas directly. When I'm obliged to do so, it's more difficult, as more rational parts of the brain start to work, or block the more creative parts.

When I don't have this task, and fully relaxed, I mostly get ideas spontaneously or naturally. And this often happens to me when I'm tired and brushing my teeth before going to bed, or I'm under the shower hearing the water, ideas flow by without thinking, because I'm not using my brain at that moment.
There's some neurological explanation, when I have time I'll look it up, that some other parts in the brain get activated when relaxed or when not thinking. The creative parts specifically. You get "into the zone" without realizing.
It's like when meditating, certain parts of the brain get more active and others start to calm down.

AlanKlein · Apr 8, 2026

Dikkie said:
When I force myself to be creative, with a deadline, to come up with a specific idea about a song I want to write for example, or an original Christmas Card I need to create... it's difficult because it is purposely. I give myself the task to do so and while having pressure, I get stressed and can't come up with specific ideas directly. When I'm obliged to do so, it's more difficult, as more rational parts of the brain start to work, or block the more creative parts.

When I don't have this task, and fully relaxed, I mostly get ideas spontaneously or naturally. And this often happens to me when I'm tired and brushing my teeth before going to bed, or I'm under the shower hearing the water, ideas flow by without thinking, because I'm not using my brain at that moment.
There's some neurological explanation, when I have time I'll look it up, that some other parts in the brain get activated when relaxed or when not thinking. The creative parts specifically. You get "into the zone" without realizing.
It's like when meditating, certain parts of the brain get more active and others start to calm down.

It's hard to be creative when you're worried about losing your job. On the other hand, there's another expression: "Nothing focuses a person's mind as much as the hangman's noose."

greybeard · Apr 11, 2026

DanOstergren said:
I use a Canon 5D MKIII from 2012. I would love to know how AI assists my photography through this camera (asking genuinely from curiosity).

Same here as I shoot with a Nikon D500 / D850 / D750. The Ai I use comes from post processing with LrC / Lr / Topaz. I don't think Ai has much to do with my old cameras.

Curtis22 · Jun 4, 2026

GD Deckard said:
A good way is to try to detach yourself from your brain when making photos. Try to get into your emotional zone, which AI doesn't have, to get more original or creative.
- Dikkie
Hmm. I'm still processing the idea that one must "detach yourself from your brain to get more original or creative." Normally, I'd reject that as nonsense, but, when I do have an original or creative photo, I discover it after the fact. I'm surprised. So, hmmm....

Now my problem is thinking about not thinking. Kinda like the old secret to converting lead into gold: Stir a pot of molten lead 100 times with thinking of the word, "Gold."
Thanks, Dikkie ...I'll work on this.

That devaluation absolutely happens with photos too. The second people hear an image is AI-generated, they stop looking at the composition and just see it as a computer output. The human connection disappears.

But there's a huge line between generating an image from a prompt and using AI in post-processing. Like greybeard mentioned, using it to denoise or sharpen a shot from an older camera doesn't ruin the authenticity. You still had to be there, get into the zone, and capture the actual moment. The AI is just saving you time in the digital darkroom.

cgw · Jun 4, 2026

Just Google "Tilly Norwood." Yet another genie escapes the bottle.

Relf1974 · Jul 14, 2026

Rickbb said:
Everyone who uses a digital camera, phone or top of the line, is using AI assisted photography most just don't know it or how much it affects their results.

Further AI is used in post processing, adjusting exposure, color, sharpness, etc. etc. This AI has been mostly to automate what was traditional done by hand and is now simple a point and click.

In short, we all have incorporated it, we've had no choice if we shoot digital. Some much more than others, most only what we need. I choose to use it in postprocessing software that replaces the old analog darkroom.

I really don't like calling it AI, since it's just automated programming, (yes, a very large-scale program), but still not what I'd call intelligence. True AI would tell me how to take the photo before I actually press the shutter and would correct my images to my tastes without me needing to later. But that would require my own personal AI to learn from me and me only. Not going to build a 1,000-acre data center in my backyard for that. lol

I think that's actually where things are heading though — not necessarily toward a giant personal data center, but toward smaller AI assistants that learn specific workflows. We're already seeing this idea in other fields, where people use tools like https://latenode.com/products/agent-builder. to connect AI agents with their existing apps and automate repetitive tasks while keeping the human in control of the decisions. A similar approach in photography could mean an assistant that learns your editing preferences, your usual color grading style, or how you like certain types of shots processed.

I think that's a good distinction that often gets lost in these discussions. A lot of people talk about AI photography as if it suddenly appeared with image generators, but cameras and editing software have been using machine learning and computational techniques for years. HDR processing, noise reduction, autofocus tracking, portrait mode — most people have been benefiting from some level of automation for a long time.

The interesting question is probably less "is AI involved?" and more "where do we want to draw the line?" A camera automatically compensating for low light feels very different from generating a sky that wasn't there or changing the subject of an image.

AlanKlein · Jul 15, 2026

Relf1974 said:
I think that's a good distinction that often gets lost in these discussions. A lot of people talk about AI photography as if it suddenly appeared with image generators, but cameras and editing software have been using machine learning and computational techniques for years. HDR processing, noise reduction, autofocus tracking, portrait mode — most people have been benefiting from some level of automation for a long time.

The interesting question is probably less "is AI involved?" and more "where do we want to draw the line?" A camera automatically compensating for low light feels very different from generating a sky that wasn't there or changing the subject of an image.

AI as an editing tool makes sense. AI to create photos, eliminating the camera, isn't photography.

F.O.V. · Jul 22, 2026

I’ve used ai to fill in a few skies, last week had a picture of grandsons playing, one with no shirt, ai was able to put a t-shirt on Charlie the youngest..

AlanKlein · Jul 23, 2026

F.O.V. said:
View attachment 298706I’ve used ai to fill in a few skies, last week had a picture of grandsons playing, one with no shirt, ai was able to put a t-shirt on Charlie the youngest..

Are the left hands and left arms mixed up?