What Can AI Do in an Artist's Hands? – (Scarily) Almost Anything!
- Bánhalmi Norbert
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
I can confidently say that I grew up alongside the pioneering years of the internet, digital graphics and digital photography. I was already sitting at a computer when the internet began to spread, building websites for Internet Explorer, doing web design and scanning printed photographs to make pages look polished and interesting. I was so fascinated by innovation that when Nokia phones first appeared that allowed custom pixel images to be created with a bit of programming, I was among the first to start designing them.
I even wrote my degree thesis about CMS systems and the possibilities they offered at a time when the field was still almost completely unknown.
Today, WordPress is the world's most widespread website-building CMS, making it easier for millions of people to get online. You can choose from countless designs, install one in a few clicks, and the website is essentially ready — all you need is the content. But as this opportunity flourished, the value of some traditional programming work declined. And this leads directly to the parallel I see with one of today's most debated aspects of AI. A new technology has arrived that can either help huge numbers of creative professionals or undermine their work. Whether it becomes one or the other is something everyone can decide after reading this article.
Below, I'd like to summarise a few of my impressions of how AI can actually support photographic artists and open up new possibilities in creative work.
Inspiration and creativity:
More efficient workflows and time savings:
Creative partnership with AI:
Cost efficiency and accessibility:
Examples of positive impact:
Portrait photography: AI-based tools can recognise and optimise faces. They allow artists to fine-tune skin texture, eyes or lips without necessarily losing the person's real facial character. In other words, they can help portrait photographs remain natural while becoming more polished — quickly and efficiently.
Colour mood and composition:
AI tools can suggest approaches to colour and composition. This allows artists to formulate the atmosphere they want and create visually compelling, complex compositions.
Creative drawing: AI can provide immediate feedback during the drawing process and offer suggestions on shading, line work or perspective. This can help artists draw faster and more accurately while developing their skills.
Summary based on my personal experience:
So my conclusion is that AI is not necessarily some frightening modern invention threatening people in creative professions. It can be a gift to those who recognise and use the opportunities technology offers. I believe we can say that an artist can find a genuine creative partner in AI.
Today, it is difficult to find photo-editing software that doesn't use some form of AI algorithm. But let's return briefly to websites. As WordPress became widespread, web programmers received fewer traditional commissions — yet those who recognised its potential, learned how to use it well and incorporated it into their work gained time. There will always be clients who need something immediately, and in skilled hands these solutions can produce high-quality material very quickly.
So here we are with image-generating AI that is available to everyone and seems capable of almost anything. But it still needs someone to direct it — someone with enough creativity and professional knowledge to guide it toward the strongest possible result.
For me, it is a tremendous help. I have been using Photoshop and other image-editing programs for nearly two decades, and I have often spent not hours but days editing a single image, logo or illustration.
There are several problems with that:
- Third, the number of hours invested naturally makes the final result expensive. But clients are not interested in how long it took me; they care about the outcome. The length of the road to that outcome depends entirely on me. That is why I keep learning and improving — not merely to keep pace with change, but to become one of the people generating that change.
The images shown here were also created together with AI, and I refined the final results using several different programs.
From this point on, everyone can decide whether, despite the many unresolved regulatory questions, this technology will become a curse or a blessing for professionals.
So let's run a big test.
You can see more images created with AI mixed with my own photographs here. I also share one thought-provoking image from the album every day on my Facebook page and profile.
AI-generated photographs are already so realistic that they can deceive people. If someone blindly trusts a source, they may believe both an AI-generated image and the accompanying text without questioning either.
With this article, I'm starting an experiment. I will place 13 AI-generated images on my Facebook timeline, and I will even sneak some into my 365 project.
I'm curious to see who notices. The truth will be revealed in August at an attention-grabbing educational exhibition within the Veszprém–Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture programme.
Breaking news – 2023.07.17. :)
After almost a month and a half, someone finally noticed the mistakes. But they were professionals too, which makes the result especially thought-provoking. Every AI-generated image on the site contains the hashtag #midjourney. Happy hunting. :)
Authentic portrait photography does more than produce a flattering image: it reveals character, presence and personality.
Part of the BANHALMI ecosystem
For the professional context and practical side of portrait photography, visit the BANHALMI professional website. Related art series, books and exhibitions are preserved in the BANHALMI ART archive.