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On the recent deletions
3 years ago
Over the past couple of years, I've been experimenting with using AI image generators as part of a larger artistic process. So far, I've gotten the best results by starting with ten to fifteen AI-generated images, modifying and compositing those together, then extensively painting over that or combining it with 3D models to produce final images. I've posted ten images made with that kind of process here- each one representing around 8-12 hours of work, most of that time being very traditional digital paint work with a Wacom tablet.
Unfortunately, FurAffinity instituted a policy a couple of months ago banning AI art, and all of the images were recently deleted by a mod. This is, of course, pretty absurd. A sensible policy on AI art would treat it like purchased stock photos- banning unmodified or minimally modified generations, but treating art that heavily modified or painted over the AI-generated parts as new, valid works.
I plan to keep experimenting with using these tools to make a new kind of art outside of the furry community, but I probably won't be participating here going forward.
You can still find the original images at: https://imgur.com/a/z9ZbDNl. Unfortunately, the narrative text I wrote to accompany each image and the story sections that I posted in the comments seem to have been permanently lost with the deletions.
Unfortunately, FurAffinity instituted a policy a couple of months ago banning AI art, and all of the images were recently deleted by a mod. This is, of course, pretty absurd. A sensible policy on AI art would treat it like purchased stock photos- banning unmodified or minimally modified generations, but treating art that heavily modified or painted over the AI-generated parts as new, valid works.
I plan to keep experimenting with using these tools to make a new kind of art outside of the furry community, but I probably won't be participating here going forward.
You can still find the original images at: https://imgur.com/a/z9ZbDNl. Unfortunately, the narrative text I wrote to accompany each image and the story sections that I posted in the comments seem to have been permanently lost with the deletions.
I know this because I had content removed for the same reason, and I appealed the warning that I received, and my appeal was denied for the reasons stated above.
I don’t like these policies. However, FA is following their stated policies in this case, so their actions don’t surprise me, and this is not a case of an uninformed, confused, or power-tripping admin. This same thing has happened to many people.
There are legitimate concerns over the implications of AI image generation, and discussions to be had, and rules to be set - however, some are using these concerns as an excuse to attempt to exclude anyone who isn’t fortunate to be talented in a very specific way to be able to express themselves visually without going through said people.
The difference between these two sorts of people will become clear in the years to come - those who are genuinely concerned about protecting artists, and elitist gatekeepers who are merely opposed on principle to incoming technology.
It’s bad enough that writing has, quite often, been politely ignored here and treated as “that thing you do if you can’t draw”, unless the writer is able to spend tons of money to hire artists so they can post a ton of art of their settings and characters to get people interested, but the fandom is setting itself up to far more explicitly than before, become a cool kids club for people who are talented only in very specific ways, and those others who are able to afford to patronize them.
And the stories for each of these pics were just so amazing to look at. Lucky that somebody here in the comments was able to retrieve at least some of them.
This AI generated images are still a heavy minefield at the moment. There are artists like you, who only use it to simplify the preliminary work, simply by writing down their idea of the image and letting the AI put it together. What then follows is the actual work and this is also the artistic part, to work out everything so that it results in a perfect image. Other artists don't bother with the second part, they just create a lot more images with the AI and some of them are usable.
This is similar to how I take pictures, many shots, then select and with a little luck was a good shot. Other photographers first look for the subject, then wait for the light and take just that one shot.
Actually would have to be deleted with the same argument all the photo manipulated and morphed posts, the here has also some programming of the computer has generated.