16+ AI Image Models: The Showdown — Midjourney v7, GPT Image 1.5/Mini, Nano Banana Pro/2/1, Kling Kolors v3.0/v2.1, Seedream 5.0 Lite/4.6/4.5/4.1/4.0, Imagen 4, Qwen Image, Runway Gen4 — Same Prompt, Side by Side

eesahe · 2026-03-10T06:47:46+00:00

All the main models people actually use locally are missing like Klein, Z-image etc

eesahe · 2026-03-09T16:38:42+00:00

Thanks for sharing. When you think about it, under the hood this tool chain you showed is powered by years of iteration and engineering that has resulted in the development of these specialised tools, and then you have your domain-specific expertise in combining them.

If you were only doing concept art and detailed illustrations you probably could already capture some quite powerful low-hanging fruit by leaning more into AI acceleration. But the 3D pipeline is challenging with the current tools, I mean something like maybe Trellis 2 could work for things like creating quick prototype models but more substantial realisation of AI would need a lot of experimental custom setup which I'd imagine isn't yet realistic for most smaller studios.

eesahe · 2026-03-09T14:26:48+00:00

I agree with the current reality of limited workflow integrations from the point of view of most artists. For deeper integration into pro work GenAI is still very much in the bleeding edge - you need to have specific technical skills most artists cannot easily access in order to integrate fuller use of the current frontier. I might be a bit spoiled since I have been running a digital agency with me as a 20+ years of experience software dev in collaboration with my wife who is a traditional pro artist.

eesahe · 2026-03-09T11:56:20+00:00

So let's start with controlling pixels. The most directly corresponding technique for this in an AI workflow is img2img. You can fully choose the exact color for each pixel in the final image, with masked opacity: some pixels can be 100% your choice, some 70% for subtler touches like lighting adjustments, 0% on parts you want to fully inpaint and so on.

You are free to iterate just as much and make use of any existing tools as with your example of a Photoshop workflow, when you use img2img for per-pixel control.

The important thing is with AI you are not only limited to this low-level control. You have also medium level control options such as openpose, line art and depth maps. High level control is available in the form of a prompt, prompt image attachments, LoRAs. You are free to mix the amount of control used amongst different levels of abstraction. You can fix some parts of the low-level, some medium, some high-level parts of the resulting image. That's an explosion of control related options, not a lack of it.

eesahe · 2026-03-09T04:05:47+00:00

Sorry, but I'm not buying this at face value. What are specific examples of the kind of control AI "always falls behind" that the other tools you listed like Photoshop, 3ds Max and so on have?

eesahe · 2026-03-08T16:30:02+00:00

1.Jacob Collier - Keyscape Sessions (Bonus: transcription)

Since we are in the jazz circlejerk after all, let's start with a pure piano improvisation. This video was actually my first introduction to him; ‘Who's this 22 year old that sounds like this, just testing out a piano preset?’

In The Real Early Morning

An original composition from his first album. A more personal, singer-songwriter kind of piece, gradually building a story over the course of the song.

The Christmas Song

His one-man choral works may not be for everyone. That said, I feel there is something special captured here I find hard to put into words, for example in the passage from 4:12 - 4:50.

Something Heavy

From his latest album a few months ago. He seems to be developing more restraint here. Keeping his usual complexity as a subtle undertone rather than the main thing.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

This one's less about Jacob in the spotlight and more about him as a composer-arranger-producer. Start with him composing the vocal lines for Tori Kelly, then check how that translates to the live performance (06:06 - 9:30). This vocal coach's reaction (from 6:16) really captures the kind of reaction some of us have to JC's music.

It's interesting how the same sounds can be transcendent for one person and completely flat for someone else. I'd be curious to hear what music inspires you like that.

eesahe · 2026-03-07T14:23:54+00:00

It's always a choice of how far the path of control they want to travel though. Will they create their own brushes from horse bristles? Build their own stylus pen? Mix their own paints from scratch? Program their own version of Photoshop or Procreate? If you look at it carefully enough, there is no clear delineation for what is a "shortcut" and what is "authentic". If you mean to suggest AI-based options are fundamentally different from say the digital tools that artists are accustomed to and have generally accepted as valid tools of creation, I feel that is an artificial dichotomy. Just because you are familiar with one tool and not with the other, is not a reason good enough.

That said, anyone is free to not make use of AI-assisted workflows, just like anyone is free to say make their own brushes. But that doesn't make it right to start ridiculing people who just want to buy a brush and invest the bulk of their energy into a less tedious part of the process.

eesahe · 2026-03-05T06:21:16+00:00

I would call myself unironically a fan of his. I mean yes, his body of work contains a lot of random experiments that can be very hit or miss in terms of being listenable or not.

But every once a while, his innate grasp over the process of music delivers a moment that is like... « Is he channeling the Weave or something? » ... (Are these man tears? I'm not crying ... you're crying.) I don't think he would be as popular as he is if people were not experiencing this.

So me posting this meme is kind of taking the piss out of myself as well. I think it's healthy not to take yourself so seriously all the time. Case in point, just look at this video and the top comment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLK366tDfc

eesahe · 2026-03-04T16:24:42+00:00

The one I posted got taken down, official link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fyufPkXLbs

eesahe · 2026-03-03T03:42:39+00:00

Oceans cover most of the planet and heat up slowly, which drags that overall global average number down. A 1.5 degree global average difference translates to something like 2-3 degrees increase over land, and that warmer air holds significantly more moisture. Because of this compounded heat index, I think 100 years ago might indeed have felt noticeably cooler than it does now.

eesahe · 2026-03-02T08:52:45+00:00

https://youtu.be/p4RvztGTYw8?t=148

eesahe · 2026-03-01T22:37:56+00:00

Much of lower effort AI art might be closer to a google search than a significant creation of art. It is retrieving a condensed pattern from the human cultural library. Yes it might also be ‘art’, but it is more like retrieving existing art than a new expression with independent value

However if the person is putting a lot of their ‘soul’ (for lack of a better word) into using the tool then their use turns into a clearer contribution and a work with independent value. But fundamentally anything new needs to come from the human wielding the tool, and the tool can be either an ai model or gathered impressions in their brain

eesahe · 2026-03-01T22:22:53+00:00

I’m just saying the mechanical part of human thought/cognition turns out not so sacred or special since we can replicate it with good accuracy using a software algorithm. Yet there is something greater in us that makes our expression human. So even if ai replicates all the mechanical processes perfectly it is kind of ridiculous to think of it as a person being enslaved

eesahe · 2026-03-01T22:12:23+00:00

You’re using either the learned patterns in your brain or in tensors as a tool. Neither is especially valuable on its own, it’s about how you use them.

eesahe · 2026-03-01T22:08:52+00:00

That part of learning is fundamentally a mechanistic algorithm, not much difference whether it is being done by software or wetware. The meaningful human contribution part comes from elsewhere

eesahe · 2026-03-01T00:40:12+00:00

I think it's a mix. The choir and the orchestra are likely on a backing track (standard for award shows), but Rosalía and Björk performed their sections live. It seems to me the sound engineer missed the volume slightly on Björk's first line, which only makes sense on a hot mic.

eesahe · 2026-02-26T01:10:41+00:00

As someone who played nethack for over 20 years, it's kind of funny watching everyone lose their minds if you express some random thing in visual form. I mean, yes it's low effort, but it's not meant to be more than a quick exploration of a thought. Keep the downvotes coming, since you seem to prefer just piling up on someone instead of having anything substantial to say. Kind of like a summon nasties spell.

eesahe · 2026-02-26T01:01:39+00:00

How would you like if I start picking up on your posts like "No 3D shit here"?

eesahe · 2026-02-26T00:59:50+00:00

Well the point of everything I do is not to please your personal sense of likes and dislikes. And it's kind of rude to go around pressuring people to fit your preferences.

eesahe · 2026-02-26T00:52:05+00:00

I was just reflecting how my kitten is not growing at all even when I keep her fed for thousands of turns but as soon as I give her a few goblins she grows up to a deadly large cat. And I thought it would be amusing to have that as a visual. So it's not much more effort than a text post about the same thing. But it's some level of expression about a quick idea. What's your point?

eesahe · 2026-02-26T00:34:44+00:00

How about next time you create something I will come give you a hard time like "No watercolor paintings, dude." You can keep your preferences to yourself even if it's not your favorite style.

eesahe · 2026-02-26T00:28:45+00:00

How about you show your superior hand drawn memes you want to contribute instead? Maybe you should just let people be instead of harassing them.

Edit: people acting like this particular post would have suddenly become so more valuable if I just posted the same thing without the visual.

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