Introduction As a highly experienced commercial pet photographer, I have seen many trends come and go, but nothing compares to the impact of Generative AI on our industry. My transition from skepticism to adoption provides a unique insight into this groundbreaking technology. When #aiart emerged a few years ago, I began experimenting with various versions to understand the challenges and opportunities it might present for commercial photographers. I started by creating prompts to describe my vision, incorporating my camera settings and other technical and lighting parameters refined through years of experience in large-scale commercial pet photography productions. The results were surprising. While not yet perfect, it was evident that this technology would soon become a significant player in our dog photoshoots and continue to advance. And here we are. What is Generative AI? If you are not already aware, and clearly this is a big IF, Generative AI, in the context of photography, involves using algorithms capable of learning from existing photographs to generate new, unique images or alterations. This tech can mimic styles, enhance details, or even create composite images from various elements. In this article when we refer to Generative AI, we are exclusively talking about Adobe Photoshop Generative AI utilizing Generative Fill. As many photographers and designers know, Generative Fill has rapidly become an invaluable tool, enabling unmatched creativity and efficiency in creating and perfecting imagery, even when there maybe just a single flaw. Commercial photography has always been a dynamic field, constantly adapting to new technologies and trends. The integration of greenscreen technology with generative AI into our commercial photography productions has opened new doors for us, offering unprecedented creative control and efficiency. For dog photoshoots, these technologies provide unique opportunities to create stunning and versatile images that captivate viewers. So what are some of the specific benefits of utilizing greenscreen technology and generative AI in this context?
Why Greenscreen? Greenscreen technology still allows us to easily replace the background of an image, offering endless possibilities for creativity. It still works better than other selection tools for living beings especially areas where there is hair. Reducing Location Costs One of the significant benefits of greenscreen technology is the reduction of location costs. Instead of traveling to multiple locations for our photoshoots and waiting for perfect weather, we can shoot all necessary images in a single session at our daylight studio. This not only saves on travel expenses but also minimizes the logistical challenges of coordinating shoots in different places. Location scouting costs and permits alone add significantly to a productions budget. Enhancing Post-Production Greenscreen technology simplifies the post-production phase, allowing for more efficient editing and compositing. With a greenscreen background, isolating our animals, especially the hair, and integrating them into different environments becomes much easier. Despite this separation, integrating Generative fill into the final composite is a multi step process. Working with Generative AI backgrounds in Photoshop aren't always seamless, especially around the subject (more on that below). Utilizing greenscreen software such as CloudKO enhances and compliments the final image.
Why Generative AI? Generative AI opens up new creative possibilities by enabling the creation of images that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional methods. For example, Generative AI can create locations that would otherwise be impossible to get to or prohibitively expensive to take an entire crew there. AI can also simulate various lighting conditions, weather effects, or even entirely fictional settings, offering us a vast new palette for our artistic expression. This is particularly exciting for our dog photoshoots, where capturing the personality and quirks of our subjects can be enhanced with imaginative and sometimes playful settings. Post-Production Flexibility The flexibility offered by generative AI in post-production cannot be overstated. Whether it's correcting lighting issues, removing unwanted elements, or adding creative touches, AI provides the tools to refine and perfect images to a high standard. For our photoshoots, this means achieving the best possible results, even from less-than-perfect raw footage. Image Consistency with More Options Maintaining consistency across a series of images is crucial for commercial photography, especially in branding and marketing. Greenscreen technology and Generative AI helps us to create several options for backgrounds that can be similar, yet keep a cohesive style across imagery. Our options are far greater as the AI will find and create imagery that matches camera angle, lighting conditions and lens choice. This is often hard to achieve unless we can go to a location and shoot OR find backgrounds that match all of these parameters.
Challenges Inherent with Pet Photoshoots Managing Active Subjects Dog photoshoots often involve managing highly active and unpredictable subjects. Greenscreen technology provides a controlled environment that helps manage these challenges more effectively. By keeping the dog comfortable and contained within a familiar studio setting, we can capture better shots with less stress. And our outdoor space has some of the most amazing natural light from morning to evening with a ton of bounce fill from the white buildings in our warehouse bay. Improving Efficiency and Reducing Production Costs Pre production is a large part of dog photoshoots. From location scouting to dog casting, costs can add up fast. Not to mention weather factors and time of year. Working with these tools can significantly improve the efficiency of any pet production.
Generative Fill Matches Lighting and Time of Day on our Dog Photoshoots By leaving some of the environment in the foreground of the selection the AI gets a good read on the content of the image. This was one of the better versions it produced. Sometimes serendipitous moments happen. Like when the trainer is restraining the dog a little too long and the shot is not exactly as planned. Generative Ai in this situation is a game changer. Normally this shot would have been edited out of the final shots for consideration. Generative fill allowed us to edit out the trainer with relative ease. With AI many more takes are salvageable and often are technically high res enough to give a solid final output.
Copyright Infringement In This New Era of AI Technologies One of the shots on the right was shot in camera by us a large scale production and is under our copyright protection. The other one was "scraped" by MidJourney without permission. At no point did we upload the image to MidJourney as a modeling sample. Clearly this is an issue. With the advent of Generative AI, copyright issues have become increasingly complex. It's essential for us to understand the legal implications of using these technologies, particularly in commercial photography where images are often used for marketing and advertising purposes. Originality and Ownership One of the primary concerns with generative AI is the question of originality. If an AI generates a background or an entire image, who owns the copyright? In most jurisdictions, copyright law requires a human author for protection, which raises questions about the ownership of AI-generated content. We must ensure we have clear agreements regarding the use and ownership of these images to avoid potential legal disputes. Using Stock and Licensed Images When integrating greenscreen backgrounds or AI-generated elements, we must be mindful of the source of these assets. Using unlicensed stock images or unauthorized AI-generated content can lead to copyright infringement issues. It's crucial to use licensed and legally obtained materials to ensure compliance with copyright laws.Photoshop's Generative Fill has cleared their library to cover these issues. Certainly conflicts will arise but at least it is a start. Rights of the Subject In dog photoshoots, the rights of the subject (the dog and its owner) must also be considered. We obtain property releases and permissions when using images for commercial purposes.
Our Process In our studio, tools such as Adobe Photoshop's Generative FilI, Stable Diffusion and Midjourney have become staples. From initial creative brain storming to previsualizing final output and cropping, we often utilize these tools from start to finish. They integrate seamlessly into our existing workflow, allowing us to edit less while delivering more striking results. Versus Traditional Techniques While AI offers new avenues for creativity, it doesn't replace the authenticity and spontaneity of traditional pet photography. Instead, we are using AI to enhance these moments, helping to create rich environments while maintaining the authentic movement and expression of our animals. In the greenscreen retouching video to the left, we show you the processing screenshots of how we achieve this, using traditional photography on greenscreen and enhancing it with Photoshop's Generative Fill technology. For more detailed instructions, shoot us an email.
Our Process
In our studio, tools such as Adobe Photoshop's Generative FilI, Stable Diffusion and Midjourney have become staples. From initial creative brain storming to previsualizing final output and cropping, we often utilize these tools from start to finish. They integrate seamlessly into our existing workflow, allowing us to edit less while delivering more striking results.
Versus Traditional Techniques
While AI offers new avenues for creativity, it doesn't replace the authenticity and spontaneity of traditional pet photography. Instead, we are using AI to enhance these moments, helping to create rich environments while maintaining the authentic movement and expression of our animals. In the greenscreen retouching video to the left, we show you the processing screenshots of how we achieve this, using traditional photography on greenscreen and enhancing it with Photoshop's Generative Fill technology. For more detailed instructions, shoot us an email.
FAQs How does greenscreen technology enhance dog photoshoots? Greenscreen technology allows us to replace backgrounds easily, creating diverse and imaginative settings for dog photoshoots without leaving the studio. What are the benefits of using generative AI in commercial photography? Generative AI automates repetitive tasks, creates hyper-realistic images, and offers innovative creative possibilities, enhancing overall efficiency and creativity in photography. Are there copyright concerns with using AI-generated images? Yes, there are concerns regarding the originality and ownership of AI-generated content. We must ensure we use licensed and legally obtained materials to avoid copyright issues. How can these technologies improve workflow management? Greenscreen technology and generative AI streamline production and post-production processes, allowing us to manage more projects efficiently and maintain high-quality standards. What makes greenscreen and AI suitable for dog photoshoots? They provide flexibility, creative options, and efficiency, making it easier to capture great shots of active dogs in various settings. How do greenscreen and AI help with client customization? These technologies enable us to adapt to specific client requests, offering personalized and satisfying photoshoot experiences with custom backgrounds and unique elements. 