Artificial intelligence (AI) holds great promise for image generation. However, as it currently works, it’s not as simple as searching for an image and getting something perfect to download and use. AI can generate a lot of good results quickly. However, using images for production work can be a challenge.
My key goal is to create viable (not necessarily perfect) characters that I can use in online training programs or PowerPoint presentations. I’m not a professional illustrator or Photoshop pro, so I want some steps that are simple and not too time consuming.
Here are some previous posts where we considered some ideas:
I’ve been playing around with some AI image generators to better understand how they work and how I can use them when creating eLearning courses. I’ve narrowed it down to a few basic steps that seem to work for me:
- Create character(s) using AI prompts
- Edit it to fix artifacts
- Crop to isolate the character
- Top quality for better quality
- Remove background
- Convert to vector
The reality of working with AI illustrated characters
The AI creates a lot of oddities with the illustrated characters between distorted hands, distorted faces, missing eyes, strange poses and missing limbs and fingers. I don’t always find the same problem with photographic characters probably because there are more models to learn from.
Consistency is another problem. Getting one good character isn’t too hard, but getting that same character in multiple poses is a challenge. Or getting different characters with the same style. It takes some practice and a willingness to settle for close enough.
A quick microlearning course for creating AI illustrated characters
I used Rise 360 to put together a simple tutorial that shows the process I go through to create the free illustrated characters I’ve been sharing. You’ll notice that my Photoshop editing skills are basic, so I hope you’ll be inspired to try creating characters yourself.
Click here to view the course.
I’ve also added a short poll if you want to share character ideas with me. I will use the results to test things.
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Free e-learning resources
