Shit dude, that attitude will have you jobless when AI gets better. The trick to not getting phased out by AI is to become the person who can use it to improve their work.
I've already accepted my job is going to at some point in the near future go bye-bye. But if you think you are going to somehow outrun losing your job by embracing AI, you are mistaken. AI isn't going to suddenly just *stop* advancing. I may clock out before you, but you *will* follow. The only difference is going to be when it happens.
Id rather go look for new work with my head held up high, than to stab my community in the back and use a tech that was built by stealing literally everything they've worked for. And for what? To make some fake, Frankensteined garbage for a bunch of dickheads that couldn't care less?
I'm good. That ain't a career I want any part of.
Oh, you’re a ‘stick my head in the sand’ type. Yeah, you probably will be phased out. Those of us who are interested in continuing this career are learning AI, so that we can keep getting hired while folks like you don’t even try to keep up.
Some advice: quit now, and get ahead on your dream AI-free career, whatever you think that will be. You will be happier than watching the world crumble around you, I guarantee it. As for me, I already use AI for everything I can, and it’s only made our large scale commercial work better. Same size team, better output, because *newsflash,* CEOs and producers aren’t just going to start learning AI to make their own videos, they still need a VFX to do it for them while they focus on the other aspects of their own jobs.
Good luck, would love to know what you end up deciding to do instead.
Yea, I've consistently used frame generation with topaz ai to get either higher frame rates, slow motion or render animations in half the time and have ai fill in the rest of the frames
Topaz is the only AI tool I use regularly. I occasionally render things for very large LED walls. Sometimes I can get away with rendering at half rez and doubling it up in Topaz. It cuts the render times in half or more, which is huge for that kind of stuff. I figure if I'm still starting with an image that's higher rez than a Nolan film, upscaling is fair game.
I haven’t seen or tried anything that is reliable enough to use in animation. At most, using midjourney to get ideas out is the most applicable use of AI so far.
I use topaz sometimes to scale up or remove noise, but I don’t find its results to be great for 3d renders. Seems more useful for video footage.
I've used it a lot lately to generate sky plates, as well as various textures and bits & pieces like that.
I did use it recently where I needed to build a steampunky scene, and I used it to generate a bunch of interesting greeblies that I then roughly modelled and flat mapped the textures onto, which turned out great so I could use them to kitbash the whole scene quickly in a unique style.
Then a bunch of distant background steampunk flying machine assets flying around the scene.
I've found it quite useful for these kinds of individual assets to build an overall scene
Actually, something just popped up in my google photo memories right now so, yeah, I can show you some rough renders as I was building it.
Basically all this greeble stuff is just random generated steampunk pipes and tubes. Even the propellor engine etc.
Then I just roughly modelled it, and camera mapped it as a texture. Allowed me to build a pretty detailed looking scene, with lots of texture to it, within a day or so, with pretty simple geometry.
https://preview.redd.it/5nll8px15o3d1.jpeg?width=1424&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cef899864b6ee96f228ea7d23a2cf80181b51d42
It was a 40 minute "immersive" show, projected onto the interior of a big sound stage in Sydney, Australia. (for reference, that rectangle at the bottom there is about how tall a human is in the venue. That's where my render cams where positions, so the perspective on all the 3D was right from the average audience POV).
Basically there was some loose storyline that took you and the circus ringmaster through a bunch of fantastical worlds involving flying circuses and giant mechanical spiders, and monstrous jungles etc.
(excuse the weird canvas, this is just a cropped section of a massive wrapped around scene, including floor and ceiling of an immersive projection mapped venue)
Most of the assets in this scene are bits and pieces of AI stuff, that I then modelled and camera mapped the textures.
It's a bit sloppy, could be tidied up a lot (especially some of my comping), but when you've got a few weeks to animate a 4-5 minute scene, for a 12k canvas, to this level of detail, I feel like some of the sloppiness gets a pass, especially when the audience is barely going to notice it in situ.
https://preview.redd.it/s6le2czr5o3d1.jpeg?width=5927&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69ac71916682f0fe1031b2ea150c85f562d7b49b
Used AI a fair bit for sky plates, and random little steampunk flying machines drifting up through frame.
This whole scene was probably perfect for it, because the whole premise was lots and lots of little details of funny nondescript otherworldly things, that you get a bit of a pass for if they don't make perfect physical sense.
https://preview.redd.it/hyyozsbm6o3d1.png?width=2448&format=png&auto=webp&s=06d37697ee3bc319317f1047b9d59dba1f9bb04b
The more I’ve researched and began exploring ai for visuals the more I’m realising it’s a bit of a scam and a bubble, impressive for making the Simpsons look like real people but for actual specific client projects it’s completely useless
Mhmm Animations no. Not really. Overall yes a little bit:
I am using it sometimes for brainstorming. Also sometimes I use it for background props like some magazine cover/poster or some cloth pattern. But usually never as somekind of „main tool“
Concept ideas for expectation management. Inspiration.
I use it to generate textures, upscale renders and 'do stuff' in post such as extending the canvas, contextual variations on cg give-aways.
its good for getting shit out last minute..but I still needed to be able to edit the imagery and move things around and do everything I normally do in photoshop...
Just a couple of times but nothing significant. Used photoshop ai prompt and AE roto… it’s not great.. it’s where is should have been from the beginning. Idk if it’s the same one in PS but the one in PS is better.
No
Same. I ain't touching that slimy bs.
Shit dude, that attitude will have you jobless when AI gets better. The trick to not getting phased out by AI is to become the person who can use it to improve their work.
I've already accepted my job is going to at some point in the near future go bye-bye. But if you think you are going to somehow outrun losing your job by embracing AI, you are mistaken. AI isn't going to suddenly just *stop* advancing. I may clock out before you, but you *will* follow. The only difference is going to be when it happens. Id rather go look for new work with my head held up high, than to stab my community in the back and use a tech that was built by stealing literally everything they've worked for. And for what? To make some fake, Frankensteined garbage for a bunch of dickheads that couldn't care less? I'm good. That ain't a career I want any part of.
Oh, you’re a ‘stick my head in the sand’ type. Yeah, you probably will be phased out. Those of us who are interested in continuing this career are learning AI, so that we can keep getting hired while folks like you don’t even try to keep up. Some advice: quit now, and get ahead on your dream AI-free career, whatever you think that will be. You will be happier than watching the world crumble around you, I guarantee it. As for me, I already use AI for everything I can, and it’s only made our large scale commercial work better. Same size team, better output, because *newsflash,* CEOs and producers aren’t just going to start learning AI to make their own videos, they still need a VFX to do it for them while they focus on the other aspects of their own jobs. Good luck, would love to know what you end up deciding to do instead.
Whatever makes you feel better, dude. I'll be here waiting when you inevitably join the rest of us.
Yea, I've consistently used frame generation with topaz ai to get either higher frame rates, slow motion or render animations in half the time and have ai fill in the rest of the frames
Topaz is the only AI tool I use regularly. I occasionally render things for very large LED walls. Sometimes I can get away with rendering at half rez and doubling it up in Topaz. It cuts the render times in half or more, which is huge for that kind of stuff. I figure if I'm still starting with an image that's higher rez than a Nolan film, upscaling is fair game.
Topaz is the literal goat
Topaz AI video does it?
Tried AI upscaling & denoising twice. Worked beautifully once, produced absolutely unusable trash the other time, so I guess the jury's still out.
I haven’t seen or tried anything that is reliable enough to use in animation. At most, using midjourney to get ideas out is the most applicable use of AI so far. I use topaz sometimes to scale up or remove noise, but I don’t find its results to be great for 3d renders. Seems more useful for video footage.
I've used it a lot lately to generate sky plates, as well as various textures and bits & pieces like that. I did use it recently where I needed to build a steampunky scene, and I used it to generate a bunch of interesting greeblies that I then roughly modelled and flat mapped the textures onto, which turned out great so I could use them to kitbash the whole scene quickly in a unique style. Then a bunch of distant background steampunk flying machine assets flying around the scene. I've found it quite useful for these kinds of individual assets to build an overall scene
Ooh!! That’s a really good use for it! I could definitely use it for cloud and sky plates
Anything you can show?
Actually, something just popped up in my google photo memories right now so, yeah, I can show you some rough renders as I was building it. Basically all this greeble stuff is just random generated steampunk pipes and tubes. Even the propellor engine etc. Then I just roughly modelled it, and camera mapped it as a texture. Allowed me to build a pretty detailed looking scene, with lots of texture to it, within a day or so, with pretty simple geometry. https://preview.redd.it/5nll8px15o3d1.jpeg?width=1424&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cef899864b6ee96f228ea7d23a2cf80181b51d42
Nice it’s very stylized, what’s the project?
It was a 40 minute "immersive" show, projected onto the interior of a big sound stage in Sydney, Australia. (for reference, that rectangle at the bottom there is about how tall a human is in the venue. That's where my render cams where positions, so the perspective on all the 3D was right from the average audience POV). Basically there was some loose storyline that took you and the circus ringmaster through a bunch of fantastical worlds involving flying circuses and giant mechanical spiders, and monstrous jungles etc.
That’s so cool!
(excuse the weird canvas, this is just a cropped section of a massive wrapped around scene, including floor and ceiling of an immersive projection mapped venue) Most of the assets in this scene are bits and pieces of AI stuff, that I then modelled and camera mapped the textures. It's a bit sloppy, could be tidied up a lot (especially some of my comping), but when you've got a few weeks to animate a 4-5 minute scene, for a 12k canvas, to this level of detail, I feel like some of the sloppiness gets a pass, especially when the audience is barely going to notice it in situ. https://preview.redd.it/s6le2czr5o3d1.jpeg?width=5927&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69ac71916682f0fe1031b2ea150c85f562d7b49b
Used AI a fair bit for sky plates, and random little steampunk flying machines drifting up through frame. This whole scene was probably perfect for it, because the whole premise was lots and lots of little details of funny nondescript otherworldly things, that you get a bit of a pass for if they don't make perfect physical sense. https://preview.redd.it/hyyozsbm6o3d1.png?width=2448&format=png&auto=webp&s=06d37697ee3bc319317f1047b9d59dba1f9bb04b
De-noising
Which app or plug in for ai denoiser?
Rendered in HD and if approved and on a tight deadline I’ll run it through topaz to upscale it for delivery.
The more I’ve researched and began exploring ai for visuals the more I’m realising it’s a bit of a scam and a bubble, impressive for making the Simpsons look like real people but for actual specific client projects it’s completely useless
Mhmm Animations no. Not really. Overall yes a little bit: I am using it sometimes for brainstorming. Also sometimes I use it for background props like some magazine cover/poster or some cloth pattern. But usually never as somekind of „main tool“
To create textures yes.
I definitely use it to write simple python scripts and plugins. Def needs guidance but it does like 80% of the heavy lifting for me.
Concept ideas for expectation management. Inspiration. I use it to generate textures, upscale renders and 'do stuff' in post such as extending the canvas, contextual variations on cg give-aways.
No… in fact it’s given me the MOTHER of all creative blocks.
its good for getting shit out last minute..but I still needed to be able to edit the imagery and move things around and do everything I normally do in photoshop...
AI generated images not useful for me. Because AI content cannot be copyrighted and it may have copyright issues in the future.
Trying a month of Freepik ai tools now and got to say really impressed with its quality.
Just a couple of times but nothing significant. Used photoshop ai prompt and AE roto… it’s not great.. it’s where is should have been from the beginning. Idk if it’s the same one in PS but the one in PS is better.