Art

The best free AI art generators, ranked – Quartz

Published

8 months ago

March 7, 2024

Of all the many, many ways armchair philosophers have come to define art and the act of human expression, AI-generated images don’t have much in relation. There is certainly skill in knowing the correct type of prompt to get the results you want, but there’s no real intent behind an image. If the AI is the “artist,” how can any human claim the generated output as their own?

The question: of what use are AI-generated images? This artificial art has become a shortcut for lazy PR professionals asked to pump out ill-fitting images that don’t hold up to even cursory scrutiny. Entrenched art communities from sites like DeviantArt have largely decried any and all AI-generated images.

Now you have companies like Shutterstock and Adobe; more people would be interested in using an AI image generator that’s trained completely on images each site owns and controls. Getty Images also has its own AI art generator built into its UI. Yet, it’s still suing the makers of Stable Diffusion, Stability AI, for using copyrighted photos to train its art generator.

In that way, I can only advise that you keep these images for your own use and enjoyment. That’s why it’s better to stress the “free” part of these rankings, as you’re not going to have anything like a professional standard image quality.

And even then, there really isn’t much free about these AI models. Like any good dealer, the first hit is always free. These sites usually offer a few tokens to generate a few pictures before inevitably asking users to pay for more images or to upscale those pictures.

There’s also a wave of AI video generators begging for attention. So far, OpenAI’s Sora model seems like the most capable of all that’s come so far. Even the strangest, most-off putting video from this model is leagues beyond what’s currently available from services like Runway. Unfortunately, it’s also locked behind closed doors, so we may not get access to it for a while now. Similarly, DALL-E 3 is restricted to those who pay for a ChatGPT subscription, though thankfully Bing’s image generator, now called Image Creator from Microsoft Designer, uses the same model, and that’s available for free.

For the purpose of these rankings, I wanted to ignore the hubbub around total terabytes of training images. Still, the total time it takes to create each image, their standard free resolution, and usability are all taken into account. To best rank each program, I gave them all the same, rather esoteric, text prompts based on some books I’ve recently read. Those books include:

Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeanette Ng

Prompt: “A man and woman stand under a pendulum sun in the heart of Arcadia.”

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin

Prompt: “A lone mathematician stands on a dusty planet owning nothing.”

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Prompt: “A foreign woman struggles alone against the machinations of a cosmic empire.”

There are several image generators that require photos instead of text prompts. As much as I would like to keep it consistent, I want to be inclusive of different systems rather than exclude them. For the image-generating platforms that don’t allow for text prompts, I used the same image for each one:

Say hello to the young greyhound named Skip.

There is practically no legal precedent for AI-generated images. It’s a well-known fact that these AI models are trained using many gigabytes of copyrighted art and photos scraped from the web. Still, until any of the many legal cases actually sets a roadmap for using any of these generators, we suggest you don’t try and use these free AI art generators for anything but a fun diversion.

And that’s why I find the weirder the generated output, the better. There’s a whole lot of weirdness with AI-generated video. Gizmodo has its own list of the strangest AI-generated commercials you can find here. With the advent of text-to-video models, there’s even more potential for off-the-wall generated content, so we’re including the free video generators in our rankings.

I’m no art critic by any imagination. Still, at least I can tell whether AI-generated art attempted to depict a prompt in a way that’s not derivative or relies upon copying and replicating art found on the internet.

A version of this article originally appeared on Gizmodo.

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Art

A misspelled memorial to the Brontë sisters gets its dots back at last

Published

4 weeks ago

September 26, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.

More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.

The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.

They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.

“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”

It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.

Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”

Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.

“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.

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Art

Calvin Lucyshyn: Vancouver Island Art Dealer Faces Fraud Charges After Police Seize Millions in Artwork

Published

1 month ago

September 13, 2024

Harry Miller

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.

Alleged Fraud Scheme

Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.

Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.

Massive Seizure of Artworks

In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.

Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.

Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed

In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.

Court Proceedings Ongoing

The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.

Impact on the Local Art Community

The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.

For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.

As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.

While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.

Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.

As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.