Bit Depth: Recent Episodes
Aaron Bieber & Chris Blake
A conversation about the intersection of art and technology, hosted by two career software and hardware nerds following their passion for visual expression.
On trial in this episode is the spectrum of value in printing your digital works onto, you know, actual paper.
We get into it: why don't people do slide shows anymore? Is printing the best way to scrutinize your own art? What does it take to "really show up" for an art fair?
Printing services we like:
- White House Custom Color
- Bay Photo
- White Wall
Also please check out ARTLIFE (stylized on the magazine covers as "ART/LIFE").
Tools like DALL-E 2 and Midjourney have stormed onto the scene, offering anyone (anyone!) the ability to create any image they can imagine just by describing it in words. How has this shaken the foundations of the art world and how might it impact artists of the future? We can't guarantee that we answer either of those questions, but we try to dissect what's going on.
Links:
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DALL-E 2: https://openai.com/dall-e-2/
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Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/home/
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Playground AI: https://playgroundai.com/
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Shutterstock announces OpenAI partnership: https://www.preface.ai/blog/trend/shutterstock-ai/
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PIXimperfect "remove anything" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK1lsnWEbj8
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"Invasive Diffusion" (covers illustrator Hollie Mengert's style getting copied): https://waxy.org/2022/11/invasive-diffusion-how-one-unwilling-illustrator-found-herself-turned-into-an-ai-model/
Adobe started shifting their software from "Creative Suite" to "Creative Cloud" in 2013, demanding monthly subscription payments instead of a one-time license cost per version. Is that OK? We talk about other situations where subscriptions have come into play and what it means for the digital artist.
We discuss "recommendation algorithms" and how platforms that show you what they think you want to see have influenced creators, for better and worse, and what effect it's had on the visual arts.
Tony & Chelsea Northrup video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNAXpejvEC4
"Land of the Giants" episode: https://www.vox.com/recode/23207399/facebook-news-feed-history-podcast
We discuss how internet in general, and social media platforms specifically, have changed how people consume art, and also how those trends have influenced artists to create different art. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it neither? Is it both?
...or how to stop worrying and just buy a Hasselblad X2D.
We talk about the new Hasselblad 100 megapixel medium-format camera, gear acquisition syndrome ("GAS"), and what paintbrushes are made out of and why it should be weasel fur.
Links:
The Phoblographer post: https://www.thephoblographer.com/2021/01/18/stop-pixel-peeping-and-enjoy-your-images-stress-free/
Peter McKinnon's video: https://youtu.be/Mm2N8tOJSx0
An expensive paintbrush: https://www.dickblick.com/items/blick-masterstroke-finest-red-sable-brush-bright-size-20-long-handle/
We discuss the claim that AI image generation and computational photography threatens the livelihood of anyone who is paid to create photographs.
The Fstoppers video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A87UQkvGjKw
DALL-E: https://openai.com/blog/dall-e/
Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/home/