Samantha's AI Exploration for AI Night
NotebookLM
For my initial deep dive in AI, I created three notebooks using NotebookLM to test how it analyzed certain sources and described information.
- SEO Notes based on four sites with blogs about web practices
- An evolving notebook for my blog analyzing SEO and keywords in comparison to another site
SEO Notebook
- Couldn’t provide a list of “power words” but offered building techniques: relevance of content, prioritizing quality content, and writing title tags and meta descriptions
- Offered details on making a website crawlable by Google
- Provided an extensive checklist on how to improve SEO for my homepage
SRS Inkfeather Notebook
- Analyzed my site and approximated keywords and target audience
- Provided a SEO strategy for short story posts
- Compared my site to Havok Publishing and offered suggestions for targeting a similar audience
NotebookLM Research Results
I liked how I knew where NotebookLM was pulling its sources; felt less like I’m talking to AI and more like an interactive library. Not having to skim for the info I wanted was also nice.
I’m not opposed to NotebookLM…
Envato Lab
versus
Adobe Firefly
Previously I’ve used Adobe Firefly and Envato Lab, but I had a fun idea to compare the two using the same prompts and see how each fulfilled the tasks given.
For this exercise, I used classical book titles and adapted my prompt based on my knowledge of the content.
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Envato Lab
Prompt 1: older man witnessing a massive robot with tentacles and a saucer head from space attack rural England
Prompt 2: monochrome colors with sketch aesthetic
Prompt 3: yellow hue, no gradient color, dead plant life populating foreground
Prompt 4: people running in terror, London England in the background, man standing on a hill in the foreground away from the robot
Adobe Firefly
Prompt 1: war of the worlds
Prompt 2: (added styles of monochrome & sketch)
Prompt 3: (backtracked) monochrome yellow palette, sketched lines, dead plant life in foreground
Prompt 4: London England in background, aged paper aesthetic, illustrated aesthetic, people running in background
The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Envato Lab
Prompt 1: an old man in a small boat on the ocean
Prompt 2: blue color palette, bright sunshine, man and boat small in comparison to the ocean
Prompt 3: appearance of being painted by an artist, seagulls circling in the air
Prompt 4: one man with a hat in boat, calm ocean waters, no clouds
Adobe Firefly
Prompt 1: the old man and the sea
Prompt 2: man in boat, blue color palette, man and boat small in comparison to the ocean
Prompt 3: painted aesthetic, seagulls circling in the air, man and boat abstract and small in the background
Prompt 4: (backtracked) appearance of being painted by an artist, dark wood boat, old man with a hat on (added style of painting)
The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett
Envato Lab
Prompt 1: girl finds a secret garden behind a wall overgrown with vines and moss
Prompt 2: garden filled with colorful flowers and blossoming trees, a small bridge over a lazy river with fish jumping out
Prompt 3: remove fish, little girl standing on bridge, muted color palette and more detailed illustration style
Prompt 4: fourteen-year-old girl with blond hair, classical illustration style like Graham Rust, tall brick wall surrounding the garden
Adobe Firefly
Prompt 1: the secret garden
Prompt 2: girl standing in a vast garden with color flowers and blossoming trees, a small bridge over a lazy river with fish jumping out (added styles of watercolor, antique photo, faded img)
Prompt 3: (removed styles of watercolor, faded img) (added style reference) garden surrounded by a tall wall
Prompt 4: (removed style reference) thin river, colorful foliage, house looking over the garden with a shadow behind a window
AI Image Honorable Mentions
Image Generation Results
While Envato Labs requires more detailed descriptions to get started, it provides a wealth of options and styles that you can add either through selecting an image and updating the prompt or editing the image itself with “Generate Similar.”
It also creates rather interesting juxtapositions that are inspiring in their own right.
… and Adobe Firefly sucks…
mycharacter.ai
I thought my exploration was done, but I remembered Jim Mosier’s lengthy directory of AI and decided the SEO-related ones might be worth exploring.
After reading the features, I nixed that idea. However, I discovered a couple visualization generators for characters and had to try them out.
mycharacter.ai, Talking Heads?
My goal was to create a likeness of my fantasy character Maquilla, but when I played with the software and explored previously created “characters,” I discovered the mycharacter.ai is meant to take a basic description and design an AI buddy you can chat with.
Below were my two attempts to create my character using the software. To understand just how hilariously this program failed, check out the actual bio of my character.
Prompt: 16-year old girl with pale skin, blue eyes, and box braided blond hair in a knit turquoise sleeveless top with a small seashell choker necklace
What it came up with:
Aqua Marine is a passionate marine biology student with a keen interest in studying ocean life and ecosystems. She loves spending time by the sea, conducting research, and raising awareness about marine conservation.
(visual didn’t appear)
Prompt: blond girl who lost her parents in war and works as a strategic warrior in a medieval fantasy world
What it came up with:
Elara Silvermane is a brilliant tactician known for her clever battle plans and fearless leadership on the battlefield. Despite her tragic past, she channels her grief into protecting her kingdom and upholding justice in the realm.
(still no visual)
Actual Character: Maquilla
Main protagonist in my current novel, she’s a head-strong guardian with a past of tragedy and espionage. Because of several wars that ended with the deaths of her parents, she’s jaded toward their neighboring nation, the Azudo, and relies on her personal wits and capabilities to keep those she loves safe. Trust is a luxury and composure is key.
AI Character Generator
After mycharacter.ai failed so spectacularly, I went hunting for a different software to bring the actual Maquilla to life.
Canva
(style concept art) medieval 16-year-old girl with pale skin and blue eyes, long blond hair cascading along her shoulders, sad expression; wearing a sage green knit sleeveless top with a high neckline and thick straps, a choker necklace with a seashell pendant
Fotor (Credit-based)
16-year-old girl with pale skin and blue eyes, blond hair cascading along her shoulders with thin braids intermixed in the loose strands, stoic expression, tear stains on her cheeks; wearing a sage green knit sleeveless top with a high neckline and thick straps, a choker necklace with a seashell pendant, holding a short sword with a leather hilt with ruins along the blood-stained steel; medieval city on fire in the background with a red sky and black clouds twisting into a storm, darkened forest surrounding her, slight breeze catching her hair
Adobe Express
(style concept art, cartoon, fantasy) medieval 16-year-old girl with pale skin and blue eyes, long blond hair cascading along her shoulders, sad expression; wearing a sage green knit sleeveless top with a high neckline and thick straps, a choker necklace with a seashell pendant
Envato Labs for AI Character Generation
To test Envato’s capability of creating a character likeness, I progressively added to my prompt while selecting my favorite of the options given. The results and final prompt are as follows:
girl blue eyes, long blond hair in thin braids, stoic expression, tear-stained cheeks, face and arms smudged with ash, green knit sleeveless top, necklace with a seashell pendant, running away from medieval city into a forest, carrying a short sword, red sky with thick black clouds overhead
Play Time Results
Every generator has a unique style. Even if they say “add this style,” each has its own interpretation and therefore method for perceiving the information provided.
…and Envato Labs is officially my favorite toy…
… and a lot of Jim’s links don’t work…
Thanks for Joining Me on My AI Journey
Feel free to explore my design blog for human tips on good design and what it takes to work in the digital art industry. If you’re impressed by the webpage build, you can see more by looking at my portfolio.