{"id":59672,"date":"2025-03-03T22:07:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T21:07:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/excire.com\/?p=59672"},"modified":"2025-03-05T17:42:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T16:42:22","slug":"ai-in-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/excire.com\/en\/ai-in-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"AI in Photography: Your Essential (and Balanced) Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
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These days, we photographers can\u2019t go two minutes without encountering an opinion about AI. It\u2019s usually negative and often extreme (e.g., \u201cAI will ruin photography forever\u201d), and I can certainly empathize. After all, one of the most well-recognized forms of artificial intelligence in photography\u2014AI image generation\u2014threatens to reduce the value of photography (and photographers) by filling the world with pixel-perfect photo lookalikes that can be produced in an instant and without apparent skill.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

But like most things in life, the truth is a lot more complicated. AI image generation gets a lot of airtime, but it\u2019s far from the only instance of AI in photography. Artificial intelligence now appears in a variety of ways and with very different purposes; there are AI photo generators, AI photo organizers, AI photo editors, AI editing tools, AI cameras, and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

As a result, it feels unfair to talk about \u201cAI in photography\u201d as if it were a single entity. And even if we were <\/em>to focus on a single AI use case in photography, it likely affects individuals differently; for instance, while many photographers dislike AI image generators, others have enthusiastically taken up image generation as a method of artistic expansion.<\/p>\n\n

Given all the discussion of AI in photography and all of the misunderstandings, I want to spend some time exploring the various ways that artificial intelligence appears in the photography world, as well as the benefits and drawbacks. As a photographer with a longstanding interest in AI\u2014and as someone who has tried a slew of AI-powered photography tools in both a personal and a professional capacity\u2014I\u2019m well-placed to help you understand what AI in photography actually is, how it works, and what it can mean for the world of photography more broadly.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Let\u2019s dive right in!<\/p>\n\n

What Is AI in Photography?\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n
\"A\n
I asked OpenAI’s DALL-E program to generate an image representing AI in photography. This was the result.<\/em><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n

In my experience, most people have misconceptions about the nature of artificial intelligence. The general assumption is that AI is a technology capable of learning from the user\u2014that as the user offers input, the AI gets better at doing what the user wants (in contrast to algorithmic technology, which is static and can only follow an unchanging set of instructions).<\/p>\n\n

But while certain AI software does indeed work this way, it\u2019s generally not the case in photography applications. Technology that learns regularly from user input is often costly since it requires constant updating with each new input. And in certain applications, it produces subpar results because one-off inputs from a single user generally don\u2019t provide enough training data for an AI model to learn effectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Instead, most AI in the photography sphere works differently:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

First<\/strong>, a model is trained on a huge <\/em>amount of data to do some specific task (e.g., identify objects in a photo).<\/p>\n\n

Second<\/strong>, the AI model is disconnected from the learning environment and packaged into a photography product.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

The result is an AI-powered application capable of impressive feats (e.g., automatically applying keywords to photos) but <\/em>that is no longer adjusted in response to new input.<\/p>\n\n

A Quick Aside on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning<\/h3>\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n

In the photography world, artificial intelligence<\/em> often gets confused with machine learning<\/em>. These are two related but distinctly separate concepts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Machine learning is a process<\/em>. Through machine learning, models learn patterns from data to make predictions without being explicitly programmed.<\/p>\n\n

Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, is a result<\/em>. When a program can successfully complete a sophisticated task\u2014such as mimicking an editing style\u2014it\u2019s generally categorized as \u201cAI.\u201d In other words, \u201cAI\u201d isn\u2019t a precise label but is instead a general classifier applied to various software with \u201cintelligent\u201d capabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Additionally, there\u2019s no single underlying method for creating artificial intelligence. While many AI models are indeed produced through machine learning, that isn\u2019t always the case (and not all machine learning results in what would conventionally be called \u201cAI,\u201d either).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Types of AI in Photography<\/h2>\n\n

As I emphasized above, artificial intelligence in photography doesn\u2019t appear in just one form. Rather, there are different types of AI photography software, each with its uses, benefits, and drawbacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

In this section, I walk you through the most common types of AI in photography, starting with:<\/p>\n\n

AI Photo Editing<\/h3>\n\n

Over the last few years, AI tools have been incorporated into nearly all mainstream image-editing programs<\/a>. Skylum led the way with its early AI-powered sliders and one-click sky-replacement tool, but today, you\u2019ll find AI functionality in a wide range of editors, including Lightroom, Photoshop, ON1 Photo RAW, and DxO PhotoLab 8\u2014so if you have access to the latest version of a popular photo editor, then you likely have access to a form of AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

These AI tools are generally capable of tailoring an editing adjustment or mask to the specific image file. For instance, Lightroom\u2019s<\/a> AI masking tools are capable of identifying and selecting specific image elements (such as skies) or even facial features (such as eyes):<\/p>\n\n

\"An<\/figure>\n\n

While Luminar Neo\u2019s<\/a> Enhance AI sliders apply various aesthetically pleasing adjustments (e.g., increased\/decreased contrast and saturation) based on the specific characteristics of the image:<\/p>\n\n

\"Luminar<\/figure>\n\n

The idea here is to save time by avoiding tedious manual tasks (such as hand-selecting a subject\u2019s facial features), but AI editing tools can also edit images beyond <\/em>the user\u2019s current skill level to create enhanced results. For instance, a landscape photography beginner may not recognize that their sunset photo would benefit from a contrast boost selectively applied to the clouds, but Luminar\u2019s Sky Enhancer AI slider might do exactly that.<\/p>\n\n

Of course, the level of AI integration varies widely from editor to editor. Skylum\u2019s Luminar Neo includes a slew of AI-powered tools, while Lightroom relies far more heavily on manual features and has added AI editing tools much more incrementally.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\"A\n
Luminar Neo includes a lot of AI features.<\/em><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n

AI photo editing exists in other forms, however. Companies such as Neurapix<\/a> and Imagen<\/a> offer a more comprehensive, streamlined AI editing workflow; here, the photographer submits photos they\u2019ve already edited in their own style, which are used to develop\u2014through machine learning\u2014an AI \u201cpreset\u201d (or \u201cprofile\u201d) capable of consistently replicating the style. The preset can then be applied to many photos at once, so when the photographer needs to process a new batch of photos, they can skip manual editing entirely.<\/p>\n\n

\"Neurapix<\/figure>\n\n

Finally, some companies offer software and tools designed to enhance images, not by adjusting<\/em> editing parameters but by adding or swapping out pixels. Topaz Labs\u2019 Gigapixel software<\/a>, for example, uses AI to sharpen, denoise, and upscale images, which allows photographers to improve (or even save) files that are soft, noisy, and low quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\"Topaz<\/figure>\n\n

AI Photo Management<\/h3>\n\n
\"Excire\n
Excire Foto 2025 offers plenty of AI-powered photo-management tools, including several facial-recognition features<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n

AI photo-management tools<\/a> are often overlooked by photographers, but I think this is a mistake. Here, I\u2019m referring to programs that use AI models to help photographers organize, locate, and\/or cull their image files. And while image management<\/a> may not seem like an exciting topic, these AI tools can save photographers a huge <\/em>amount of time and effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

AI image organizers vary in their capabilities, but standard tools include:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n