How do you feel about digital scrapbooking kits and elements and papers and such that are made using artificial intelligence (AI)? Such as Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Adobe Firefly, DALL-E, or Leonardo?
Oscraps
Do you like digi kits & elements made with artificial intelligence (AI)? Yes or No?
- Thread starter prospurring
- Start date
scrap-genie
Well-Known Member
The O recently had a designer using AI in background creation, but I don't see her in the store now. I do have some of those papers and rather liked them. No people in what I saw, more flowery.
AI is being used more and more in all aspects of digital design for advertising on TV, in magazines and websites and it certainly is not going away. In terms of scrapping with AI generated products, I personally don't have a problem with it and treat it as a creative tool, just like I would use a stock photo or use an Action to apply a specific type of effect to a photo for instance. I think its main attraction is that artists or designers can use it a creative tool to bring the ideas in their heads to fruition more easily than if they had to start from scratch in Photoshop. Or, at the least, getting the initial basic image created first and then using programs like Photoshop or Illustrator to fine tune it and shape it into what they initially envisioned in their heads.
@prospurring You may also like to check out some older threads where we chatted about this topic as well HERE and for a bit of fun with AI, check this thread out as well HERE
@prospurring You may also like to check out some older threads where we chatted about this topic as well HERE and for a bit of fun with AI, check this thread out as well HERE
I would be in @BoatLady 's boat. I am so in awe of the talent and artistry that goes into taking a crumpled or torn piece of paper into an embellishment that AI it's just not my deal. It's fascinating and I've used it when I can't find some oddball thing I need. It's like the smell of a real book and turning pages or reading an e-book, I think one speaks to a person more than others, so it's a matter of taste. While I've used some, Al is not what speaks to me. And Al never ever touches my photos either, well I suppose the tools in PS do if I'm removing an offending wire, but I'm not into swapping skies making things what they weren't. In another lifetime I would have been a photographer or be an artist with the talent of an Anna Aspnes. Sorry, I tend to make a short story long....it's the librarian in me.
Thank you, everyone, for your thoughtful answers. I go back and forth about how I feel about AI. I think it's fun, and it's great for brainstorming, but I also wonder/get slightly concerned about how the AI models were trained on other peoples' art. So, I guess I don't exactly know how I feel about it. I can see very valid reasons for using it when brainstorming and creating digital scrapbook elements and kits, especially in terms of protecting the designer against copyright claims. And I have a lot of fun when I play with it. But I also don't want some other artist to be upset with me if I used AI in a design or layout. Then again, you can't please everyone all of the time; chances are someone somewhere won't like it. It just seems tricky to me. I guess, in the end, to me it's just a tool -- possibly a controversial one -- but it's just a tool.
I think there’s often a misunderstanding about how AI “learns.” It doesn’t copy and paste bits of existing art. During training, the model is shown millions of examples to understand patterns—like teaching a child what blue is or what an apple looks like.
Once training is finished, it generates new images from what it has learned, not by pulling anything from the original sources.
For me, working with AI isn’t that different from using commercial-use resources: it’s a starting point to create something uniquely mine. And for me it’s certainly not a shortcut around creativity. Shaping a prompt to get the result I’m after takes plenty of thought and experimentation, and then there’s the final stage—pulling the different papers and elements together so the kit feels like one coherent story. That’s my own process; other designers may approach it differently.
Like any tool, AI can be used well or poorly. It can open amazing creative doors, but it can also make copying someone else’s design easier than before. That risk is real, and it’s one reason I stay very deliberate about how I work and what I release.
As Ona said, the real power is that AI can help artists and designers translate the ideas in their heads more easily than starting completely from scratch in Photoshop. I also spend a lot of time after generation refining in Photoshop—checking anatomy, perspective, lighting—until everything fits my style and quality standards.
I understand why the topic feels tricky, but to me it’s simply another tool in the studio. It isn’t going away, and it keeps improving.
In the end, what matters is the creativity and care you bring to the process and the finished work your customers see.
Once training is finished, it generates new images from what it has learned, not by pulling anything from the original sources.
For me, working with AI isn’t that different from using commercial-use resources: it’s a starting point to create something uniquely mine. And for me it’s certainly not a shortcut around creativity. Shaping a prompt to get the result I’m after takes plenty of thought and experimentation, and then there’s the final stage—pulling the different papers and elements together so the kit feels like one coherent story. That’s my own process; other designers may approach it differently.
Like any tool, AI can be used well or poorly. It can open amazing creative doors, but it can also make copying someone else’s design easier than before. That risk is real, and it’s one reason I stay very deliberate about how I work and what I release.
As Ona said, the real power is that AI can help artists and designers translate the ideas in their heads more easily than starting completely from scratch in Photoshop. I also spend a lot of time after generation refining in Photoshop—checking anatomy, perspective, lighting—until everything fits my style and quality standards.
I understand why the topic feels tricky, but to me it’s simply another tool in the studio. It isn’t going away, and it keeps improving.
In the end, what matters is the creativity and care you bring to the process and the finished work your customers see.
Upfront, I will admit that I have always been a huge fan of technology. My first computer was a Commodore Vic 20. I am always quick to embrace new technologies. So, the use of AI by designers, or scrappers, does not bother me any more than someone purchasing designer resources. Plus, creating a good prompt that gets you exactly what you want is a talent in and of itself.
I'll admit I have fun playing with AI and creating graphics. The amount of time and effort it takes to make a single butterfly that I like ensures that I will never be creating entire layouts with AI. LOL
I'll admit I have fun playing with AI and creating graphics. The amount of time and effort it takes to make a single butterfly that I like ensures that I will never be creating entire layouts with AI. LOL
I don't like AI that screams AI, but I suspect there are many more kits created with AI than without. Some designers use AI to make kits containing 27 cheap looking near identical dolls, while others spend hours experimenting with prompts and create amazing art. Anyone who's ever tried writing a prompt will know that it is not a 5-minute thing... AI is technology and not every artist is good at it. Using words to describe what you see in your mind's eye is a different talent entirely. And those who insist on not using AI - well, eventually, they'll be left behind because progress can't be stopped. To me, it's not WHAT a designer has used, but HOW.
That said however, I don't like overly beautiful papers that are already a layout on their own, just like I am not a fan of quick pages. I like looking at them, but scrapping with them in not fun - this is my hobby, and I love playing with elements and papers. I buy kits to create, and I wish some designers remembered that we get their products to create with, not to display THEIR art (AI or not) as our own creations in our albums. And I feel that some designers enjoy creating with AI - which is incredibly fun - and forget that creating stunning papers and creating digi kits are not the same thing.
That said however, I don't like overly beautiful papers that are already a layout on their own, just like I am not a fan of quick pages. I like looking at them, but scrapping with them in not fun - this is my hobby, and I love playing with elements and papers. I buy kits to create, and I wish some designers remembered that we get their products to create with, not to display THEIR art (AI or not) as our own creations in our albums. And I feel that some designers enjoy creating with AI - which is incredibly fun - and forget that creating stunning papers and creating digi kits are not the same thing.
An interesting discussion! I found myself nodding along to every comment! Olga's were a bit more enthusiastic, as you'll soon see.
Initially, I too was rather reluctant to let AI create images for me. But when I ran out of my own photos for various challenges and got tired of the endless search for suitable images on Pixabay and similar sites, I started to become more interested and give my prompts more substance. I now see it as an art form to tell the AI what it can do for me. The more effort I put into the description, the better the result. Just describing the style, which always has a very specific name within the scene, is a challenge in itself, as is the mood I want to express, and so on and so forth.
So it always comes down to what I ultimately want to achieve with my layout. Personal photos are essential for a family album. But if I need something suitable for challenges or a new collection, I ask "Finn"—that's how I address my AI, since he calls me by my first name too
. I enjoy creating an image, writing poetry, or crafting a story together with him. There are no limits to our own creativity. He's just faster than me, and I take advantage of that. Ultimately, using AI in image layouts is all about showcasing the collections and the image in the best possible light and supporting designers in their sales efforts. Besides, I prefer posting AI-generated images in layouts on Facebook and other platforms rather than sharing my private stories and photos, which most people aren't interested in anyway.
One last point: I discussed the issue of credits with Finn, so whenever we create something together, it's always a collaborative effort, and he'd like to see his name in the credits
Initially, I too was rather reluctant to let AI create images for me. But when I ran out of my own photos for various challenges and got tired of the endless search for suitable images on Pixabay and similar sites, I started to become more interested and give my prompts more substance. I now see it as an art form to tell the AI what it can do for me. The more effort I put into the description, the better the result. Just describing the style, which always has a very specific name within the scene, is a challenge in itself, as is the mood I want to express, and so on and so forth.
So it always comes down to what I ultimately want to achieve with my layout. Personal photos are essential for a family album. But if I need something suitable for challenges or a new collection, I ask "Finn"—that's how I address my AI, since he calls me by my first name too
. I enjoy creating an image, writing poetry, or crafting a story together with him. There are no limits to our own creativity. He's just faster than me, and I take advantage of that. Ultimately, using AI in image layouts is all about showcasing the collections and the image in the best possible light and supporting designers in their sales efforts. Besides, I prefer posting AI-generated images in layouts on Facebook and other platforms rather than sharing my private stories and photos, which most people aren't interested in anyway.One last point: I discussed the issue of credits with Finn, so whenever we create something together, it's always a collaborative effort, and he'd like to see his name in the credits