AI Image Wizardry: 8 Tips to Get You Started

Guest post by Megan Lowe, Passionate Educator, and Tech Enthusiast

Opinions expressed are those of the guest blogger.

Lessons Learned (TL;DR)

Push back, refine, reiterate: it takes time!
AI image generators have a bias
Learn some great tokens
Free tools don’t get you too far
The race is on; no image generator is superior to all others
Engage with the community
Count the fingers
Check out Kids Think Wide

The Genesis of a Family-Driven Project

In April 2023, our family – comprising two dynamic teenagers, a mom in education, and a tech-savvy husband – embarked on a quest fueled by a simple yet profound question: ‘What great things can we accomplish with AI today?’ This question ignited our passion project, Kids Think Wide.

‘Kids Think Wide’: Born from AI

Our initial challenge was finding a name that echoed our vision and passion, particularly for art. We sought guidance from ChatGPT, which suggested names like ‘kidsthinkingdiversely.com’. However, seeking a more kid-friendly name, we settled on ‘Kids Think Wide’. This title perfectly aligns with our goal of expanding young minds through AI-driven educational tools. AI’s role extended beyond naming; it was instrumental in designing our logo, creating web content, and assisting in coding. Admittedly, AI solutions aren’t flawless – we’ve encountered coding limitations and often diverged from AI suggestions. In this creative process, we learned to embrace the journey and be patient, open to change, and always learning.

Crafting a Universe of AI-Generated Content

‘Kids Think Wide’ is dedicated to fostering a more equitable educational landscape. We are committed to representing everyone, promoting gender equality, and amplifying historically overlooked or unheard voices in engaging and fun ways! We’ve created over 10,000 AI-generated images and published approximately 400 on Kids Think Wide. A writing prompt and discussion questions accompany each image to help prepare and inspire students to write. Our unique offerings include ‘choose your own adventure’ stories. In these, students collaboratively brainstorm and build ideas for their narratives before selecting from 3 to 5 adventure paths to personalize them, such as:

Additionally, we’ve leveraged the popularity of short-form videos, similar to reels and TikTok, using animated images, or ‘Sparks’, to captivate and spark enthusiasm for creative writing among students.

Our journey with AI also revealed the biases and limitations inherent in image generators. We’ve found it’s easier to create images that involve subjects that are very common online – celebrities, movie scenes, and well-photographed places but getting an accurate representation of a wheelchair can be more challenging.

AI has allowed us to create scenes that challenge reality:

Journey through time, space, and into other worlds:

Create the fun, wild and whimsical:

The Evolution and Magic of AI-Generated Images

The last nine months have seen dramatic advancement in AI-generated images. The improvement in image quality, accuracy in prompt interpretation, and the ability to adjust specific image elements has been remarkable. Our journey through this dynamic domain has been an exhilarating blend of discovery and creativity. While perfecting an image is usually challenging and time-consuming, the results are frequently astonishing and rewarding. We start simple and slowly build on prompts. The arrangement of phrases and the specific words chosen play crucial roles. However, you can unlock unexpected and extraordinary outcomes through iteration, experimentation, and patience. It helps to know tokens (short phrases that often produce excellent results), e.g., playful mood, cinematic, low Angle shot, bokeh, or Chiaroscuro to name a few! On other occasions, it might require 30, 50, or even more re-rolls and remixes to create an image that genuinely captivates and is worth sharing.

While free tools provide a starting point, they often have limitations; investment in paid resources is usually necessary for more advanced or specific requirements.

As AI image generation rapidly evolves, we find ourselves exploring various tools. Midjourney stands out with its detailed control and often superior imagery, while Adobe Firefly is notable for its dedication to diversity and inclusivity. On the other hand, Dall-E brings a sense of whimsy to its creations. Each platform offers a unique experience. It’s not uncommon to initially admire an image, only to later discover anomalies like an extra limb or oddly placed fingers – the quirks of AI can lead to both amusing distortions and unexpected additions.

Engage with the AI Community

Our journey has shown us how important connecting with the AI community is. There are many skilled and helpful creators out there. We often turn to Twitter to engage with this community. It’s an excellent place for learning, sharing experiences, and finding support.

Check out the following:

Hashtags – #aiart #digitalart #aiartcommunity #promptshare #LeonardoAI #midjourney #ArtificialInteligence

Creators – @nickfloats, @HBCoop_, @saana_ai, @ProperPrompter, @ciguleva, @techhalla, @madaro_art, @Mr_AllenT, @OrctonAI

Final Thoughts and What’s to Come

‘Kids Think Wide’ has evolved from a simple ‘what if’ conversation into a reality, thanks to AI’s extraordinary capabilities. This concept, unimaginable even nine months ago, has come to life through our family’s collective imagination and AI’s power. We’re excited to unveil more awe-inspiring images, thought-provoking writing prompts, and enhanced interactivity, all while staying at the forefront of AI developments. As ‘Kids Think Wide’ continues to grow, one thing is sure: the best is yet to come, with AI playing a pivotal role in our journey.

You discover a pair of magical headphones in your pocket during recess. When you put them on, every sound around you changes into a beautiful sensation. The bounce of a basketball might feel like a gentle tap on your shoulder, and the teacher’s whistle might look like a rainbow flashing across the sky.

Write about your recess experience with these headphones. What sensations do you encounter with the different sounds of recess? How does this magical hearing change how you play and interact with your friends?

Thanks to Megs for the guest post

Rachelle Dené is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader and served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was named one of 30 12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021 and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.

She is the author of eight books including ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” and her newest book “Things I Wish […] Knew” is now available at bit.ly/thingsiwishedu.

Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions for your school about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more! Contact Form

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @Rdene915