When I think about AI, I am not only thinking about the artwork created by it but also about how AI augments my work. I’ve been photographing for 3 years, and from my experience, the night photo noise has always been a pain in the neck. So, I was shocked when I heard Adobe was releasing a new function called “AI noise reduction.” After its release, I jumped right into it, and its performance exceeded my expectations.
Shot at ISO 102400 (Crazy High Noise Density)
Here is the sweet AI noise reduction function.
After running through the AI noise reduction, the image turns into a DNG. Look how CLEAN it is!
Noise reduction technology is not new, but it often results in a severe loss of sharpness(it looks like the whole image has been painted over). However, as you can see here, the impact of AI noise reduction on this image is minimal; it removes those painful noises and keeps everything else as it was. Soon, I ran most of my night photos through this AI noise reduction in Lightroom.
This raises the question: Are those AI noise-reduced photos considered Synthetic Media?
Based on the definition of Synthetic Media(a catch-all term for the artificial production, manipulation, and modification of data and media by automated means, especially through the use of artificial intelligence algorithms), my AI noise-reduced photos are somehow modified by the AI algorithms, so they fit the definition of Synthetic Media.
I am not the kind of person who is willing to let AI invade my work, but look at those photos I’ve created; most of them are synthetic media! I am using AI algorithms to augment my photographs, and I chose not to say it is Synthetic Media because this AI algorithm only reduces noise instead of changing the color of the sky or wiping out a person walking on the sideway. However, in the end, technically, AI has done something to this photograph that permanently modified its contents, and I think it is too tiny to call it “AI-Modified,” but it is “AI-Modified.”