AI in Photography – A Tool, Not a Replacement (For Now)

Alright, let’s get real—AI is everywhere, and it’s not backing down anytime soon. From fully generated images that’ll make you do a double-take to the handy tricks in Photoshop (Ps) and Lightroom (Lr) that make edits a breeze, AI is changing the game. But depending on how you roll, this could be a blessing or a curse.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The AI tools in Ps and Lr? Total game-changers. They let you work smarter, not harder, and save hours of your life on edits. But when we’re talking AI-created images—those ‘photos’ not even taken with a camera—that’s where things get a bit murky. Cool? Yeah. Photography? Not quite.

The Good – Fast Workflow, Faster Edits

For those of us who live and breathe photography, AI’s an absolute gift in the editing room. Take Ps’s Content-Aware Fill—it’s like deleting that oblivious tourist from your frame with a wave of a wand. Or Lr’s AI-powered subject and sky selection—it’s cutting hours of manual masking down to seconds. Basically, it’s like having a super-efficient assistant who just gets it.

These tools get the job done fast—and they’re damn good at it. Why spend 20 minutes tweaking masks when AI can nail it in 30 seconds? Throw in AI-driven noise reduction and sharpening, and your images pop in ultra-high-def without you needing to break a sweat.

Plus, with AI getting to know your style, you can maintain consistency across your work with a few clicks and tweaks. Boom—polished, professional images ready to ship to clients, no all-nighters required.

The Bad – When You’ve Gone Too Far

But here’s where things go off the rails. AI’s great, but too much of a good thing? You start stepping into the uncanny valley. You know what I’m talking about—portraits so retouched they look like someone took a steam iron to the person’s face, or a sky that’s been HDR-ed into something straight out of a sci-fi flick.

AI’s cool, but it can’t replace the human touch. Over-relying on it? You risk your work becoming cold, soulless, and frankly, inauthentic. And in a field where capturing the raw moment, the emotion, the story is key? That’s a problem. AI should cut down your editing time, not hijack the whole creative process.

The Ugly – AI-Generated “Photos”

Now, let’s talk about the big elephant in the room—AI-generated images. These wild, surreal landscapes and portraits of people who don’t exist are cool, no doubt. Some are even stunning. But let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t photography. It’s art, sure, or maybe something else entirely. But it’s not about capturing real moments.

And here’s the thing—imperfections. AI doesn’t do them well. Ever see AI-generated hands? Yeah, they look like mutant claws half the time. The text in the background? Total gibberish. And let’s not forget the “plastic” feel that these images often have—a hyper-real vibe that’s pretty but lacks the warmth and depth of a true photo.

Sure, AI is closing the gap, but it’s not there yet—and thank God. Those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it real-life moments? They still belong to the photographers out there with their boots on the ground, ready to catch the magic.

AI Isn’t the Enemy—It’s a Tool

Let’s make this clear: AI isn’t out to replace photographers. It’s here to make your life easier, speed up your workflow, and maybe even push your creativity in new directions. But it’s a tool, like your lens or your light setup. It doesn’t replace you.

AI might be the flavor of the month right now, but when it comes down to it, people crave real moments. Authenticity sells. Storytelling sells. And as long as you stick to that, no AI-generated nonsense will touch what you do.

So use AI to your advantage. Save time, refine your work, explore new creative avenues—but don’t let it take over. Be the human behind the camera, and let AI do what it does best—enhance what’s already killer work.

Wrapping It Up: AI and the Future of Photography

AI tools are a solid addition to the photographer’s kit, especially in Ps and Lr where they streamline the process and elevate image quality. But AI-generated images? That’s a different beast. Impressive? Yeah. The future of photography? Not yet.

Because at the end of the day, it’s that human touch—the emotion, the craft—that makes a photo stand out. No algorithm’s coming for that.

So, use AI for what it is—a tool to push your work further, not a replacement for the creativity, effort, and passion that make photography what it is.