Creating a narrative portfolio with AI generated art.
Tutorial on how to generate a narrative driven portfolio collection with AI generated art in midjourney V5.
One of the challenges that I faced initially when using midjourney was to develop a consistent narrative for a collection. Over the last few months I was able to leverage a solid framework of steps using GPT-4 and midjourney V5 to develop a consistent narrative driven collection.
Lets look at the steps for this.
Step 1 -build a structure for what you are trying to do:
Come up with the generalized idea for your collection. It does not yet have to be specific to the idea of what you are having in your mind. For example, I wanted to do a series focusing on language and climate action. But i wanted to build up some context in the chat so I asked for GPT-4 to give me prompts for a general idea
my starter prompt:
you are an ai image artist. You are creating a series that uses common literary phrases and puts them in photorealistic settings in everyday life. come up with the phrases that i can use . An example could be “elephant in the room
in my example, I started off by building the activity I am trying to solve for. This will allow you to back and forth with GPT-4 to come up with the structure for your idea.
This now allows you to introduce the specific idea since you have a rough structure in place.
Step 2 - Introduce the idea and have GPT-4 generate the prompts :
In this step you are going to introduce the idea and have GPT-4 generate the prompts for midjourney. The biggest problem I found is that these prompts when taken and put directly into midjourney rarely produced the idea on the prompt. You have to section and break them down and edit them before you go on to the next step.
Take a couple of the ones and make a more expansive prompt. it is this prompt that we will be using for the next step. Make sure to ask for multiple versions of the prompt so you can better edit the final prompt.
Step 3 — Revise the prompts for midjourney V5:
Take the prompts and break them down into the following parts. <Subject> + <Background/Foreground> + <Description> + <Image Configuration>
here is an example of me doing that for one of the prompts.
Prompt from GPT-4
Create a striking, photorealistic image of a massive hourglass, its sand rapidly running out, symbolizing the limited time left for effective climate action. In the top half of the hourglass, depict a thriving, pristine environment with lush forests, clean rivers, and diverse wildlife. In stark contrast, the bottom half reveals a world ravaged by climate change, showcasing deforestation, wildfires, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels.Against a backdrop of a dystopian cityscape with abandoned buildings, polluted skies, and cracked earth, a diverse group of people stands in the foreground. They represent different generations and communities, all reaching out towards the hourglass with a mix of desperation and determination in their expressions. Some are attempting to slow down the flow of sand, while others try to turn back the hourglass, symbolizing the collective effort to save the environment.
Use a wide-angle shot to capture the vast scale of the scene, incorporating dramatic lighting that highlights the contrasting elements within the hourglass. The composition should evoke a sense of urgency and emphasize the importance of immediate climate action, inspiring viewers to reflect on the consequences of inaction and the need for a united response.
Splitting this into our framework.
<Subject>Create a striking, photorealistic image of a massive hourglass, its sand rapidly running out, symbolizing the limited time left for effective climate action. <Details of subject>In the top half of the hourglass, depict a thriving, pristine environment with lush forests, clean rivers, and diverse wildlife. In stark contrast, the bottom half reveals a world ravaged by climate change, showcasing deforestation, wildfires, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels.
<Background/Foreground>Against a backdrop of a dystopian cityscape with abandoned buildings, polluted skies, and cracked earth, a diverse group of people stands in the foreground. <Description>They represent different generations and communities, all reaching out towards the hourglass with a mix of desperation and determination in their expressions. Some are attempting to slow down the flow of sand, while others try to turn back the hourglass, symbolizing the collective effort to save the environment.
<Image Configuration>Use a wide-angle shot to capture the vast scale of the scene, incorporating dramatic lighting that highlights the contrasting elements within the hourglass. The composition should evoke a sense of urgency and emphasize the importance of immediate climate action, inspiring viewers to reflect on the consequences of inaction and the need for a united response.
The trick to getting consistent narrative collection is to keep some of these components constant. This also allows us to reduce the amount of details so as to allow midjourney to produce the image you are looking for.
See below for an example:
Here are the results:
Inspiration behind the collection:
Can AI visualize language and phrases ? Follow this collection to see how AI can visualize language and phrases using a common theme or topic.
Prompts:
Eleventh hour — Create a striking, photorealistic image of a massive hourglass, its sand rapidly running out, symbolizing the limited time left for effective climate action. In the top half of the hourglass, depict a thriving, pristine environment with lush forests, clean rivers, and diverse wildlife. In stark contrast, the bottom half reveals a dry and desert environment. Use a wide-angle shot to capture the vast scale of the scene, incorporating dramatic lighting that highlights the contrasting elements within the hourglass. The composition should evoke a sense of urgency and emphasize the importance of immediate climate action, inspiring viewers to reflect on the consequences of inaction and the need for a united
Elephant in the room —Black smoke cloud shaped like an elephant in a cramped room with young kids.
Weather the storm — Create a family portrait photo of a normal looking family but the background is a devastation of natural disasters
The last straw — Create a poignant image of a pristine beach with a signle plastic straw red in color fallend down on the ground. The turquoise waves approach, threatening to wash away the straw out to sea, symbolizing that we are reaching the last straw in our battle against climate change. Use a low — angle shot to emphasize the straw’s importance, while capturing the beautiful, expansive beach and the vibrant sky above. Include a few seashells and a receding tide line, hinting at the cyclical nature of our actions and their consequences. The balance of natural beauty and human impact in the image serves as a powerful reminder of our responsibility to protect the environment before it’s too late
Tip of the iceberg — Create a captivating image of a miniature Lego New York City skyscape meticulously arranged inside a glass bowl. Among the tiny skyscrapers, place a few real ice cubes, slowly melting and blending with the cityscape. Have a hand holding a hairdryer just outside the bowl, blowing hot air onto the ice cubes and accelerating the melting process, symbolizing human contribution to climate change and rising sea levels. Frame the photograph with a side view, capturing the delicate balance between the intricate Lego city and the melting ice cubes, while incorporating the hairdryer as a symbol of human intervention. Use soft lighting to highlight the details of the Lego structures, and let the condensation on the glass bowl’s inner surface create a dreamy, surreal atmosphere that emphasizes the fragility of our environment
