Shape Immersive CEO James Basnett referred to AI image creation tools like Midjourney and Dall-E as being “A Camera for the Mind.” I concur. It's fascinating to witness the strides these tools have made over the past few years. You simply describe the image in your head in words, and the AI brings it to life. No need for years of training or attending expensive art schools. All you need to do is phrase your vision in a way that the AI can understand.
Ah, there’s the rub! Providing the AI text instructions that lead to the desired output can be more challenging than it seems, especially if you have a very specific picture in mind that you want to create. This challenge has given rise to a new skill known as “prompt engineering,” with claims of prompt engineers earning salaries up to $300,000.
Below is a recap of my attempts to use the generative AI tool DALL-E to create an image of a nanobot for my book cover.
Let’s start of with a fairly straight forward request:
Cover for a pop science, humor book on the history, science, and future directions of nanotechnology
We immediately encounter a problem: DALL-E isn't great at generating text within images. It seems to have a rough idea of what letters and words should look like, but it fuses them together. At a quick glance, you might mistake this proto-text for actual words, but a closer look reveals it's just gibberish.
That said, there's some promise here! The image includes cute characters, such as a microscope and what I suspect is supposed to be nanobots. Unfortunately, they look more like a bunch of smiling coronaviruses. Given our recent global pandemic, where we've been bombarded with images of the coronavirus's distinctive spiky exterior, it's unlikely that these will be recognized as nanobots.
Even without the happy coronaviruses, there’s still an issue. Stylistically, this resembles the type of cover art you might find on an elementary school science book about nanotechnology—not quite a fit for the more adult audience I'm aiming for. The composition is also quite busy. Let’s try again, this time with the aspect ratio of a traditional book.
Can you do a 1.5x1 ratio. No text. Simpler. Not so busy.
That was my bad. I got the aspect ratio numbers backward. However, I like the simpler design. It’s pretty cute, but it still looks too much like a kid’s book.
Try 1x1.5 ratio. Not so cartoony. It's an adult humor book.
Much better. The text is still gibberish, but I like the style. I also like the nanobot, even if it is much too large. (It’s not clear how you’d show a nanobot to scale, since they’re inherently microscopic.)
The gibberish text has me thinking about the title. I’ve had a few working titles in my head, but the one I’ve been toying with lately is Who Killed the Nanobot? I like this one because it reflects some of nanotech’s early history and captures the feeling I have about why nanotech failed to meet the early expectations about tiny robots. For the cover art, I envisioned sad little nanobots walking away slowly (kind of like the sad Michael Cera walk in Arrested Development) as scientists moved to other exciting ideas like developing the Internet. Let’s see if Dall-E can capture this:
New image. A bunch of nanobots walking away sadly carrying hobo sacks while a scientist moves on to working on the internet.
What the heck?! No! Try again!
Dear God, no! What kind of nightmare fuel is this?! Who hurt you, DALL-E? Who hurt you?!? We have to try a different prompt here.
The nanobots should be red, robotic, and tiny, roughly ant-sized. They should look a little like submarines and be walking to the left. The scientist should be facing a giant computer with his back turned to us.
Well, it’s somewhat less creepy. Let’s try again.
You captured their sadness well. The nanobots need to be much smaller though. Make the scientist type at a keyboard in front of the computer.
Why the heck do they have guns and U-boats?! I did NOT ask for Nano Nazis!
Ok, maybe an example will help. I gave it this image of nanobots from AZoNano with the following prompt.
This is what the nanobots should look like. Make the nanobot walk away sadly like his love has been rejected by the scientist.
Now we’re getting somewhere, but there are way too many nanobots. Also, I don’t want the scientist leaving. I just want one nanobot sadly walking away.
Not bad. The scientist works well. Try (1) one scientist at a computer and (2) only one nanobot sadly walking with its head down.
That’s better, but the nanobot looks like grapes. Let’s tweak the prompt slightly.
Oooh! That’s really close. Keep the scientist exactly the same. Make the nanobot where he is, but make him more mechanical like steampunk.
Doh! That one’s on me. I should have known not to say “steampunk.” Still, the positioning is all off.
I’m going to save you from the pain of going through the next series of prompts, which only took us further and further away from the intended image. This would go on for several iterations before I decided to try a different tactic.
Me: That's not what I want. Before drawing, let me explain.
DALL-E: Of course, please go ahead and explain what you're looking for, and I'll do my best to assist you!
Me: DALL-E, let's discuss before you draw. Do you know what a nanobot is?
Dall-E: Certainly! A nanobot, also known as a nanorobot or nanite, is a theoretical machine at the nanoscale, typically conceived as being a very tiny robot capable of performing tasks at a cellular level and possibly smaller. In many science fiction scenarios, nanobots can do everything from medical procedures inside the human body to constructing materials at the molecular level. The idea is that they can be programmed to carry out complex functions while being small enough to maneuver through spaces inaccessible to conventional robots. In reality, while true nanobots aren’t yet a part of our technology, research in nanotechnology has made strides in creating molecular machines and simple devices that can perform rudimentary tasks at the nanoscale.
Me: The important part is nanobots are very TINY! I want them to look like small robots. It should NOT be shaped like a humanoid robot. It should be more shaped like the Minions cartoon, but robotic and red. Good so far?
DALL-E: Understood! A small, non-humanoid robot with a form somewhat reminiscent of the 'Minions' from the animated movies, but with a robotic and red aesthetic. So we’re picturing a tiny, mechanical creature with its own unique, non-anthropomorphic design. Got it! When you’re ready for me to proceed with the illustration, just let me know the final details.
Me: Good! This picture I attached [the early one that looked like grapes] in the previous message is near perfect. The positioning is great. I like how the scientist at the computer is facing away and is in the background. The only problem is that the nanobot looks like grapes. Make the same image and keep all the positioning the same, but make the nanobot look reminiscent of the 'Minions' from the animated movies, but with a robotic and red aesthetic.
No! You literally did nothing I asked. It's a humanoid-looking robot and they’re all in the wrong positions. The scientist is not even in the background.
Why the heck did the nanobot turn into an apple?!
The positioning is great! Keep the scientist in the background. Just make the nanobot smaller, sadder, and look more like a machine.
No! The nanobot is supposed to be smaller, not the scientist—the nanobot! The NANOBOT!!!
At this point I figured maybe it would do better if I gave it a picture of what I wanted. So I tried sharing this.
Admittedly, it’s not a great picture, but it contains all the elements I want located roughly in the right positions. If DALL-E could make this into a nicer looking version, I could add the title and have a good working draft of the cover art.
Attached is a rough mock of what I'd like you to make next. (1) Minimalist white background. (2) Sad non-humanoid robot sadly carrying a bindle. (3) Scientist facing backwards typing at a computer. Keep the positions and sizes of all the objects the same.
And that’s where I gave up.
Don’t get discouraged when trying to make AI art on your own. Sure, there are lots of gorgeous-looking AI art pieces you can find online. When browsing AI art galleries, it’s important to remember that you’re almost certainly not seeing the duds. AI is amazing, but it isn’t magic. Like any tool, you still have to work hard to get it to do what you want. Becoming a master craftsman requires patience and practice.