ChatGPT isn't as popular as the Kardashian, but it is the most buzzworthy technology trending on social media and everywhere. I first learned about the GPT algorithm a few years ago. Fast forward a few years and a few months ago, when the service was launched with a human-usable front end, I dipped my toes into the ChatGPT waters and experimented with various ChatGPT prompts to produce text to accompany some images. I am impressed and concerned at the same time. As an example of what ChatGPT can do, I asked the service to write a review of itself.
I asked ChatGPT to write a review of ChatGPT. ChatGPT responded with the following:
As an AI language model, ChatGPT is an impressive technological achievement. Trained on vast amounts of data, it has the ability to generate coherent and relevant responses to a wide range of prompts, from simple questions to complex conversations.
In my experience interacting with ChatGPT, I have found it to be generally reliable and accurate in its responses. It is particularly adept at providing factual information and answering straightforward questions. It can also engage in more nuanced discussions, offering opinions and insights on various topics.
One of the strengths of ChatGPT is its adaptability to different contexts and styles of conversation. It can adjust its tone and level of formality to match the user's preferences, which makes for a more natural and engaging interaction.
That being said, like any AI model, ChatGPT is not perfect. There are times when its responses can be inaccurate, irrelevant, or even nonsensical. Additionally, it lacks the ability to truly understand the nuances of human emotions and social dynamics, which can lead to misunderstandings or awkward interactions.
Overall, however, ChatGPT is an impressive tool that has the potential to revolutionise the way we communicate and access information. Its ability to learn and improve over time means that it will only become more useful and valuable as it continues to evolve.
That's not award-winning prose, but consider a new career if you write for Buzzfeed.
ChatGPT isn't just for writing, though. A close friend has been using it to write code for his Arduino. The code works! Photographer Chris Sargent uses ChatGPT to write input prompts for the art-producing AI MidJourney. Read that again. Yes, using one AI tool to write input to another AI tool!!
Fuji Film Simulations are a feature found in Fujifilm's line of digital cameras that allows users to replicate the look and feel of Fujifilm's classic film stocks. The simulations are designed to mimic the colour and tone characteristics of Fujifilm's most popular films, such as Velvia, Provia, and Astia, and can be applied to JPEG images in-camera or in post-processing of RAW files. My favourite film simulation is Classic Chrome which produces a muted, vintage look that is excellent for street and documentary photography.
The Fujifilm simulations have become increasingly popular among photographers who want to replicate the look of classic film in their digital images. Applying these simulations in-camera allows photographers to preview the final image and adjust before the photo is taken, resulting in a more efficient and streamlined workflow. On my Fuji X-T3, I can make in-camera changes to the white balance, highlights, shadow, colour, and sharpness and add simulated film grain. I can preview the scene before the shutter is clicked and save these settings to one of seven custom profiles popularly called "recipes". Many websites focus on creating various recipes, the most popular of which is Fuji X Weekly by Ritchie Roesch.
Recently, Ritchie looked at asking ChatGPT to create film simulation recipes for various 35mm film stock, comparing the results to the recipes he had already created. The results were mixed. Ritchie discovered that ChatGPT uses only a few sources on the web as the basis for the film simulation recipes it creates. When programming an artificial intelligence system, it is important to use a very large and diverse sample size to reduce bias in the system. Things can go very wrong if this is done carelessly.
In 2016, Microsoft launched an AI-powered chatbot called Tay on social media platforms like Twitter and Kik. The chatbot was designed to learn from user interactions and become more human-like in its responses. However, within 24 hours of its launch, Tay began to spout racist, sexist, and offensive comments. Tay's behaviour resulted from online trolls discovering the chatbot's vulnerability and purposely teaching it to make offensive comments. The more people interacted with Tay, the more Tay learned and repeated these inappropriate remarks. The situation quickly escalated, and Tay began to make comments that were openly racist, anti-Semitic, and misogynistic. Microsoft quickly shut down Tay and apologised, acknowledging that the chatbot's behaviour was unacceptable and did not align with their values. They also stated that they would be changing their AI training process to prevent similar incidents in the future.
With that caveat, I asked ChatGPT to create a film simulation recipe for one of my favourite film stocks, Kodak Pro Image 100. I have exposed several cartridges of Kodak Pro Image 100 over the last few years. I wanted to see what ChatGPT could create and compare that to my film scans of Kodak Pro Image 100.
I asked ChatGPT to create a Fuji Film Simulation recipe for the Fuji X-T3 that simulates Kodak Pro Image 100. ChatGPT responded with the following.
Sure, here's a recipe for Fuji Film Simulation that simulates Kodak Pro Image 100 on the Fuji X-T3:
Film Simulation: CLASSIC CHROME
Grain Effect: WEAK
Highlight: +2
Shadow: +1
Color: +2
Sharpness: 0
This combination of settings should give your photos a similar look and feel to Kodak Pro Image 100. Of course, keep in mind that the lighting conditions and other factors can also affect the final result, so you may need to tweak the settings to your liking.
That last sentence feels like something I would read on Fuji X Weekly. Here are some examples of the JPEGs produced using the Classic Chome-based recipe above.
I don't think this looks anything like the Kodak Pro Image 100 film stock scans.
I then asked ChatGPT to create a detailed Fuji Film Simulation recipe for the Fuji X-T3 that simulates Kodak Pro Image 100.
Sure, here's a detailed recipe for Fuji Film Simulation that simulates Kodak Pro Image 100 on the Fuji X-T3:
Film Simulation: PRO NEG STD
The PRO NEG STD film simulation is known for its natural and subdued color reproduction, which is similar to Kodak Pro Image 100. This film simulation has a soft and delicate color palette, and produces images that have a smooth and natural-looking gradation.Grain Effect: STRONG
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a fine grain structure, which contributes to its smooth and natural-looking image quality. To simulate this, set the grain effect to STRONG on your X-T3.Highlight: +1
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a slightly lower contrast compared to other films, resulting in a more natural-looking highlight. To achieve a similar look, set the Highlight to +1 in your X-T3.Shadow: +1
To add a bit of contrast to the darker parts of your image, set the Shadow to +1.Color: +2
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a warm and slightly desaturated color palette, with a subtle shift towards green. To simulate this, set the Color to +2 on your X-T3.Sharpness: +1
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a sharpness that is not too aggressive, but still produces a detailed and crisp image. Set the Sharpness to +1 to achieve a similar level of sharpness in your images.These settings should give your photos a similar look and feel to Kodak Pro Image 100. However, keep in mind that the lighting conditions and other factors can also affect the final result, so you may need to tweak the settings to your liking.
I don't understand why ChatGPT's first recipe was based on Classic Chrome, but the second recipe is based on Pro Negative Standard. The results can be random with the limited source recipe information that ChatGPT is trained on. ChatGPT responded with a different recipe and, this time explained each setting. Here are some examples of the JPEGs produced using the Pro Negative Standard-based recipe above. I don't think this looks like the Kodak Pro Image 100 negative scans I did over the last two years.
Neither of these two recipes includes settings for Noise Reduction, White Balance Shift, Clarity, Color Chrome Effect, and Dynamic Range. I asked ChatGPT to create a recipe that uses all the possible film simulation settings on the X-T3.
I asked ChatGPT to create a detailed Fuji Film Simulation recipe for the Fuji X-T3 that simulates Kodak Pro Image 100 with settings for Noise Reduction, Grain Effect, White Balance Shift, Clarity, Color Chrome Effect, Dynamic Range, White Balance, Highlight, Shadow, Color, Sharpening.
ChatGPT responded with the following:
Sure, here's a detailed recipe for Fuji Film Simulation that simulates Kodak Pro Image 100 on the Fuji X-T3, including settings for Noise Reduction, Grain Effect, White Balance Shift, Clarity, Color Chrome Effect, Dynamic Range, White Balance, Highlight, Shadow, Color, and Sharpening:
Film Simulation: PRO NEG STD
The PRO NEG STD film simulation is known for its natural and subdued color reproduction, which is similar to Kodak Pro Image 100. This film simulation has a soft and delicate color palette, and produces images that have a smooth and natural-looking gradation.Noise Reduction: -2
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a fine grain structure, which contributes to its smooth and natural-looking image quality. To simulate this, set the noise reduction to -2 on your X-T3.Grain Effect: STRONG
To add a bit of film-like texture to your images, set the grain effect to STRONG on your X-T3.White Balance Shift: R: +2, B: -2
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a slightly warm color temperature, with a subtle shift towards green. To simulate this, set the White Balance Shift to R: +2 and B: -2 on your X-T3.Clarity: 0
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a natural and soft image quality, without any added sharpness or contrast. Set the Clarity to 0 to achieve a similar look and feel.Color Chrome Effect: OFF
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a subtle and natural color palette, without any overly saturated colors. Turn off the Color Chrome Effect on your X-T3 to achieve a similar look.Dynamic Range: DR200
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a slightly lower contrast compared to other films, resulting in a more natural-looking highlight. To achieve a similar look, set the Dynamic Range to DR200 in your X-T3.White Balance: AUTO
Set the White Balance to AUTO to ensure that the colors in your images are as accurate as possible.Highlight: +1
To achieve a more natural-looking highlight, set the Highlight to +1 in your X-T3.Shadow: +1
To add a bit of contrast to the darker parts of your image, set the Shadow to +1.Color: +2
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a warm and slightly desaturated color palette, with a subtle shift towards green. To simulate this, set the Color to +2 on your X-T3.Sharpening: +1
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a sharpness that is not too aggressive, but still produces a detailed and crisp image. Set the Sharpening to +1 to achieve a similar level of sharpness in your images.These settings should give your photos a similar look and feel to Kodak Pro Image 100. However, keep in mind that the lighting conditions and other factors can also affect the final result, so you may need to tweak the settings to your liking.
I created the recipe in these Fujifilm X Raw Studio and applied the recipe to the Pro Negative Images I captured earlier. The results seem very similar to recipe one and recipe two. That last sentence is the response applies actual Kodak Pro Image 100 film as it does to the film recipe.
Compare all three of these to images captured on Kodak Pro Image 100 35mm film exposed at box speed in a Minolta XD-11, developed at The Dark Room lab, and scanned at home using an Epson Perfection V600 and VueScan 9, and post-processed in Negative Lab Pro.
Ok, so let me ask ChatGPT one more time.
Create a detailed Fuji Film Simulation recipe for the Fuji X-T3 with settings for Noise Reduction, Grain Effect, White Balance Shift, Clarity, Color Chrome Effect, Dynamic Range, White Balance, Highlight, Shadow, Color, Sharpening based on the following description:
Kodak Pro Image 100 is a professional-grade color negative film that is known for its natural color reproduction and fine grain structure. It has a moderate level of contrast, producing images that are neither too flat nor too punchy. The color palette is slightly desaturated and leans towards a warmer, yellow-green hue. Skin tones are natural-looking and the overall image quality is smooth and refined. KODAK PROFESSIONAL PRO IMAGE 100 Color Negative Film is a medium speed film that features high color saturation, accurate color and pleasing skin-tone reproduction, and good underexposure latitude.
ChatGPT responded thusly.
Here is a detailed Fuji Film Simulation recipe for the Fuji X-T3 based on the description of Kodak Pro Image 100:
1. Film Simulation: PRO Neg. Std
This film simulation is known for its natural and subtle colors, making it the perfect base for achieving the slightly desaturated, warm yellow-green hues of Kodak Pro Image 100.2. Noise Reduction: -2
Kodak Pro Image 100 is known for its fine-grain structure, so reducing noise too much could make the image look unnatural.3. Grain Effect: Strong
To mimic the fine-grain structure of Kodak Pro Image 100, a strong grain effect can be added to the image.4. White Balance Shift: +2 Red, -2 Blue
To achieve the warm, yellow-green hue of Kodak Pro Image 100, the white balance can be shifted slightly towards the red and away from the blue.5. Clarity: 0
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a moderate level of contrast, so leaving the clarity setting at 0 can help achieve a similar look.6. Color Chrome Effect: Off
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a slightly desaturated color palette, so turning off the color chrome effect can help achieve a similar look.7. Dynamic Range: DR200
Kodak Pro Image 100 has good underexposure latitude, so setting the dynamic range to DR200 can help retain detail in the shadows and highlights.8. White Balance: Auto
Auto white balance can be used as a starting point, but it may need to be adjusted based on the lighting conditions.9. Highlight: -1
To prevent the image from looking too punchy, the highlight setting can be decreased slightly.10. Shadow: +1
To add a bit more contrast and detail to the shadows, the shadow setting can be increased slightly.11. Color: -2
Kodak Pro Image 100 has a slightly desaturated color palette, so decreasing the color setting slightly can help achieve a similar look.12. Sharpening: +1
To retain the natural look of the image, a slight increase in sharpening can be used.Overall, this recipe is meant to create a natural-looking image with a slightly desaturated, warm yellow-green hue and fine-grain structure, similar to Kodak Pro Image 100. As always, adjustments may need to be made based on lighting conditions and personal preferences.
Although the following results are good, they still do not resemble my scans of the Kodak Pro Image 100 35mm film. ChatGPT's film simulation settings have room for improvement. This is because photography is primarily a visual medium, and ChatGPT relies on textual descriptions found online. The large language model AI does not have eyes, and the descriptions found online are too subjective.
To make the film simulation exercise more effective, providing ChatGPT with detailed objective textual descriptions of the characteristics of a wide range of images taken with a wide range of film stocks would be needed. This would give ChatGPT a better understanding of visual references and improve the overall experience.
Using large language model AI such as ChatGPT for creating film simulation recipes is not practical.
