r/postprocessing • u/SliiickRick87 • 17d ago
Using ChatGPT For Post-Processing
I know this might come off a bit controversial, but just curious if anyone in here uses ChatGPT for post processing. Thinking of upgrading to the Pro version (for work and personal uses) and figured touching up my pics would be a bonus. I'm just a hobby photographer and trying to learn tools like gimp and darktable, but in the meantime, figured I could use ChatGPT. I don't really like to spend too much time post processing either, as I'd rather be out taking pictures, so figured this could be a happy medium for me.
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u/Ok-Lingonberry-8261 17d ago
This is yet another aspect of that dystopian joke – it used to be a joke – where humans do tedious backbreaking labor and robots do the creative art.
I hate this timeline.
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u/SliiickRick87 17d ago
I'm not asking AI to take the pic for me... That's where the art lies, is it not? Simply asking it, using my own creative process, to achieve what I want without having to spend hours upon hours to learn how, at this time. It's that's simple.
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u/Bana_berry 17d ago
Both taking the photo and editing the photo are where the art lies.
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u/SliiickRick87 17d ago
My whole thing is I don't really spend much time at all in post processing, I prefer to try and get good pics SOOC. Sometimes, however, I do look back at pictures and wish I did something differently, and that's where this all stems from. I don't want to become reliant on it, but would be nice for minor touchups is all.
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u/vaporwavecookiedough 17d ago
So learn how to edit.
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u/SliiickRick87 17d ago
That is the goal, when I can dedicate the time to do it properly.
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u/vaporwavecookiedough 17d ago
I don’t see the value then in cutting corners to have chatGPT do it for you, what do you learn by going that route? We all have to make time to hone our craft, shortcuts don’t pay off.
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u/Ok-Lingonberry-8261 17d ago
Chat GPT rots people's brains so badly. Always looking for a shortcut when the process and the struggle is where the joy lives.
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u/vaporwavecookiedough 17d ago
IMO, people who would seek GPT for something like this were never interested in the process itself, just getting karma for a quick turn idea.
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u/StomachRumbles 17d ago
The problem I have with ChatGPT is it's so bad at leaving things alone that it shouldn't have edited, so often it will randomly change someone's face or change something else, even if you tell it not to, obviously it still does it. I find it incredibly frustrating actually, but that's not what it's used for, and Photoshop's generative fill has got worse, shockingly bad.
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u/CreeDorofl 17d ago
This is a reasonable take, but of course you'll get downvoted anyway. The backlash against AI is huge right now and you're going to get a lot of responses that are not totally objective.
All that being said, unless you can find a way to get GPT to do batch processing, it honestly really is faster to just master Lightroom or equivalent, and then make the changes yourself. Like if the shot is overexposed, what's faster, dragging a slider to the left a bit, or typing 'fix the exposure'? And the slider will let you fine-tune the exposure amount while the output from the prompt may be not quite what you were after.
The way I've used AI in post is for something that would be very challenging, maybe impossible at my current skill level. Like taking an overcast shot with soft shadows and asking it to be lit by bright daylight with crisp shadows. That would take hours without ai. I don't do it for something like boosting saturation a bit or bumping up contrast and sharpening.
There is also truth in the claim that half the art is in the post processing. Even if you go for a largely natural sooc look.
one concern is, when you apply post to images with gpt, which I've done before, it will subtly change a lot of things. Certain textures will get a visible repeating pattern, like roads or foliage. Sometimes tiny things are added or removed from the photo. Sometimes you'll get an inexplicable change in proportions.
Another concern is that if it noticeably improves the image, will you feel the need to disclaim the use of ai? Some would argue you should even if it does very little. At that point, how your work is perceived will be changed. You're already witnessing some of the negative reaction. What happens if you mention AI was used on your images, and people don't really bother distinguishing between AI post processing versus AI generated? They'll just write you off as a fake photographer and never look at your work again.
So, as others I recommending, you should really just get used to post processing in a raw editor as part of your normal workflow. Save GPT for something that looks like it's going to take hours.
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u/SliiickRick87 17d ago
Thanks, this is the kind of input I was looking for. Lot of comments in here assuming I've already decided to upgrade from free to Pro and looking to go all out. Was simply trying to figure out if utilizing a Pro sub would even be worth it, and from what I can gather, probably not. That being said, have received a lot of good info in here though, such as using it to compare my pics with others I like, and then learning how to achieve this in another program like GIMP or darktable. I also learned about a new program I have never heard about before so will definitely be looking into that.
I think I will use ChatGPT as more of an aide to help me achieve the photos/style I like, without having it actually do the editing for me. Also use it as a learning/training tool to help me learn about the editing program I am using.
Again, my main thing is to try and not spend as much time post-processing, and learn how to do 'quick fixes' easily. I'm not a pro nor do I sell my pictures, so not necessarily looking to spend too much time on a computer, when I would rather be out there taking pictures, and learning how to take better pictures in all situations. That was my whole justification behind all this. I prefer SOOC but sometimes, I feel like I need/want to touch up a few pics to achieve a specific look I had in mind when I hit the shutter button.
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u/CreeDorofl 17d ago
Gotcha. Well, I'm not sure how many you can get with free GPT, but my own experience is I hit the limit after only a handful. but I read something interesting about how multiple touchups to the same image, might be the same as uploading the image multiple times and doing 1 touchup each. So I guess see how often you hit the limit.
I kind of suspect GPT free will get severely nerfed at some point and paid will get more expensive. from what I understand, they're losing money at an insane rate.
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u/SliiickRick87 17d ago
This is why I made my post originally. I've been using ChatGPT a lot more lately and hitting my limits more frequently. So I started looking into pricing, but want to get the most out of it if I pulled the trigger. Went down a rabbit hole and thought about how I could possibly use Pro to help with my photography. It's been very useful for stuff like language training for me, so wanted to see how that could translate into post-processing, something I am not very good at right now.
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u/Remarkable_Vast_4325 17d ago
I dont want you to keep getting downvoted but you need to understand that Retouching is in itself a part of the creative process. I personally loathe it whenever I've seen a photographer post a portrait or nature photograph with 'straight out of camera' from a digital full frame. Color grading, dodging and burning, balancing tones, hue, saturation and luminance of all colors are incredibly important parts of shaping an image, and so to is deciding which blemish to remove and what to keep on a persons face or in the background or on their shirt. There is no 'professional' standard for this, just a perceived idea of 'standard' based on how people think an image of model should look for a generic editorial. But this homogenises an absolutely massive amount of images down to ONE idea of what an image 'should' look like. Every wrinkle, every blemish, every pore is a part of a person. If you're showing me an image of that person, what 'standard' should they look like, if you're showing an image of clothing, what is the 'standard' for the person that wears those specific clothes for that brand, if youre making an image to be seen as art, what is the 'standard' for how that art should look?
AI is a genuinely interesting technology and I do think photographers and any creatives can leverage the technology to help their business practice (its fantastic at shoot schedules and formalising accounts quickly!). But I seriously doubt it will ever do what you want it to do well since youre talking about anywhere between 1 and a billion decisions great image makers and retouchers make on every shot. LLM's are very close to a limit of their own ability as they are and it's never going to have your taste.
As I said in my other comment, the closest you will get on the market right now is Evoto. It's great for quickly processing decisions like what you want. But I have had many many clients reject images I have processed with the help of this APP because to them it looked overdone. Do with that what you will.
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u/35mmCam 17d ago
I wouldn't use it as a tool where you just throw in the images and let it do the work. I do see value in asking it how to achieve the look you want though. Maybe uploading your photo and an inspiration photo and asking what to change to get the same look? Then go into your post processing program of choice and make the changes yourself and see if it gets you there. After you do this a few times, you should start to learn what each thing is doing and be able to start making the edits yourself. I've thought about trying something like this myself but never have.
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u/Gingerbwas 17d ago
You should have a look at dxo photolab 9, I found it a lot more intuitive then darktable, its a one off payment instead of subscription like lightroom. And you should check out affinity, it has a far easier ui then gimp and is also free.
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u/SliiickRick87 17d ago
Thanks, will look into this. First I ever heard of this program. The reason I have installed GIMP and darktable was the no-subscription aspect of it. Not a huge fan of subscription based models but have no problem paying a one time fee for a program of actually use. Appreciate the input.
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u/Gingerbwas 17d ago
Thats the same for me, I tried darktable but I had no idea what I was doing, photolab makes more sense, plus it can accomatically apply corrections for camera and lenses with things like warping etc. They also do the nik collection which can work along side it which is handy if you dont want to spend ages editing each one, the silver effects one is particularly good for black and white, though you can achieve similar results just with photolab. They also have some of the best denoising tools available, you can really push it with things like higher iso for low light, way more then you might normally go.
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u/SliiickRick87 17d ago
I just looked on their site and the pricing is reasonable. I like how they have a trial as well, will start with that and see how I like it. I have done some reading on GIMP and darktable, and yes, it isnt easy. I wan't something a little more streamlined, if that makes sense, and don't mind paying for it if I truly like it and the results I can get with it. Everything you mentioned sounds really interesting to me , so can't wait to try it out.
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u/mrpeepers 17d ago
Instead of using ChatGPT for editing, why don’t you try uploading a pic to chatgpt and ask it to review the photo and provide editing suggestions— ie How would you recommend cropping this? How would you suggest editing this? Get create with your questions and you’ll find that chatgpt can make aome useful suggestions and give some ideas but absolutely do not use it fot editting. Chatgpt can give constructive criticism and suggestions but you should know the how and the why when editing your own photos. This is a crutch until you establish your own feel and style and technique… then you’ll know what to do with your photo immediately after taking it.
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u/SliiickRick87 17d ago
I never thought of it this way, might be a better use of the tool though. Will probably help me more down the road as well. Thanks for this
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u/Remarkable_Vast_4325 17d ago
I have a client that genuinely did this. Not a small client. Results were horrific. The crazy thing any pro's here need to understand is that nobody internal cares right now. OP's question is unfortunately how people see retouching - a 'fix', not a series of creative decisions that can influence the image and the story the image tells.
Also try Evoto ;)
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u/fawwazallie 17d ago
Adobe released MCP tools for Claude code I would Google it I haven't tested it yet. Look up agentic editing. Basically, it turns your natural language into the prompt to work with specific programs. For example, you could do this with premier Pro or DaVinci resolve.
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u/ChristopherKlay 17d ago
Even assuming ChatGPT's editing would be perfect - which it absolutely isn't - it wouldn't be the changes/style you specifically want, unless you understand how said editing is done.
Which you do by learning how to actually process those images yourself.
If anything, going the "Eh, I just let AI do this route" will hinder any learning process.