The HIDDEN AI Threats to Photographers

The real threat of artificial intelligence facing photographers isn't that AI will take your job. Instead, bigger threats are already underway, which I'll explain in this episode. Below are links mentioned in this video:
Online courses to learn Real Estate Photography:
LearnRE.Nathan...
Learn Pro Interior Photography:
ProInteriors.N...
Expert Editing for Interior Photography:
ExpertEditing....
Learn Pro Exterior Photography:
ProExteriors.N...
Learn Videography for Real Estate:
ProVideo.Natha...
My books on real estate photography:
amzn.to/3T84iax
Article on OpenAI and carbon footprint:
www.scientific...

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

To those asking if AI will one-day be good enough to replace photogs with cellphone shots: I get asked this question every time I post a video on AI, and the answer remains the same: It likely won't happen, but not for the reasons you might think. Although the physics of light alone will restrict AI from doing what flash can for RE photography while providing truth-in-advertising restricted work (i.e. REP), the cost of making a program and recouping those costs from clients would very likely cost more than just paying an RE photography to do the work. Also, scam companies are coming out of the woodwork saying they have AI apps that can turn cellphone photos into unbelievable images, but, as I'll show in an upcoming video, these "Apps" do nothing more than collect your photos and send them to overseas editors. That's why they have 24-48 hour turnarounds; if it was AI, it would be immediate. Even with that aside, the core of this issue is cost: Although we can dream of technology, it doesn't it would be profitable enough for a company to create it and maintain it. If that weren't the case then we'd all be using flying cars while using our bionic powered limbs. So TL;DR, you're job is secure 🧐

[@mdhazeldine]

I agree that AI won't take our jobs directly. Of all the techniques you need to learn to stop other photographers stealing your jobs, Adobe's AI tools are some of the easiest out there. You literally brush the AI removal tool over the thing you want to remove or draw a box around it and hit generate. I don't think there are going to be many photographers sitting there feeling left behind unless they're too lazy to work that out. What concerns me more is that AI will steal the jobs of portrait and product photographers and then they will look to change genre into types of photography that AI can't replace, and they will try to get into real estate/architecture. So we'll suffer from further increased competition, which will drive rates down on average.

[@Papparratzi]

You’re 100% on target. In 2001, I set myself ahead of the curve by purchasing the taboo in publishing. I bought a digital 4 mb Oly E-10. All of my blowback came from the publisher saying it was too low rez. Reluctantly they excepted a few small pics and in print, they looked cleaner than the scanned film prints. Understanding that digital was the future, I became more proficient than the film photographers and turn around times were much faster. AI has already helped me to a lesser extent set myself apart against higher level photographers than I faced 20 years ago. My advice, listen to what Nathan is saying and learn how to use AI to set yourself above your competitors.

[@mtnman1984]

Great commentary. It's the same kind discussion that happened around the shift from film to digital. It's another tool.

[@megapixel2529]

What do you think about the possibility of AI being able to generate accurate real estate style images from things like a Cubi Casa Scan in the future? Once it has a full high res scan of the property it would be able to generate a whole photoshoot from one scan, it can already do a digital version of it for video

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

See pinned comment at the top.

[@anthonymclennan3208]

Great video, thanks Nathan. I'm struggling to get efficient object removal in Photoshop 2024 using generative fill. It takes ages, and often returns poor results. Should I be using a different version of PS, or where does one access the AI object removal tools?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you! Since GenAI uses Adobe's servers, it sounds like your internet connection may be slow.

[@SergiuIlisie]

1:43 with what AI program you edited that picture to have a final result like that?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Photoshop, but as mentioned, only portions of that were AI. Lighting was also used for the initial image, and AI was used for certain changes and enhancements.

[@videoandphotographyllc]

Do they have an AI app that does HDR bracketing with a good final result?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Great question, but no. The cost of making such an app would outweigh the justification and cost for those who would use it: it'd have to be cheaper to make and sell than outsourcing, and there's no way it could defy the laws of physics when using flash, and, moreover, get repeatable results. This might make a great topic for another video?

[@videoandphotographyllc]

@@NathanCoolPhoto Thanks for the reply! I always try to find ways to reduce business expenses and I found that I spent over $3000 outsourcing editing last year alone and just don't have the time to take on editng myself to cut cost. If there is ever something like this that could create good results I would be interested in hearing about it.

[@Kentsj]

500 tons, where did you get that number?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Scientific American, link in description.

[@pinkace8221]

may be Tesla have the solution...

[@davidgambin2551]

Adapt or die complaining 😂