Whether you’re a fan or not, AI photo editing isn’t going anywhere! For a long time, residents have been using photo editing apps to make their Second Life pictures look better than what’s attainable in-world by adding real hair, big smiles, and rendered bodies. Now, with AI making photo editing super easy, lots of Second Life brands are using it to help show off and sell their stuff.
Ads in Second Life are stepping up their game with AI. More and more skin ads now feature incredibly lifelike hair that surpasses what’s available in-world. It’s becoming a challenge to pinpoint where the AI effects begin or end in these ads—they’re that good at blending in. Clothing brands have showcased their apparel on 3D-generated models for a while, but nowadays, some are switching to AI-crafted models to ramp up the appeal of their clothes, although they might not look the same once you get them in-world.
Personally, I enjoy experimenting with Stable Diffusion, a generative AI photo app. These apps evolve so quickly; if you blink, you might miss an update. Models I used just a while back are no longer the best choices. AI still isn’t perfect—it can mess up hands and feet—but it’s improving rapidly.
I take photos in Second Life for my blog with minimal edits. You can be sure that I’m representing the products as they are, shown in the best lighting (my EEPs!) without photoshopping. I’m a fan of AI enhancements for Second Life photos, which I call glow ups. It’s not meant to deceive viewers, but rather, to play with a new artistic medium. I’ve been thinking of giving my photos a glow up more often, but I don’t know how to credit the items that I’m wearing. Do I still credit the Second Life brand, even though the items are now altered by AI?
Today I wanted to feature the Butterfly Hair Sticks from Sparkle Skye, available at the Sakura Matsuri event. My goal was to keep the changes minimal, tweaking the image just enough but not too much. I think I’ve achieved that here, and my avatar still looks like a Second Life avatar.
But if I wanted to make it not look like Second Life at all? I upped the denoising strength in Stable Diffusion, and voilà! I masked out the hair sticks so they remain true to Second Life, give it a try at the Sakura Matsuri event!
What’s your take on using AI to enhance Second Life photos? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
What I’m Wearing:
LeLutka – Billie Mesh Head
Exile – Daelyn hair
Sparkle Skye – Butterfly Hair Sticks
Ambrosia – Kimono Komachi
Personally, I enjoy looking at AI enhanced photos for artistic purposes. However, I don’t like AI for ads in world where it clearly changes the expectations for what the product actually looks like in SL. I tend to stay away from those products (and creators) all together. So many skin makers go overboard IMO and that’s when it’s not useful (although the ads are very beautiful.)
I love playing with it. I do not agree with it being used for advertisements, since most AI is near impossible for the customer to recreate but, it’s fun to play with!
I wish someone would do a blog post on available places to do them free.
I would try it but, I really do not think I have it in me to sit in this chair that long lol.
Pretty post btw!