Reminiscing I guess ...

[Babine]

Just thinking .. is it due to the new AI and the ease of using a phone app that is making such forums as this a thing of the past? I am only gauging this from the diminishing amount of forum traffic over the last while, re the how to's. and can you do this?
IMO, PS still does a more realistic representation in the hands of someone knowledgeable but the speed of AI and the 'quick fix' impresses me.
I guess I am missing the exchange of ideas/approaches that made ' how do you make it look like this?' fun and challenging too. It's how I learned... back in the day.

Cheers.

 

[Rich54]

I was thinking exactly the same thing a couple of days ago. There hasn't been an interesting "how to" in quite a while. I haven't experimented with AI apps and I'm not sure what they can do. But it sure seems like a lot of people must be somehow doing their own edits instead of coming here.

 

[IamSam]

Just thinking .. is it due to the new AI and the ease of using a phone app that is making such forums as this a thing of the past?

I think you are 100% correct!! The writing has been on the wall for some time now. In general, folks don't care much for quality work and are perfectly content with "instant" AI edits. Also, AI is just getting better and better with each week that goes by.

IMO, PS still does a more realistic representation in the hands of someone knowledgeable but the speed of AI and the 'quick fix' impresses me.

I agree, but there's no need for skill anymore. If you're impressed, imagine how those with no Ps knowledge must feel!

I guess I am missing the exchange of ideas/approaches that made ' how do you make it look like this?' fun and challenging too. It's how I learned... back in the day.

I miss the good days before AI! This forum was a blast! Nowadays, no more need for "how to's", discussions, or fun projects when there's no reason to rent Photoshop anymore. Ps will soon be relegated to us old timers, a few digital artists hanging on, and some die hard photographers who want to add filtration to photos. But AI is well on it's way to dominating...............well......pretty much everything.

Moving this thread to General.

 

[ushere]

unfortunately, i've found this reflected in my other forums, namely video production. there's more discussion of 'gear' than use of, more use of 'ai' rather than how to accomplish something traditionally. don't get me wrong, there are many aspects of ai integration that i find both a godsend, and cost saving, but the general dependency on it for everyday use is growing whilst the art of production, and post-production is being lost to a whole generation.

that said, the amount of ai slop that i get in social media now far exceeds anything that made me interested in social media in the first place.

 

[thebestcpu]

I, too, have noticed the number of posts waning. It used to be that Photoshop was the premier go-to tool, and a website titled "Photoshop Gurus" would pull in a lot of users.
Note that other forums, which are less software platform-specific and have titles like "Post Processing" or "Retouching" in their forum or site name, are more active than this site.
Today, there are many tools to choose from, including AI, whether for post-processing or creation.
So, having the site hitched to "Photoshop" and waning participation in Photoshop may be time for introspection by the owners of this site of what they want to be.

I am attaching two of my favorite summary slides I used in my career to help with introspection on identifying where an organization, group of people, or even an individual is at and recognizing it is better to move towards the top of the page instead of getting stuck at one level (or even going down levels). Improvement often begins with "Acknowledge Reality" on the right side and moving up.

Just my opinion from experience, and I thought it was worth sharing to spark some positive energy.
John Wheeler