Descript : making a quick video?

I've recently had a corneal graft, my second. The original graft was over 25 years ago and it was failing relatively quickly. Thus the need for a replacement graft. As a reference, I had painted the same brush a few times over the past year. I'm still in the recuperation phase and have to take it easy which includes limiting time on the computer.

In the ever-evolving landscape of video editing software, Descript has emerged as a promising contender, luring creators with its innovative approach to simplifying the editing process. I decided to dive in and see whether it truly lived up to the hype. Perhaps it could save me precious computer and therefore eye strain time.

The standout feature that initially caught my attention was Descript's automatic transcription capability. This unique functionality allows you to transcribe your videos into text, essentially transforming them into editable documents. The allure of being able to edit videos as effortlessly as word processing documents was undeniable. Moreover, the software offered a free trial, giving me the perfect opportunity to explore its offerings.

One of the immediate benefits I experienced was the ability to effortlessly eliminate verbal hiccups like "umms" and awkward pauses. Descript's features allowed me to easily identify and remove these moments, making the editing process not only smoother but also enjoyable. This aspect of the software lived up to its promise of quick and intuitive editing.

However, as with any tool, there were challenges that arose as I delved deeper into my video editing journey. My primary struggle revolved around incorporating scanned paintings and overlaying them onto the video. Descript introduced a concept called "scenes" for this purpose, which was a unique approach not commonly found in other video editing platforms. While the idea was intriguing, I found that achieving the level of control I desired over these scenes required a more intricate understanding of the software's mechanics.

When it came to incorporating additional graphics, titles, and other visual elements, my progress was stalled. I struggled to find the small icons for tools, which  I had not used before and on a screen layout that was not familiar. The process turned into a frustrating challenge, demanding better eyesight and a steeper learning curve than I had anticipated.

Despite my minor struggles, it got the video above produces in a couple of hours. I can't dismiss the potential that Descript holds. The software's approach to script-based editing is undeniably a game-changer, particularly for creators seeking a quicker and more fluid way to edit their videos. As for the complexities of adding intricate graphics and titles, I've come to realize that these challenges may be conquered with time and dedicated learning.

PS Another admission, I use ChatGPT to summaries my original three short typo filled paragraphs into a blog post, and it gave me 10 paragraphs! I've cut out a lot and removed some over-hyped claims, but it reads well so there you have it an AI chat bot commenting on an AI based transcription tool

Taming the Cable Chaos: A Creative Solution

If you're anything like me, you've probably experienced the frustration of dealing with a growing mess of cables and chargers around your computers. It's a common struggle in our increasingly connected world, with USB cables and their various iterations being the primary culprits. The sight of tangled wires behind the desk and in drawers is enough to induce a headache. The real challenge arises when you need to reconnect a long-forgotten device or simply ensure that a cable is still functional.

The first step was to prepare these clips for their new purpose. I decided to paint them with fluorescent acrylic paint, opting for different colours based on their designated usage or storage location. My simple colour-coding system instantly gave each cable its own identity.

With the multitude of places where computers are stationed and cables are used, I knew I needed a solution to keep things organized. That's when the idea struck me – why not tag each cable for its specific purpose/place? And so began my journey to conquer the cable chaos.

In the quest for an innovative yet accessible solution, I found an unlikely hero – the plastic clips that come with bread bags and many other grocery items. Instead of letting them go to waste, I started collecting these clips. They had the perfect shape for attaching to cables and were ripe for customization.

USB cables and power cords received their own distinct tags. Even the smaller chargers that always seemed to vanish into the abyss of drawers were not spared. I extended this tagging system to cables I frequently used during travel or those required for specific tasks. This sometimes led to a cable sporting multiple tags, each representing a different context in which it played a role.

No longer did I have to play the guessing game when searching for a particular cable or charger. The colour-coded tags eliminated the frustration of untangling a web of wires. Reconnecting devices I hadn't used in a while became a breeze, and the reassurance of a cable's functionality was just a glance away.

In the end, what started as a simple quest to tackle cable clutter turned into a creative endeavor. Those humble bread bag clips, transformed by a coat of paint, became the guardians of order in my tech realm. So, if you find yourself in a similar cable conundrum, consider giving this colourful solution a try. You might just find yourself appreciating the organized aesthetics as much as the functional benefits.

The hyper-real, as a replacement for our photographs?

 

I was out scouting for my last photowalk, on a bright winters day with virtually no breeze. The Jells Park lake was forming a beautiful mirror with strong reflections. I am also testing out the new Skylum Neo extension for creating a multi-image stitched panorama, its nice and much faster than the stitching routine I'm currently using in ON1 Photo RAW.

Things are changing fast in generative AIart all the time and I was also testing out the latest version of Stable Diffusion (model SDXL 1.0) on Nightcafe studio and thought a sunny winter's scene like the above would make a good test. I used the text prompt -

"bright winter blue sky, some clouds over a still lake with strong reflection, yellow ochre grasses in foreground, Professional photography, natural lighting, shot on micro four third digital camera sharp focus"

With the above photo being given the defaults of a 50% Prompt Weight and 50% Noise Weight as the starting diffusion image for the generative process.

Certainly the capabilities of these generative AI systems has become really great, the detail is definitely starp and the reflections undoubted strong. However is it just a bit disturbingly too much on the hyper-real side?

"Hyper-real: More real than reality..." Brookes Jensen, Lenswork PodcastLW1362 - The End of the Trail, Sort Of

Is it me or AI that’s improving" ?

 Painting Granitic Rocks

This week's Wednesday Wanderers was painting a vista on the East Coast of Tasmania, a little channel of granitic rocks against some silhouetted trees reflected in the water. I was trying out a different Art Spectrum watercolour paper, 300gsm but 20% cotton and heavily textured. Didn’t really like it at first, unfortunately it’s also very absorbent so I ran out of time to wait for it to dry during the session. I returned to it yesterday, adding a little bit of detail, some deep tone and colour. It turned out OK (see below).

As has been my way of late I have also checked out what AI might make of my style. I did a “sty;e transfer” on night café studio, which trains on my artwork (above) and applies that to the originl photo. The results were pretty good (see below). Still a couple of tiny “distractions”. So the question is “Have I improved or has AI?” Perhaps its both, especially in the rendering of the granite boulders.

Pushing my luck I decided to also do some generative Ai testing using the prompt- "bright blue sky granite rocks silhouetted trees with strong reflections watercolor" 

So the score (according to me).

Me  1/1           my Style Transfer   0.95/1         Generative AI   0.2/3

How would you score the images?

Make your own Colour Wheel Dot Card

This is something every water-colourist should do. Make yourself a dot card of your favourite colours, Better still make it a colour wheel, then slip it into an old DVD case, add a small sketchbook, a pencil or pen, a water brush and your have a very compact and portable plein-air kit.