If 2023 has been the year of artificial intelligence, then this must be the first AI Christmas.
Images made by generative AI tools are popping up on platforms such as Facebook, from a forest scene with a lit-up Christmas tree to a Black Santa in a papercraft style.
The public feed of Christmas images at Midjourney shows even more variations: watercolour scenes, some made for colouring, endless depictions of the big guy in red and the mangled text that AI-generated images are known for.
A selection of images created by the Midjourney text-to-image AI, clockwise from top left: Watercolour scene, colouring page, Santa Claus and holly with misspelled text.Midjourney
It’s easy to make your own personalized AI season’s greetings for friends and family. Here are some tips to use in a text-to-image prompt for an online image generator such as Midjourney, Bing Image Creator, DreamStudio by Stability AI or OpenAI’s Dall-E.
1. Describe the overall scene with words like a cozy kitchen, living room with fireplace or exterior landscape. More descriptive details will give a result that comes closer to what you’re imagining.
2. Mention any specific features to include, such as a Christmas tree, falling snow or Santa. Common features like these should be no challenge for an image generator. More obscure elements may give unexpected results that don’t blend well together, but these surprises can be part of the fun when experimenting with an image generator.
3. Try adding a mood, like peaceful or warm, and see how the AI interprets it.
4. Include a style such as photographic or luminous. There has been controversy over AI’s ability to mimic a specific artist’s style, like Thomas Kinkade. You will often see a familiar style emerge in an AI image without mentioning any artist by name in a prompt.
5. Experiment with the wording of your prompt and run it more than once to see different iterations until you find what you’re looking for.
This prompt was submitted to Dall-E:
Create a fun Christmas image that is on a sunny beach. It needs to have a classic version of Santa Claus relaxing under a beach umbrella, looking hot wearing clothes too warm for the weather. Include a seagull on the sand looking at him quizzically. Make it vibrant and exaggerated without being too cartoonish.
And this was one if its outputs:
AI-generated image using Dall-E of Santa at the beach.Dall-E
6. What an image generator provides is just a starting point for more hands-on creativity in a tool like Photoshop or Canva (which have their own AI image tools).
Image made with Midjourney using the writer's headshot (left) to influence the output of a Santa image (right).Midjourney
7. Personalize an image further by using your own pictures as a starting point. I uploaded my headshot to Midjourney and used it as the basis for a personalized Santa. The red shirt I was wearing influenced the lumberjack style, and I specified a watercolour effect. (Always be mindful of images or other personal information you share with any online service. In the case of AI it could be retained and used to train the system.)
8. Be transparent and tell people that you made an image with the help of AI when you share your creations.
9. You can also have an AI chatbot help write the prompt. This is what ChatGPT returned when asked to write a prompt for a holiday scene with the specific challenge of including a cat eating pizza:
Create a charming and whimsical Christmas greeting image that features an adorable, fluffy cat sitting in a cozy, festively decorated living room. The cat is happily munching on a slice of cheesy pizza. The room is filled with the warm glow of Christmas lights, with a beautifully adorned Christmas tree in the background, sparkling with ornaments and tinsel. There’s a gentle snowfall visible through the window, creating a picturesque winter scene outside. The atmosphere should be joyful and heartwarming, capturing a sense of holiday cheer and whimsy. The style should be vibrant and colorful, with a touch of magical realism to enhance the festive mood.
— ChatGPT
That prompt put into Dall-E gave this delightful festive feline:
Image of a cat eating pizza in a Christmas scene created using the Dall-E AI image generator.Dall-E