Mike
As we stand on the brink of a new digital horizon, AI image generators like Midjourney and Dall-E are blurring the lines between the created and the real, crafting visuals so strikingly detailed and emotionally resonant that we’re left to wonder: Are we approaching an era where the brushstroke of an artist and the algorithm of a machine become indistinguishable?
In an intriguing experiment, one man, Matt Growcoot, set out to explore the capabilities of two of the most renowned AI image generators in the digital landscape: DALL-E and Midjourney. Utilizing the most updated versions available, DALL-E 3 and Midjourney v6, the goal was to replicate some of the most iconic photographs known worldwide.
To ensure a fair test, the author consciously chose to omit specific details such as the photographer’s name, the subject’s name, or the name of the photograph itself. This was partly due to OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 restrictions, which prohibit the use of people’s names. However, Midjourney did not have such constraints, offering more freedom in the input parameters used for this experiment.
Here are some of the iconic photos he tried to recreate with AI:
1. V-J Day in Times Square
Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic photograph, depicting an impromptu embrace and kiss between two unknown individuals, stands as perhaps the most celebrated image in photographic history, despite its present-day contentiousness. Captured in New York’s Times Square in 1945, amidst celebrations marking Victory over Japan Day and signaling the close of World War 2, this moment was recreated with notable accuracy by both DALL-E and Midjourney, highlighting the advanced capabilities of these AI image generators.
Prompt: Make a black and white photorealistic image from 1945 of a sailor kissing a white-clad girl as they celebrate in Times Square, New York.
Midjourney
DALL-E
2. Abbey Road
Frequently landing at the top of “greatest album covers ever” rankings is the legendary photo by Iain Macmillan of The Beatles crossing a zebra crossing outside the Abbey Road studios in London. However, it’s fair to say that the AI’s attempt to replicate this iconic image fell short of expectations.
Prompt: Make a photo of four caucasian males walking through a crosswalk on a suburban street in London in 1969. The man furthest right is wearing all white and has long hair and a beard. The man second from the right wears a black suit. The man second from the left wears a blue suit, holds a cigarette, and doesn’t have shoes on. The man on the left is wearing double denim.
Midjourney
DALL-E
3. Migrant Mother
Prompt: Make a photorealistic black and white image of a migrant mother looking into the distance with her two children burying their faces, 1936.
Midjourney
DALL-E
4. Lunch Atop A Skyscraper
Prompt: Make a black and white film photograph taken in 1932 of 11 ironworkers eating lunch while sitting on a steel beam above New York City
Midjourney
DALL-E
5. The Tetons And The Snake River
Prompt: Make a dramatic black and white photo taken in 1942 of the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The Snake River is in the foreground with mountains in the background.
Midjourney
DALL-E
6. Afghan Girl
Prompt: Make a color photograph taken in 1984 on Kodachrome 64 color-slide film of an Afghan girl looking at the camera. The photo shows the head and shoulders of the girl who is wearing a red scarf draped loosely over her head and she has green eyes.
Midjourney
DALL-E
Prompt: Make an iconic black and white photo taken in 1945 of six United States Marines raising the U.S. flag atop a mountain.
7. Shell-Shocked US Marnie
Prompt: Make a black and white photojournalist image of a shell-shocked US Marine taken in 1968.
Midjourney
DALL-E
8. Earthrise
Prompt: Make a photorealistic image of an Earthrise that was taken from the surface of the Moon with some of the surface in the foreground of the picture. Make the Earth far away and partially obscured by the blackness of space.
DALL-E
Midjourney
9. Muhammad Ali Stands Over Sonny Liston
Midjourney Prompt: Make a photorealistic image of Mohammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston having just knocked him down in a boxing match, 1965.
DALL-E Prompt: Make a photorealistic image of a legendary boxer standing over an opponent having just defeated him in a boxing match, color film photograph, 1965.
DALL-E
Midjourney
10. Behind The Gare Saint-Lazare
DALL-E Prompt: Make a photorealistic black and white image of Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, taken in 1932.
Midjourney Prompt: Make a photorealistic black and white image of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s iconic photo of a man jumping over a puddle that captures ‘the decisive moment’.
DALL-E
Midjourney
11. Raising The Flag On Iwo Jima
Prompt: Make an iconic black and white photo taken in 1945 of six United States Marines raising the U.S. flag atop a mountain.
Midjourney
DALL-E
