Date: 23 January 2025
Time: 13:00 - 16:15
Tutor: John Wood
Please note that this event will be recorded and will be made available to delegates after the event. For more information on recording and privacy please click here. Once you have booked onto the event an invitation to the Zoom meeting will be sent 24 hours before the meeting commences with instructions on how to log on.
Introduction to AI Software: Harnessing the Power of AI for Garden Designers
Overview:
This course is designed to help garden designers tap into the immense potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and learn how to make it work for them. AI is now everywhere, and we see it discussed in the media almost daily—often with doom and gloom predictions. However, as designers, it is essential that we not only acknowledge AI’s growing presence but also engage with it, understand it, and discover how we can integrate it into our work to enhance creativity and productivity.
AI is undeniably the “new kid on the block,” unlike anything we’ve experienced before. We are now coexisting with an entity that can think and create independently of us. While definitions of creativity and thinking are open to debate, the capabilities of AI are undeniably astonishing. In many cases, it’s becoming difficult to distinguish between work produced by AI and that created by human hands. AI is now capable of producing work of remarkable technicality, from photorealistic renderings to freehand sketches.
So, how can we use this silicon-based intelligence to enhance our own workflows? How can it free up time for us to focus more on our design process, develop new ideas, and approach our work in fresh, liberating ways? I believe the best approach is to fully engage with AI, explore its capabilities, and adapt those capabilities to suit our individual design workflows.
What will be taught on this course?
This course will focus on three specific AI programs that are particularly useful for generating images and ideas for garden designers, as well as providing feedback and analysis on our designs.
1. Midjourney AI
Midjourney AI is a sophisticated image-generation tool that creates an astonishing variety of image styles based solely on text prompts. We will explore how simple prompts can generate complex and visually striking images. The versatility and creativity of Midjourney’s outputs are astounding. In this course, we will examine how we can harness this tool to enhance our creative work, making our designs more exciting and visually appealing to clients.
2. SketchUp Diffusion
SketchUp Diffusion is an AI system integrated within SketchUp that automatically renders models. You can input a basic SketchUp model, and Diffusion will produce semi-realistic imagery based on that model. It can often feel like Diffusion has a mind of its own, producing results that may seem bizarre or wildly imaginative. While this unpredictability can be entertaining, it can also be difficult to control. In this course, I will demonstrate effective techniques for guiding Diffusion to produce high-quality work that aligns with your design intentions—saving you time while maintaining creative integrity.
3. DALL·E and ChatGPT-4
DALL·E, integrated within ChatGPT-4, is another powerful image generator that can be highly useful for graphic design work. In addition, ChatGPT-4 itself can serve as an invaluable resource for designers, offering research support far more personalised than what traditional search engines can provide. We will also explore how ChatGPT-4 can analyse images, potentially offering insights that we, with our human eyes, might otherwise overlook.
These exciting new tools are part of a rapidly evolving field of science that is reshaping the way we approach design. By the end of this course, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to integrate AI into your workflow, enabling you to work more efficiently and creatively than ever before.