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Make AI Draw Images For You!

Arnox

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It's using the DALL-E engine.


Too bad the images are such low-res. Oh, also, the AI has a habit of making human faces look like eldritch horrors, so maybe stay away from inputting keywords related to humans. I have a tinfoil-hat theory though that they purposefully messed up human face generation so people wouldn't be able to make porn with it. (Or at least, not nearly as easily.)
 

Arnox

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Maybe you can start up that comic again by putting word bubbles over these generated images
Yeah, now you mention it, I really should pick that up again. There'll definitely be an art change if I do. Those old comics look too artificial in any case.
 

Houseman

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If you actually want to learn to draw, try: https://drawabox.com/ They recommend traditional tools, but ignore that, use whatever digital tools you want.

For the longest time, I didn't know that drawing was a process. I guess I just thought that artists just make end-result on their first pass, so when I tried to draw, I would just get disappointed that my end result didn't look like theirs. I had no idea you're supposed to start with simple shapes, circles, rectangles, lines, and then go from there.

I think that causes a lot of people to similarly think that they "can't draw", because they're ignorant of the behind-the-scenes process. I don't know if this is anything that applies to you, just something I wanted to share.

But if you used the AI to generate images, that'd certainly be unique.
 

Battousai

Brother Sharp
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The faces are basically some fever dream shit. All I did was type elves with guns and it gives me surreal christmas elves with deformed rifles.
 

Houseman

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Observe.




@Arnox why don't you allow direct image uploading like every other forum out there? If you're scared of CP, just do what every other forum out there does and moderate.
 

Arnox

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Da fuq is dat?

@Arnox why don't you allow direct image uploading like every other forum out there? If you're scared of CP, just do what every other forum out there does and moderate.
But yes, image uploading directly to the site isn't enabled because it can eat up a lot of space that we might need for hosting some big files. Further, when making backups, it's a nuisance to have to go in and move the image files elsewhere before packing all the files into a zip file for downloading. And finally, if we do do it now and then sometime later in the future need that space for something else, the only option is to move or delete them, and both options will cause all those old images to have completely broken links.
 

Houseman

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Da fuq is dat?
Art

But yes, image uploading directly to the site isn't enabled because it can eat up a lot of space that we might need for hosting some big files. Further, when making backups, it's a nuisance to have to go in and move the image files elsewhere before packing all the files into a zip file for downloading. And finally, if we do do it now and then sometime later in the future need that space for something else, the only option is to move or delete them, and both options will cause all those old images to have completely broken links.
As long as you keep the folder structure, you should be able to preserve links even if you have to move something.

For example if you have /opt/site/media, designate the media folder to show up as "intosactuary.com/index.php?images/" on nginx or whatever you're using. Then if you need to move it or get a new drive, after you move the images, map the new directory location to the same url. If everything needs some kind of absolute path to where it is on the disk, or else the link will break, then you're doing it wrong.

You just need to map directories and then preserve the relative structure from the file up to the point you mapped.


 
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Arnox

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As long as you keep the folder structure, you should be able to preserve links even if you have to move something.

For example if you have /opt/site/media, designate the media folder to show up as "intosactuary.com/index.php?images/" on nginx or whatever you're using. Then if you need to move it or get a new drive, after you move the images, map the new directory location to the same url. If everything needs some kind of absolute path to where it is on the disk, or else the link will break, then you're doing it wrong.

You just need to map directories and then preserve the relative structure from the file up to the point you mapped.


I think I might have not been clear enough. When I say move the images to get the space back, I mean move them entirely off server to a backup location. The server obviously can't display hosted images that aren't on the server at all anymore. If everyone just uses an external image hoster though, we can avoid this issue entirely.

Now, what I WOULD like to do is to have some easy way to upload images to an external site using just the XF editor, but those are paid solutions. This was one thing that SMF actually had as an advantage over XF and that is tons of free add-ons you could use for the forum software, even if some of them admittedly weren't fully maintained or even maintained at all.

EDIT: Actually, nevermind. It looks like there isn't even a paid solution for this. ???
 
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Houseman

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When I say move the images to get the space back, I mean move them entirely off server to a backup location. The server obviously can't display hosted images that aren't on the server at all anymore.
Yes it can, so long as your "backup location" is accessible from the internet.

For example, let's say that your images are hosted at intosanctuary.com/media. This can point to any any static IP. Even if you move it from one IP to another, that'll change at the DNS level and the end result is unchanged for the end user. What that url maps to behind the scenes is irrelevant.

It doesn't matter if your images aren't on "the server", it only matters that your images are on "a server". You just have to make sure that the url points at wherever the files currently are.

If it gets to the point where you're running out of space and need to move a bunch of images to make room for a large file, then buy more space. If you can't manage to solve a relatively simple problem like this, then I don't ever want to see you bragging about how good this site's software is, or what great features we have, ever again.

If everyone just uses an external image hoster though, we can avoid this issue entirely.
The issue isn't being avoided, it's just being passed on to someone else. They still have to keep track of the files, and if they take down the content, as in the Peodophilia Ted talk, or in the million of broken imageshack or photobucket dead links I'm sure you've seen floating around, then the result is a broken link on the forums, which is the problem you said that you wanted to avoid.

So now, if we want to post an image or a video, we're now held to the free-speech-restricting rules and whims of youtube, imgur, etc.

Now, what I WOULD like to do is to have some easy way to upload images to an external site using just the XF editor, but those are paid solutions.
If you have access to create your own widgets with javascript/php, then this can easily be done. I've done this several times for work. We'd still be beholden to another company's rules, but the scripting of such a client-side api-driven upload solution is easy.
 
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Arnox

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Yes it can, so long as your "backup location" is accessible from the internet.
It is not. It's a local backup.

So now, if we want to post an image or a video, we're now held to the free-speech-restricting rules and whims of youtube, imgur, etc.
While this is true, what you're proposing would cost a lot more in hosting costs. Further, Imgur rarely if ever takes down an image once it's posted as long as it's not something like CP and isn't publicly viewable on the main page. There's been a lot of image hosting solutions over the years, but it seems like only Imgur has really stood the test of time. Everyone else has either gone down or blocked public access in some way. Hence why I still use them.

With that aside, if we're really gonna host images, we might as well just go all the way and become a general file hoster. And while that would be a HUGGGEEE advantage, it's also really damn expensive to maintain. And especially with video hosting. Are you saying we should go that route?
 

Houseman

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It is not. It's a local backup.
Well there's a simple solution, don't take images offline! If you have to, transfer them to another drive, but keep them online, and then you won't have a problem.


With that aside, if we're really gonna host images, we might as well just go all the way and become a general file hoster. And while that would be a HUGGGEEE advantage, it's also really damn expensive to maintain. And especially with video hosting. Are you saying we should go that route?
Just start with images. You don't have to "go all the way" just yet. Don't jump to the extreme conclusion, and then use "but I can't host a bajillion terabytes!" as an excuse to not do anything. We'll get there when we get there.
 

Arnox

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Just start with images. You don't have to "go all the way" just yet.
Yeah, but that's booorrrrrinngg. Just images? I guarantee you, if we're really gonna host all images from now on, then I'm just gonna open up the attachment system in general. My worry about that is sustainment. Sure, we could do it RIGHT now if we wanted to, but as the sizes start increasing past our limits, costs go up, and I don't have a lot of disposable income. At the moment. Hopefully this will change pretty soon actually, but we'll see.
 

Gauche

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I was promised Arnox nudes. Where are they?
 

Arnox

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