Okay, so last night I had this crazy idea to mess around with generating images based on, like, the feeling of a bad report card. You know, that sinking dread, the disappointment… I wanted to see if AI could capture that.
Getting Started
First, I fired up my go-to image generator. I’ve been playing with a few different ones lately, but this time I stuck with the one I’m most comfortable with.
My initial prompt was super basic: “bad report card.” I literally just typed that in and hit enter. The results? Predictable, and kinda boring.
- A picture of a literal report card with bad grades.
- A sad-looking cartoon kid.
- A generic “F” letter in big, scary font.
Nothing that really captured the vibe I was going for.
Digging Deeper
So, I realized I needed to be way more specific. I started thinking about what actually makes a bad report card feel bad. It’s not just the grades, right? It’s the whole context.
I tried a bunch of different prompts, adding in details like:
- “crumpled paper”
- “rainy day”
- “empty classroom”
- “parent’s disappointed face” (though I didn’t want it to be too literal)
- “faded colors”
- “messy handwriting”
Experimenting
This is where things got interesting. I spent a good hour just tweaking the prompts, swapping out words, and playing with the settings. I must have generated like 50 different images! Some were total misses, like this one that looked like a weird abstract painting. Others were getting closer, showing, like a single, blurry hand holding a paper. Some are too real, just a photo of a very sad boy.
The “Aha!” Moment
Finally, I stumbled upon a combination that felt right. It was something like: “a blurry, faded image of a crumpled report card on a desk in an empty classroom, rainy day outside, feeling of dread and disappointment.”
The image it generated wasn’t perfect, but it had the mood. It was desaturated, slightly out of focus, and you could just make out the shape of a report card. It wasn’t showing you the bad grades, but you could feel them, you know?
What I Learned
The biggest takeaway? AI image generation is all about iteration. You gotta keep trying different things, be specific, and not be afraid to experiment. And sometimes, the “best” result isn’t the most literal one – it’s the one that captures the feeling you’re after. It is fun! I will do it next time.
