Premium Only Content

"I forgot what I wanted because I got it. And, gosh, I wish I could want again."
"I forgot what I wanted because I got it. And, gosh, I wish I could want again."
Here's my entry for @ClaireSilver12's contest "Back to School." #ClaireAIContest.
I focused on conveying an emotion and capturing the essence of an era, mostly an idealized one with visual codes borrowed from "college" TV shows and movies I enjoy. I have written a complete wrap-up of my experience, but TL;DR:
- Masking techniques
- Depth maps and camera movements
- @StabilityAI's technology
- ComfyUI
- @midjourney
- @LeonardoAi_
- @Magnific_AI
- @pika_labs
- @Blender
- @3DAIStudio
- @suno_ai_
- @elevenlabsio
I spent a lot of time experimenting. The hardest part was rejecting many shots because they served more as technical demonstrations rather than contributing to the narrative. I discussed this with Dina (@Ethereal_Gwirl) and expressed that I didn't want my piece to look like a demo reel.
That being said, each shot includes a technical twist. For example, in the first shot, I initially used birds generated in Blender. However, they lacked grit and were too perfect, so I ran them through AnimatedDiff and then brought them back into the shot, giving them a more vintage look.
In this piece, I have worked extensively on masking techniques. I used the methods demonstrated by @mickmumpitz in his "AI rendering V2" video (link below).
Nearly every shot incorporates depth maps to create dynamic camera movements. I utilized @LeonardoAi_ and displacement modifiers in Blender.
All the images were generated in ComfyUI. Sometimes, I would generate images in Midjourney and use ControlNet to replicate the composition using my Loras (I trained one specifically for this contest). Each image was improved using @Magnific_AI (I always started with it like you would start your day with a cup of coffee).
The girl in the first shot was animated using @pika_labs. Other shots relied on SVD, which does an awesome job (though you have to interpolate like crazy).
The cafeteria shot received special treatment: I created a desk using @3DAIStudio, roughly composed the shot in Blender, rendered a "freestyle only" version of it, and used ControlNet's LineArt processor to get the final render in ComfyUI. However, when I couldn't achieve the exact desired result, I turned to Midjourney, using my ComfyUI image as a reference with --iw 3. And it worked perfectly.
The voiceover was created using @elevenlabsio. ChatGPT helped ensure my text was error-free; otherwise, I didn't solicit its assistance.
I composed the music in Ableton Live. Just as I was finishing, I received a message from @suno_ai_ offering early access to their new features, including the ability to create a song from any sound. I used my track as input, then downloaded the track Suno provided and blended it into my original composition. The resulting texture is quite impressive.
At the end of the process, I used After Effects and Da Vinci Resolve for post-processing and editing, and @topazlabs for upscaling.
It was really fun experimenting with new techniques and taking the time to try new things. Thank you for the opportunity, Claire.
-
LIVE
SpartakusLIVE
1 hour ago$1,000 Spartakus Gauntlet on VERDANSK for the FIRST TIME || TrulyEvil, Enzo Alder, Firefighter MDO
221 watching -
55:21
Donald Trump Jr.
2 hours ago"Publicly" Funded Propaganda Dealt Reality Check, Live! | TRIGGERED Ep.259
112K100 -
LIVE
Mally_Mouse
6 hours agoLet's Play!! -- Jak 2 pt. 14!
98 watching -
1:05:50
BonginoReport
3 hours agoWhite House Confirms President Trump’s Chronic Medical Diagnosis - Hayley Caronia (Ep.92)
31.4K38 -
LIVE
GritsGG
12 hours agoWSOW Group Stage Final Day! Most Wins 3080+! 🔥
66 watching -
1:22:29
Dr. Drew
1 day agoJenny McCarthy: After Son's Near-Death Reaction & Autism Diagnosis, Star Fights For Safer Childhood Vaccines w/ Alison Morrow – Ask Dr. Drew
52.6K12 -
LIVE
bigbossrobinson
5 hours agoLIVE - STRAIGHT INTO HELL - HELLDIVERS 2
52 watching -
9:30
MattMorseTV
4 hours ago $2.47 earnedWe just got the CONFIRMATION.
11.7K23 -
20:04
World2Briggs
4 hours ago $0.58 earnedTop 10 States That Are Getting Worse Every Year
8.83K1 -
LIVE
Quite Frankly
6 hours ago"Jumbotron Affair, Customer Service & 24hr America, Haunted Objects" 7/17/25
702 watching