The AI is awesome. And I can say this: I was an early adopter of Cleverbot, with tons of hours logged with it, I was a tester for ChatGPT and now I also got pretty early access at Bard, and I love it, because collaborating with a robot to create a custom watch face is just as fun as it sounds.
are. The line has always been special and very AI-centric, but now it finally feels like Google has actually embraced it and used it as a selling point for its latest phones.
Plus, with a screen like this and solid overall performance, the Pixel 8 And Pixel 8 Pro finally feel like real flagships, as we stated in our reviews.
But you know, you can’t have a high-end device these days without causing a bit of drama on the side and over the last few days I’ve seen people get absolutely furious over the
Pro’s AI-powered photo features.
And, quite honestly, I don’t understand why, because this is the world as we know it for about a decade now. So that’s your wake-up call, I guess.
Just Google flexes it Pixel 8 Pro Features. Do you see why people are afraid?
do this, other phones can’t do it? Obviously it has an impressive 50 MP camera sensor, but that’s what the
the line can do what really matters. Here is a list of tips:
And, by the way, that’s just the photography-related ones, you also have Audio Magic Eraser – no explanation needed – then Zoom Enhance and Video Boost, which are due out later this year and will probably cause another ruckus when they do . .
But despite how impressive it all is – some brand new, some also available on previous Pixels – instead of celebrating Google’s success with AI, people are starting to fear AI, thinking that what these features allow you to do is just not natural. .
And then along comes this funny little candybar phone that apparently does away with concepts like subject framing.
Is there anything unwanted in your photo, like power lines? Whereas before you had to consider a creative way to incorporate them into your overall composition, now you can simply remove them from the photo with a few clicks on the screen.
Is there a subject that would complement your photo very well if it were slightly to the left? Well, select it, hold it for a while, then… Move it, seemingly shaping reality. And then, if you don’t like it: you can simply delete it.
Well, what’s the point of expensive equipment and an expensive diploma? Is this time, effort and money just taken into account lost?
Photography is NOT dead! It is complicated!
If you think your phone’s Pro mode is complicated, try a real camera. Or don’t and get a Pixel.| Image credit — Phone Arena
I understand. I Really TO DO. But listen: photography is not dead.
You just have to adapt to the times. Because, like it or not, people have been editing their photos this way for about a decade now. It just took them more time and effort in the past. And if you didn’t know that, you should work on your online presence.
Now I find myself in the creaking position of knowing real influencers and here’s what I can tell you: They are all terminally ill online and for them, choosing the right filter is a life-changing decision of the utmost importance. activity, because they are the brand.
Oh, and that simple, casual, innocent-looking photo they took while having their morning coffee probably contains leftover metadata from at least a dozen separate apps. And do you want to know the best part?
This isn’t new and it’s not the fault of TikTok, Zuck or Elon Musk: it’s been the case since social media emerged as the new normal. We all want to be at our best at it, and some just want it with more passion than others.
And even though it would make it easy to say something like “the Pixel 8 Pro is an influencer-focused phone,” I won’t do that, because it’s not just great for them. It’s great for me too!
And me? I consider myself an artist!
Who says the Pixel 8 Pro can’t create art too?
Although the Visor style camera array is quite artistic for the modern phone industry. Image credit — Phone Arena
What Google actually did was save me from having to pay for expensive PC apps like Photoshop and then learn how to use them. The Big G also dismissed the need to have around 19 different photo editing apps on your phone – which, by the way, literally does. A thing, but really, really good, so you need all of them to produce a top-notch plan.
Yeah, that’s what people do. And I think it’s high time we stop fearing AI, because despite its rapid development, it has one glaring flaw that only humans can overcome: intention. And the intent of your outcome is what makes you an artist, influencer, or meme poster.
Intention, combined with viewer perception, is what creates meaning. This is why the framing of the photos, the lighting of the subject, the reactions of the photographer: all of this always always important when talking about art. But how many social media posts can we call art?
Sure, it involves a ton of know-how, but at the end of the day, in most cases, these are products, not aspirations. And if Google can let you create better products more cheaply and on the go, why is that a bad thing?
And just for the record: making a good product is just as difficult as creating art, so no arguing there.
Furthermore, how does this prevent you from benefiting from the same feature set, from creating something stunning, meaningful and – according to your own morals and understanding – right, as a work of art?
I mean, cameras are cameras, and they film all sorts of things. They took pin-ups and worse, then captured nature in a way that’s impossible to relive in real life; they allowed geniuses to create films like “Whiplash” and “12 Angry Men,” but… “The Avengers” was also shot with a camera.
So what, we hate cameras now?
Some of them are products, some of them are art, but all of them are made real through the same type of technology and given meaning by you, the viewer. So it’s a bit hypocritical of us to call Google evil here for creating the Pixel 8 Pro great, right?
Pixel > Reflex; Don’t try to change my mind
Plus, they don’t really make DSLR cameras in blue. | Image credit — Phone Arena
Let me tell you something that always makes people around the table gasp: since I bought my Pixel 6a, I sold my DSLR.
For context: I’m a photography graduate with a successful freelance career in design and production. And I’m not afraid of AI: I’m looking forward to it. Because 99.9% of my clients do not know the difference between a photo produced by my Lumix and my Pixel 6aso what does it matter if I add AI into the mix?
But that’s only the case because I learned how to use these amazing features that Google has blessed me with. There’s a lot of effort that goes into taking a final photo and at some point I realized it doesn’t matter if I spend that time on my phone or on my camera and then in Photoshop and Lightroom, and Ugh.
The time costs weren’t the same either, so if that’s the case, why wouldn’t I use the all-in-one solution that is my Pixel instead?
I mean, it would also allow me to have more time to work – as I see fit and feel right – on my novel and my proper artistic desires, because they are not products and they cannot really be rushed, AI or not, at least from my point of view and for the moment.
If there’s anyone who should be worried about the rise of AI and taking over our jobs, it’s me. All the things I do for a living are things that AI is getting better at: writing, imaging, editing, designing, and even coding!
But that doesn’t make me afraid of technology. It makes me want more free time. Because ChatGPT and Bard may eat away at their hearts, but they’re not likely to produce the finishing touches like I can, or like the designers and photographers of the world who really matter (don’t put me next to them or whatever it is, but you get the point).
And if that ever happens: fine, I’ll come back and edit this article to say so (if the AI hasn’t gotten me fired by then). But right now, I’m not skeptical or fearful, I’m excited about whatever Google is up to with AI.
THE Pixel 8 Pro is the best Pixel yet and I would totally sell my DSLR to get one. Better yet: I can’t wait to see what Google does in the future with AI. Because if the company keeps up this pace, I might just stop paying Adobe altogether and subscribe to the Google Pixel ideology forever.
