School student creates AI iPhone app that transforms photos into a variety of art styles inspired by Minecraft, Studio Ghibli and more
Lentil AI: Photo Art Generator transforms standard photos into AI-generated artworks inspired by popular fantasy-themed art sytles.(Image credit: Future / Lentil)
Reddit user mariam717 has created an iPhone camera app that may well give the best AI image generators a run for their money. Lentil AI: Photo Art Generator uses artificial intelligence to transform photos into various fantasy-themed art styles, from glorious hand-drawn watercolors à la Studio Ghibli to blocky creations inspired by Minecraft and Lego.
Remarkably, posts on Reddit suggest that the young developer/entrepreneur who created the app is still in school. Talk about a bright future! The AI image generator/camera app allows you to capture a photo and then choose from a selection of AI filters or simply use existing photos as the basis for your AI creations.
What makes the software even cooler is the ability to switch between the original, unedited photo and the AI-generated image at will, by simply tilting your camera phone. Lentil is only available on iOS so you'll need an iPhone or one of the best iPhones for photography to make use of it.
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I was impressed by how Lentil transformed this dreary carpark into a fantastical scene that could be taken straight from the Lego Movie (Image credit: Future / Lentil )
Okay, so this Stop-motion-inspired image is creepier than the Coraline movie. And that's saying something... (Image credit: Future / Lentil )
Digital Camera World’s Content Director, Chris, transformed himself into what looks like a Lego Minifigure(Image credit: Future / Lentil )
You’d be forgiven for thinking this was a screenshot from Minecraft(Image credit: Future / Lentil )
The resemblance to lenticular imagery certainly isn't lost on mariam717, hence the name 'Lentil'. As the Redditor puts it: "One thing I’m very excited about: when you tilt your phone, the image switches between the original photo and the AI version, like one of those lenticular cards from back in the day."
I had a blast using the app in the office, turning my colleagues into perturbing-looking creations that bear more than a passing resemblance to Lego Minifigures or characters from a Tim Burton stop-motion movie, think Coraline or Corpse Bride.
I was particularly impressed by how the app handles more challenging subjects, like the view from Digital Camera World HQ. It turned the rather boring car park on a gray day into what looked like an awesome scene from The Lego Movie.
Arguably the coolest filter Lentil has to offer turns your images into beautiful watercolor scenes that resemble a Studio Ghibli movie (Image credit: Lentil AI: Photo Art Generator)
As is to be expected from AI tech, things don't always go to plan. The image of my colleague Adam Waring and I looks creepily Tim Burton-esque, but on closer inspection, our hands seem to have melded together and Adam has grown a third arm…
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But mariam717 makes light of instances like this, stating: "You can also mix different styles together to see what happens. Some of the results are pretty cool, others are just... unexpected, so it's really fun to mess around with."
Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...
