AI Joins Shutterstock’s Image Library

A Brave New World of Creative Imagery

Credit: Shutterstock

In a world that’s bursting at the seams with visuals and snapshots, Shutterstock, the iconic stock image library site, is taking a quantum leap. It’s not just riding the AI wave; it’s pioneering it to redefine user-generated content. Imagine having access to a colossal library of over 700 million images, but now, add a dash of AI magic that brings your creative dreams to life. Shutterstock has merged its extensive image collection with the enchanting abilities of AI, and the result is nothing short of extraordinary.

You’ve heard about AI, but how about generative AI? It’s AI’s artistic alter ego, the wizard behind the curtain that conjures text, images, music, and videos with a simple prompt. In this league, you have cool AI image generators like Midjourney, OpenAI’s Dall-E, and Stable Diffusion. But wait, there’s a new player in town, and it’s causing quite a stir – introducing Shutterstock’s Creative AI.

Creative AI: Where Art Meets Innovation

Generated via Midjourney

Shutterstock’s Creative AI is no ordinary tool; it’s a game-changer that harnesses OpenAI’s technology to catapult your creative boundaries. With a sprinkle of AI magic, you can craft entirely new images, tweak existing ones, and step into the realm of innovation. While it’s in its beta phase, Creative AI promises to be revolutionary. Picture it as your digital artistry companion, always ready to bring your imaginative visions to life with a wave of its digital wand.

Built-In Creative AI Features at Your Fingertips

So, what’s inside the Creative AI toolbox? Think of it as a magician’s hat, filled with tricks and enchantment. Shutterstock has incorporated six cutting-edge generative AI features seamlessly into its extensive stock photo library, which is readily accessible. These features empower users to effortlessly transform any image with a single click, resulting in stunning visuals tailored to their specific needs:

1. Magic Brush: Users can select an element or space in a photo and effortlessly erase or replace it using a text prompt.
2. Variations: Generate three distinct versions of any stock image to explore various compositions.
3. Expand: Zoom out and fill in a larger frame with additional details, enhancing the original image.
4. Background Remover: Soon to be available, this feature lets users easily remove and replace photo backgrounds while retaining the primary subjects. Text prompts enable users to select the perfect background.
5. Crop: Smartly adjust the shape of your image to match your desired frame, enabling modifications to size, ratio, and focal point.
6. Filter: Transform the style of an image with a selection of available filters.

Shutterstock Magic Brush feature in use

These innovative features complement Shutterstock Generate, an AI image generator based on Dall-E, introduced earlier this year. The latest version of this generative AI model is now integrated into Creative AI. Moreover, the platform is set to introduce a new AI design assistant that was showcased a few months ago in the near future.

Tiffany Gilron, Shutterstock’s Director of Product Marketing, believes that these new features will empower creators and business leaders to craft exceptional content more efficiently, even if they don’t have an ounce of photo editing experience. The best part? You don’t need a magician’s wand to make it work; all you need is your creativity.

Shutterstock generative AI combined with Magic Brush in “replace” mode example

The Price of Creative Freedom

Now, you might wonder, is there a catch? Well, while the Creative AI tool is a gift, it isn’t entirely free. To unlock the final masterpiece, you’ll need a subscription plan. But don’t fret; the power of Creative AI and the limitless creative horizons it unlocks make the subscription fee a small price to pay for visual magic.

Navigating the Ethical Landscape of AI

In recent times, AI image generators have faced their share of scrutiny, with concerns about the use of artists’ work without proper compensation or permission. And then there are the notorious AI-generated deepfakes and other online troubles. However, Shutterstock is committed to steering a different course.

The company ensures that its AI image generator produces content that’s not only ready for licensing but also indemnifiable for commercial use. In simpler terms, it means you can use the content without the fear of legal repercussions. What’s more, Shutterstock has made sure to compensate the artists contributing to its ever-growing content library. After all, contributors are the heartbeat of the business.

Tiffany Gilron, Director of Product Marketing at Shutterstock, revealed that all of Shutterstock’s AI products, including Creative AI, are trained on licensed content. In a groundbreaking move, Shutterstock established a contributor fund, ensuring that hundreds of thousands of artists are fairly compensated, with millions more expected to receive payments in the future.

The Competition: A Glimpse at Rivals

Credit: Getty Images

Shutterstock isn’t the only player in the arena. Last month, Getty Images, one of its major rivals, unveiled its “safe” generative AI tool. Unlike Shutterstock, which uses OpenAI’s AI image generator technology, Getty Images has chosen NVIDIA’s Picasso for its creative endeavors.

Meanwhile, Canva, the Australian-based digital design platform, partnered with Runway to introduce AI video generation through its Magic Studio. The goal is to empower users with unprecedented capabilities, making the impossible seem like child’s play.

The Power of AI in Your Hands

Each of these features is just a click away on each image’s page, and users can effortlessly license the final result by simply clicking the download button. Each download of an AI-generated or AI-edited stock image counts as one regular download, which can be deducted from any Shutterstock image plan or credit pack. Plus, Shutterstock is fully indemnifying users for the use of its AI-generated content.

A Future Without Limits

In a world where creative horizons have no bounds, Shutterstock’s Creative AI is the latest ace up your creative sleeve. With the power of AI in your hands, you can expect a future where your imagination knows no limits.

So, why wait when you can dive into the enchanting realm of Creative AI and set your creativity free? It’s not just technology; it’s a masterpiece waiting to happen.