Guide to creating those cursed animal renders
So, you want to transform your kid’s doodles into “real-life” drawings? The key is to select the “hyper realistic” style in Firefly. I keep the prompt brief and include a simple description of the background, such as “desert,” “space,” or “underwater.”
Tip: If selecting “Photo” as the Content Type leads to results that look too lifelike, try moving the Visual Intensity Style slider towards the right for less realistic results.
For the cases where the drawing is just too wildly abstract, I’ve had success by adding my own strokes to help bring the artwork closer to reality.
Some examples:
I’m ashamed to admit that the examples above aren’t actually from a toddler. One of my boys was upset that we are making him draw the animals at the zoo so he put in the least amount of effort possible.
On the same trip, the same kid eventually produced a decent sketch of a penguin. It earned its spot on the “cursed critters” list solely because Firefly decided that a two-headed penguin was perfectly normal!
Here’s the dilemma: you can’t create cursed critters if the artwork is too accurate, and you can’t go too abstract. Finding that perfect balance will take a little creativity and experimentation.
Some “Good” Examples
Check out the rest of our “Cursed Critters” collection in the gallery!