I have a thought regarding Adobe's recent actions. However, I'm not talking about cost, as that's relative. Their pricing policy deserves a separate post, and there are probably dozens of analyses of this "boiling the frog" approach. However, if you don't like the price, you can opt out.
What I mean is the direction they have gone and are still going as a provider of tools for creators.
In Savage (the creators of Procreate ), they focus on showcasing the creative process; the app is a tool for artists who conjure up beautiful things from the depths of their brains. Meanwhile, what do you see in Adobe ads? A prompt window (text field) where you simply enter the appropriate spell and the program presents the result, three options to choose from, so you don't have to click three times. Something went wrong? You can point out a section for correction. After all, we are demanding creators, no big deal!
I don't know about you, but that disgusts me. Okay, maybe a little less drastically: it's disturbing.
The art world is heading towards the abyss with the slogan "you don't have to be an artist to be an artist." You don't have to know how to draw to draw something. The program will edit the photo so that everyone will applaud. Look, you click the menu, a filter here, then there, and voila! The algorithm will promote your reel, in which you slowly rotate, showing a 2x2m image with a portrait copied from the photo.
Am I exaggerating? Of course, but pay attention to what's happening on Instagram.
You might also be wondering, for example, why there are so many crappy films? Well, because 50 years ago, to become a cinematographer or director, you had to graduate from a certain school, which you had to get into first, and passion and talent were key to getting in. After years of professional ups and downs, honing your craft and social skills, you could collect pollen from flowers. Now, all you need is a phone. Hell, let's leave those artists aside. Now, to be a tiler, all you need to do is take a YouTube course!
I'm not saying that a YouTube career isn't possible; quite the opposite, in fact—having access to these tools is one of the most rewarding things that could happen. But don't let that lead you to believe or even tell people that you don't need to know anything.
I have concerns about the distant future. My beloved Wells's "The Time Machine" (I'm referring to the 1960 film adaptation, which I saw as a child; I read the book later) brilliantly illustrates the disappearance of the need for culture. And I'm not referring to its quality, as that has been and still is variable, but to our intrinsic desire to engage with it. Books in the library were crumbling into dust. The same could happen sooner than we think. Images will be generated automatically, in the blink of an eye, according to our brain impulse (prompt), and projected onto the wall. Art will cease to be an intellectual challenge, something sometimes obscure, a puzzle we want to solve and delve into. It will become, like us, simple, accessible, like ground chicken from KFC.
Does all this seem absurd and far-off to you? One hundred and twenty years ago, the Wright brothers created the first airplane. It barely held together, and the first flight took place over a distance of 37 meters and lasted 12 seconds. That was literally "yesterday." Today, humanity is reaching for the stars, and a manned flight to Mars seems only a matter of time. What will happen tomorrow? Perhaps an artificial human with artificial intelligence will replace us? They won't need to eat, drink, or sleep, and they will be able to accomplish the impossible, or at least what we can't.
Only this art will be a pity.
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