Exploring AI as a Creative Partner in Post-Processing

As a new member of the Oakville Camera Club and a first-time blogger for the club website, I thought I would share a recent post-processing experience that surprised me, taught me something new, and ultimately helped me create an image I am very proud of.

Like many photographers, my workflow revolves around Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop, with ON1 NoNoise AI playing an important role for sharpening and noise reduction. I enjoy the technical side of post-processing and am always looking for ways to refine my work and learn new techniques.

These days, conversations around AI and photography can stir up strong opinions, and understandably so. My purpose here is not to advocate for or against AI. I simply believe there is a place for it as a creative tool, much like any other technology photographers have adopted over time. In fact, many of the tools we already use in Lightroom and Photoshop rely heavily on AI, whether we realize it or not.

What I would like to share is an experiment I recently tried that may inspire some of you to explore your own creative possibilities.

As photographers, many of us have artists whose work inspires us. Perhaps it is the tonal mastery of Ansel Adams, or perhaps, like me, you admire the dramatic black and white landscapes of Clyde Butcher. Others may find inspiration in painters, perhaps the way light falls across a portrait in a classical oil painting and the way it sculpts mood and emotion.

That inspiration often influences how we see and process our own images.

Recently, my wife and I completed a small renovation at home, and she suggested framing a photograph for the newly updated space. I chose a RAW architectural image I had taken a couple of years ago while travelling in Spain, a modern structure with strong lines and wonderful potential for dramatic monochrome treatment.

I have long admired the distinctive black and white post-processing style of Vulture Labs Photography, particularly their tonal contrast and architectural precision. I wanted to see if I could capture some of that aesthetic in my own image while still keeping it true to my vision.

Here is where AI entered the process.

I uploaded the RAW image into ChatGPT and asked it to analyze the photo and provide a Lightroom processing recipe that would emulate the finishing style often seen in Vulture Labs’ work.

To my surprise, it generated a detailed editing formula with specific slider adjustments, masking suggestions, contrast shaping, tonal balance recommendations, and even local adjustments to guide the eye through the composition.

I followed the suggested steps in Lightroom, making a few of my own tweaks along the way, as we all do, because ultimately, creative interpretation is still ours.

The result was impressive.

Then I took the process one step further. I exported the edited image and uploaded it back into ChatGPT for feedback. It analyzed the finished version and suggested a few subtle refinements, slight tonal balancing, local contrast adjustments, and some finishing touches I had not considered.

After applying those final changes, I ended up with an image I am genuinely excited to print and frame.

But perhaps the most valuable part of the experience was not just the final image.

It was what I learned.

The process introduced me to Lightroom masking and adjustment tools I had not explored deeply before. It encouraged experimentation, pushed me outside my usual workflow, and gave me fresh insight into how another set of eyes might interpret an image.

For me, that is where AI has value in photography, not as a replacement for artistic vision, but as a creative collaborator that can help us learn, experiment, and perhaps see our own work differently.

If you have a favourite photographer or painter whose style inspires you, consider trying something similar. Ask AI to help analyze that style and suggest ways to recreate some of its technical qualities in your own post-processing.

You may not use every suggestion.

You may disagree with some of them.

But you just might discover a new technique, tool, or creative pathway you had not considered before.

And that, after all, is what photography is about: learning, exploring, and continuing to evolve as artists.

I would love to hear if any fellow club members have experimented with AI in their workflow and what your experience has been.