By Hunter Bryn
We have all been down that rabbit hole of searching for a stand out graphic or image to illustrate a sermon of theme during a church service. There are SO many websites, from Church Media Squad to Church Motion Graphics to Sharefaith. These are great options and can be beneficial at times.
But what if you could create your own images using just a few words and your imagination? What if you used Artificial Intelligence instead of the same old websites?
There is a new (in-beta) tool called Midjourney that is an Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) art program. It was so easy to maneuver and create some fun art. There is a free trial period that lets you make about 12 images before you have to subscribe ($10 a month).
For anyone who knows me, I’m a bit of a nerd, so naturally I wanted to make some nerdy Jesus art!
I started by just typing out “Jesus as a nerd savior.” It will generate four images that are completely A.I. generated. They are typically low resolution and just a vague idea. (see images left)
From here you will choose which image you think works the best or, if you like one image but it’s not quite there, you can get a variation of one of them. By choosing a variation, the A.I . tool will create multiple versions of your selected image with slight changes. You can re-roll or get as many variations as you like.
For instance, I really liked the bottom right image in the first set of images (above) but it wasn’t quite there yet. I selected it and got some variations (see right). When you find the right variation, you can select the image and it will render a high resolution image. Below is my final image for “Jesus as a nerd savior.”
Behold! The one of a kind Star Wars-esque, nerd Jesus! Now if I were to use this as imaging for a sermon or Bible study, NO ONE would have this image. It is one of a kind! What Vacation Bible School wouldn’t love to use this image for their Star Wars-themed curriculum?
Using new technology like this tool does open up the possibilities of church creativity and also inclusivity. For any creative, especially in the faith world, finding inclusive art and graphics can be hard. As teachers and people of faith, it is important to make sure we are reflecting the wider story of the Bible. Think about it. How many times have you tried to find an image of Jesus who wasn’t depicted as a Caucasian man but rather, more realistically, a Middle Eastern man?
I can see A.I. art as a really fun way to get your church imagery to stand out and be a lot less cookie cutter. We have all seen the stock images and they can get kind of tiresome. Why not
1) have a unique image to your message?
2) have fun making it?
At the bottom of the article are some off the wall things I tried.
Right now, A.I. can’t hold a copyright. As this is a developing field, this could change. I would suggest double-checking before you post but here is an article on the current situation with A.I. and copyright – HERE
Midjourney is just the tip of the iceberg for A.I. art. There are so many programs out there. The possibilities are endless! I hope to see the church jump on this trend and use it to their benefit. Get creative and have fun!
