Proceedings of 2nd International Symposium for Color Science and Art 2020

AI Photographer Generating Experimental Photographs
Using Artistic Style Transfer Neural Networks
Yasuo Kuhara
Tokyo Polytechnic Univ., 2-9-5 Honcho, Nakano, Tokyo 164-8678, Japan
2.2 AI Photographer Rainbow Mutations
AI Photographer Rainbow Mutations expanded AI
mutations to generate further complex mutations[4]. In
addition to the distortion data of the previous exhibition,
many types of data have been superimposed and crossed
over to produce 3414 novel mutations. For example, AI
learned Bubbles, Waves Rainbow, and the experimental
photos by Hajek Halke who is a German experimental
photographer (see Figures 6, 7, and 8). Additionally, AI
learning was also executed under the condition ofswapping a style image for a contents image. Examples ofgenerated photographs are shown in Figure 9. This video
installation was exhibited as a 65-inch landscape-style
OLED display panel[4]. (See the right-hand image inFigure 1.)

ABSTRACT
Contemporary photographers have the idea ofconflating the imaging possibilities of digital technologies
with an experimental spirit. The AI photographer
developed in this project can produce experimental
photographs using deep learning, by which the methods ofa human contemporary photographer are learned byartistic style transfer neural networks. The AI
photographer generated thousands of diverse mutationsof a photograph as if forming a new generation that builds
the future as the descendants of a few pairs of parents.
1. BACKGROUND
Rainbow Variations by the photographer T. Koyama
weaves together Rainbow Forms, Melting Rainbow,Waves Rainbow, Seventh Depths, and Pico[1]. Eachdazzling distortion was rendered using a layered, manual
process. For example, the camera captures the water
droplets and reticulations of the wet photographs, thechanging wave patterns of submerged photographs inclear water, intentional mistakes using a multi-shot digital
camera, etc.
In collaboration with T. Koyama, I have developed an AIsystem that learns a method of producing experimental
photographs using artistic style transfer neural networks.
First, the works named Rainbow Variations: AI mutations
displayed at the fourth Special Exhibition at the Color
Science and Art Center, known as the “Collab Gallery,” isinspired by Rainbow Variations. Second, using thisexperience, the works named AI Photographer Rainbow
Mutations can create further unexpected mutations using
additional distortion data. These works were exhibited at
Tokyo Polytechnic University's Festa in the Faculty of Art
2019.

3. PERSPECTIVE
In this collaboration, we have generated experimental
photographs using neural networks that learned theprocess of producing of a photographer. We canrecognize the potential of AI learning the processes ofthinking and producing of artists. Neural networks will beable to learn various styles of artistic processes in thefuture.

Fig. 1 Rainbow Mutations Exhibition.

2. WORKS
2.1 Rainbow Variations: AI mutations
Rainbow Variations: AI mutations generated
experimental photographs through inspiration by theconcept of Rainbow Variations using the interactive
artforms AI Artistic Painting Mirror[2] and Deep Neuro
Artist[3], which are based on deep neural networks. In theexhibition, a video installation showed 1044 reconstructed
photographs. AI learned three distortion data of Meltings,Waves, and Seventh Depths as a style image (see Figures3, 4, and 5) and generated new mutations from Rainbow
Forms as a contents image (see Figure 2). This video
installation was exhibited as a 55-inch portrait-style OLED
display panel. (See the left-hand image in Figure 1.)

4. REFERENCES[1] T. Koyama, “Rainbow Variations,” Artbeat publishers,(2015)[2] Y. Kuhara, “Artificial Intelligence Artistic Painting Mirror
as Interactive Art Using Deep Neural Networks,” Proc. of
1st International Symposium on Color Science and Art
2018, pp. 23-24 (2018).
[3] Y. Kuhara, “Deep Neuro Artist,” Festa in Faculty of Art
2018, Tokyo Polytechnic University, Pictorial recordbook, pp. 16-17 (2018).
[4] Y. Kuhara, “AI Photographer Rainbow Mutations,”
Festa in Faculty of Art 2019, Tokyo Polytechnic
University, Pictorial record book, pp. 28-29,78-79 (2019).

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Proceedings of 2nd International Symposium for Color Science and Art 2020

Fig. 6 Bubbles 8.

Fig. 2 Rainbow Forms 12.

Fig. 7 Waves Rainbow 26.

Fig. 3 Waves 12.

Fig. 8 Photographs by Hajek Halke 6.

Fig. 4 Meltings 45.

Fig. 9 Examples of AI Mutations

Fig. 5 Seventh Depths 11.

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