Photographs of People Who Don’t Exist

 

There’s this fun site I’ve been playing with for the last year that I want to share with you. It should be of interest to writers, artists, and anyone interested in how quickly technology is advancing. I’ve been using it for approximately the last year to come up with inspiration for new characters for my primary storytelling setting, the western-steampunk Creedverse, and I think you’ll enjoy it, too.

The site is called “This Person Does Not Exist.” Yes, it literally generates photorealistic images of people who don’t exist.

I mean, that’s perfect for fiction, right?

The site does one thing, and it does it well. It generates realistic images of people using thousands or maybe millions of photographs. Most of the images look real, though you will find digital artifacts and strange backgrounds in some pictures. Every time you reload the page, you’ll get a different face, and you can right-click on any image to save it. (Remember to add “.jpg” to the end as well.)

Occasionally, I’ll even see a face that reminds me of one of my characters. I’ll save it, run it through an art program to make it look like a painting, and add it to my series bible. To see what I’m talking about, check out these pages for Amber Dove Hattie Keane and outlaw Corwin Blake.

 

Images I Generated Today

 

 

 

Whether you want to come up with unique characters of all races for stories or art, or if you just want to check out this crazy software for fun, I hope you enjoy it. Technology can be a wonderful tool to exercise your creativity. With this site, you’ll feel like you’re taking a peek into another universe.

What would you use this site for? Feel free to share in the comments.

“Creativity is just connecting things.” ~Steve Jobs

P.S. Remember, you can get my novel, Bodacious Creed, right here!

Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western

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