Wing Commander 1 AI enhanced Characters

cryptomax

cryptomax

Spaceman
Hi everyone!

Long time WC fan from way back...

These aren't created just AI filtering the original, I'm iterating them over and over with photoshop and then using AI to bring them toward photographs as much as possible. All that is to say this isn't a couple prompts and button clicks, I've spent probably more hours than I should have messing with them.

They are not all the way there yet but I thought it would be fun to show you guys since.. well WC fans would be the only one that can appreciate these. And it's defiantly connecting me with my childhood. Those early mornings getting up just so I could play. Fight down those dreaded Kilrathi.... one more time...

I consider these to be a work in progress so don't be too harsh! Definitely more work to be done to make sure the soul of each is captured.

Hunter
HunterCompare.png


Spirit
SpiritCompare.png


Iceman
IcemanCompare.png


Angel
AngelCompare.png


Paladin
PaladinCompare.png


I think I would say currently my favorites are Iceman, Angel, and Hunter.
 
Good to see a friendly ship!
I'd never dissuade anyone from creativity!

Digging Paladin and Iceman; something feels a little "off" with Angel; I think the face needs thinning out a little.
 
Oggy said:
Good to see a friendly ship!
I'd never dissuade anyone from creativity!

Digging Paladin and Iceman; something feels a little "off" with Angel; I think the face needs thinning out a little.
Click to expand...
I concur, the angle or the width makes it feel off.
 
Thanks for the comments guys!

Good point on Angel, for both girls the AI kept trying to plump their faces.... maybe it's woke, not sure but I keep trying to thin them and it keeps thickening their facial features more. Angels hair bugs me too as it's fairly fake looking. I will see what I can do...
 
Incidentally, I was curious to know what newer AI enhancement algorithms would do with the current machine learning uprezed WC3 footage. It has the potential to bring it a whole nother cool step toward looking WAY better.

Maniac.gif
 
Angel V2
Younger, hair a bit more natural and thinner face, perhaps I've gone too young now though. Age is really hard to read sometimes. And.... she looks a little too nice to be a fighter pilot.... hmm...

AngelcompareV2.PNG
 
cryptomax said:
Incidentally, I was curious to know what newer AI enhancement algorithms would do with the current machine learning uprezed WC3 footage. It has the potential to bring it a whole nother cool step toward looking WAY better.

View attachment 13888
Click to expand...
It's an interesting excercise, though you will probably get better results starting from the source. The main improvement I see is cleaned up edges and maybe the hair. Otherwise, Maniac looks more youthful I guess, but it's also very artificial looking Minor skin detail has been scubbed a bit it feels like. Also, ODVS' version deliberately added film grain into the equation to avoid some of that plastic feel, which this version just removed I suppose.
 
AD said:
It's an interesting excercise, though you will probably get better results starting from the source. The main improvement I see is cleaned up edges and maybe the hair. Otherwise, Maniac looks more youthful I guess, but it's also very artificial looking Minor skin detail has been scubbed a bit it feels like. Also, ODVS' version deliberately added film grain into the equation to avoid some of that plastic feel, which this version just removed I suppose.
Click to expand...
It's a good point it is smoothing things out too much to be sure.


Angel was starting to look like a down right child not a pilot so here is an attempt to age her a bit while keeping her face thin. This really isn't as easy as you would think. XD
AngelcompareV3.PNG




Then a first pass on Halcyon, he is very dark but I never got the impression that he was African American really so slightly confused there
HalcyonCompareV1.PNG
 
cryptomax said:
Hi everyone!

Long time WC fan from way back...

These aren't created just AI filtering the original, I'm iterating them over and over with photoshop and then using AI to bring them toward photographs as much as possible. All that is to say this isn't a couple prompts and button clicks, I've spent probably more hours than I should have messing with them.

They are not all the way there yet but I thought it would be fun to show you guys since.. well WC fans would be the only one that can appreciate these. And it's defiantly connecting me with my childhood. Those early mornings getting up just so I could play. Fight down those dreaded Kilrathi.... one more time...

I consider these to be a work in progress so don't be too harsh! Definitely more work to be done to make sure the soul of each is captured.

Hunter
View attachment 13882

Spirit
View attachment 13883

IcemanView attachment 13884

Angel
View attachment 13885

Paladin
View attachment 13886

I think I would say currently my favorites are Iceman, Angel, and Hunter.
Click to expand...
I love these!! Hunter and Iceman especially!
 
Tellana said:
I love these!! Hunter and Iceman especially!
Click to expand...
Thanks! Those are probably my two favorite as well, I keep trying to get angel better, but she either looks like a doll or not angel :(

The fact is there just isn't a perfect translation from the stylized 2D into human beings. But I'm having too much fun to quit....

Paladin From WC2

paladin WC2 compare.png
 
Last edited:
Really neat. I find the AI's decisions on the backgrounds distractingly hilarious. Like I can see why it made the choices it did without the full context. I don't know if there is a way to isolate the foreground from the background and do those separately?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top