Can this AI tool replace fashion design software?

Can this AI tool replace fashion design software?

Shout out to CAT for Fashion School in Derby, England, for introducing me to the Newark AI app. I'm excited to share what this app can do and show you how you might incorporate it into your current design workflow.

Welcome or welcome back to my channel! My name is Michael Drew Pelham. On this channel, I talk about digital fashion design software and communication. If that’s something you're interested in, make sure you subscribe and hit the notification bell.

Newark AI can do a lot, but I wanted to focus on how it might be most beneficial for a fashion designer by creating various types of 3D or line art renderings from existing sketches or photos.

If you follow me on LinkedIn or Instagram, you may have seen me post these sketches last week. I started by uploading a flat sketch of a cropped sweatshirt drawn in Illustrator. I provided a short description of the sketch in the prompt section and chose a style. There are quite a few options for style, but I was curious to see how a 3D render would look. I chose the number of images I wanted to generate – note that if you're on the free version, you only get 20 free image generations, and they go fast, so you might want to keep this on or set it to one and then hit generate.

It didn't take long, and these are the four renderings I got: not bad. You can ask it to make a revision or try something different. I asked for it to make it pink, and this is what I got. Again, not bad. Yes, it made the entire picture pink, but this is where my Photoshop skills come in handy, and I can just remove the background. This is a pretty great feature. I would incorporate this into my current workflow as a quick way to show a more realistic sketch to a customer or even a design manager, so they can better understand the design.

You know you're going to need the flat sketch for the tech pack, but many customers and newer designers really don't understand or like the look of flat sketches, especially as a presentation tool. Using something like this can elevate your presentation without the added time you'd have to spend in a 3D program like Clo or Browzwear.

Next, I tried it with a pencil sketch. This is a very loose and rough illustration, so I was interested in seeing how it would interpret it. I wanted to try a 3D rendering and line art, experimenting with the creativity level, which changes how closely the rendering mimics the uploaded drawing or picture. In the prompt section, my description was: "Pencil illustration of an African-American model with long hair wearing a loose-fitting orange wrap top with pockets. Her hands are in the pockets, and she's wearing a pair of green shorts." The first was a 3D render with a balanced creativity level of five.

The renderings were interesting interpretations. I tried cranking up the creativity level to eight. They appeared more detailed in the face, and I was pleasantly surprised her hair looked like locks, not just curly long hair. While they were creative interpretations, let’s see what it looks like as line art. Bringing creativity back to five and changing the style to line art, these are the results: It’s a little over-shaded in some areas, making her look a bit strange, but I like it. However, level eight creativity for line art was less appealing.

Finally, I wanted to see it as a black-and-white illustration, removing the color references in the prompt. Not bad, although I'm not sure what's happening on the heads of the first two pictures. I also checked level ten creativity, which was too dramatic but interesting.

For a photo experiment, I used a friend's request to create a 3D rendering from a photo of a 2D garment. Another experiment was from a comment asking if it could create a flat sketch from a photo. However, it won't make an accurate flat sketch for tech packs but might generate a good working sketch.

Here's how it handled a green v-neck mini dress: First, I tried a 3D render at creativity level eight. The dresses were nice but did not match the picture or color. Lowering creativity to three, the designs were closer but still off-color. When specified with Pantone or hex codes, the colors were still inaccurate.

As line art, the results weren't flat sketches, but they were interesting.

In conclusion, the first option of creating a 3D render from a flat sketch is best, though converting illustrations into 3D drawings can also be helpful. The experiments with 2D garments were less successful but interesting. Remember, AI tools like Newark AI are for ideation, not a substitute for the complete digital fashion design workflow. You will still need your tech packs and flat sketches. I encourage you to experiment and see how such tools can fit into your ideation phases, making you more efficient.

Thanks for watching today's video. For more digital fashion design tips, click the links in the description for my courses and free resources. Feel free to browse other videos on this channel. Have a fantastic week, and I'll see you next time!

Keywords

• Newark AI app
• Fashion design
• Digital fashion design software
• 3D renderings
• Flat sketches
• Presentation tools
• Ideation
• Creativity levels
• Technical skills
• Photoshop

FAQ

Q: What is Newark AI? A: Newark AI is an app that can create various types of 3D or line art renderings from existing sketches or photos, designed to assist in the fashion design process.

Q: How do I get started with Newark AI? A: Upload an existing sketch or photo, provide a description, choose a style, and hit generate. You only get 20 free image generations on the free version, so use them wisely.

Q: Can Newark AI create a perfect flat sketch for tech packs? A: No, it won't generate an accurate flat sketch suitable for tech packs but may produce a good representation for working sketches.

Q: Is Newark AI a replacement for traditional fashion design software? A: No, it's best used as a tool for ideation. You'll still need traditional fashion design software for accurate flat sketches, tech packs, and other technical tasks.

Q: Can Newark AI accurately render colors from photos or sketches? A: Not always. Even when using specific Pantone or hex codes, the generated colors might not match perfectly.

Q: How can Newark AI be incorporated into my design workflow? A: Use it to create quick, realistic sketches for presentations, helping design managers or customers understand the design better without spending extensive time on 3D programs.

Q: What are the limitations of using Newark AI? A: The tool can be a bit of a wild card with its results and isn't suitable for final presentations to clients due to potential inaccuracies in color and design details.

Q: Can I edit images generated by Newark AI? A: Yes, you can use Photoshop or similar software to tweak colors and remove backgrounds as necessary.