Model Railroading > Is it real, or is it Memorex

....neither really. I used AI to enhance a photo I took on the Caldwell Model Railroad Club a couple weeks ago. Funny how it turned the lead locomotive into a SD40 with ditch lights. But it does give me some ideas about weathering.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/26 02:40 by funnelfan.

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I like what it did with the ROW. The track looks great (are those anchors?) as does the bank with the added ground foliage, dead ties, and the added pole with signage and maybe a whistle post(?). The building in the background is also effectively highlighted. There's an overall damp feeling to the scene that the AI added that feels appropriate to me also. Nice overall effort.

Half the people here are stuck on "whats a Memorex".

As an old timer I'm always skeptical about "newfangled" stuff like AI, but what it did to enhance that picture is incredible.  It's about as realistic as you could possibly get.

Bob

This is pretty incredible.  This could be the dawn of a whole new way to create model scale illusions.

KMB886 Wrote:
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> Half the people here are stuck on "whats a
> Memorex".

I was more of a Maxell guy. The enhancements definitely look great. I can understand why a lot of folks leave equipment unweathered, as it's hard to go back once you start adding grime.

Just wait until you can see a hypothetical film clip of, say, a N&W J-powered officer special overtaking a Y6B pusher on the Elkhorn grade...

Oliver Barrett

bobdavis Wrote:
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> As an old timer I'm always skeptical about
> "newfangled" stuff like AI, but what it did to
> enhance that picture is incredible.  It's about
> as realistic as you could possibly get.
>
> Bob

Wasn't the add, "Is it live or is it Memorex".  I still have a few of the Memorex and Maxell tapes.

Interesting how it weathered the locomotives. The additions to the scenery look really good.
t4p.

My brain doesn't know how to handle or process the AI image. It's the perfect blend between a model and the 1:1 world.

 

Looks like AI completely replaced the track? Looks great, did you ask it to make the rail smaller?

Did AI add the second water tower?

41 Wrote:
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> Did AI add the second water tower?

Yes, it's more of a corrugated grain bin. It's not anything I asked for, the AI just seems to do it's own thing at times. Sometimes I feel like you are asking a 10yo kid to do something, so you get what you get.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

I think it's interesting how it changed the scenery.  It gives some clues on how to make the scene look more realistic.  Since I'm in the middle of doing the scenery on my layout I think it would come in handy having the AI give some visual suggestions on how to proceed.

wingomann Wrote:
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> I think it's interesting how it changed the
> scenery.  It gives some clues on how to make the
> scene look more realistic.  Since I'm in the
> middle of doing the scenery on my layout I think
> it would come in handy having the AI give some
> visual suggestions on how to proceed.

Yes, I do like how it made the landscape so realistic. It certainly would serve as a guide on how to improve the scenery. How you word the request would be very important. In a unfinished scene I would request something like; "make this unfinished model railroad scene into a photorealistic scene set in mountainous pine forest with the tracks cut into a hillside on the right and river below the embankment on the left about 20' below track level".

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

Ted: the next to do is to have AI adjust the lighting (sunlight) to make it look like it was taken outside, including the shadows.

Victor Baird

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> Ted: the next to do is to have AI adjust the
> lighting (sunlight) to make it look like it was
> taken outside, including the shadows.
>
> Victor Baird

Funny how we all see things a little differently. To me the lighting is fine for a typical PNW heavily cloudy day. I never did pick up that a second tank was added.

No one noticed that the added water tank/grain bin is basically on the inside track.  Not enough clearance back there for the tank and the track.

I think the lighting was fine, just a typical overcast day on the east side of the Cascades.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

That is true. But, IMO, the subdued lighting makes it look more like model railroad lighting.

Victor Baird

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