Rejuvenating a photo with IA without losing the real essence

A few days ago, while preparing new content for my website, I decided to test some of the tools of artificial intelligence for facial editing. This time, I focused on a specific challenge: rejuvenating a real image of a woman about 60 years oldwithout losing the coherence and realism of the face. Something subtle, that just erased a few years without erasing his identity.

The aim: to test with restraint

The idea was clear: see how the IA reacts when we ask them to rejuvenate an imagewithout making the person unrecognizable. He wanted a balanced result, reflecting the original essence of the face but with a cooler look. I find it interesting how, from design and visual marketing, we can rely on these technologies for certain retouches without falling into the frame.

The basic image with which I work was obviously also generated by IA:

First test with HeyPhoto: surprisingly accurate

The first IA I tried was a very intuitive tool, which allows to modify age, look, expression or even gender of a person. What caught my attention most was the accuracy with which the Look., even by adapting the shadow of the face in a very natural way. A small detail, but key to making the result credible.

It has other curious functions like Anonymous to distort features. Although I have to say, I don't see much sense in it if you edit your own picture.

Then we have the function of Emotions, which allows to simulate expressions like joy or anger. I tried it out of curiosity to see how far it went. And surprisingly, even changing the expression to anger, the image still felt real.

As for age, I was very careful. These tools tend to exaggerate, and if you go down too much, you can end up with an almost childish version. So I went down right, and the result was the same woman, but visibly younger while still being her. A credible and coherent version. You can see the result for yourself in the following photo:

Second test with Swapfaces

The second tool I tested is based on the face exchange between two photos. Here I came up with a slightly more creative idea which was to generate with IA a fictitious image of what might be your daughter, and then ask the IA to merge that face with the original. The result is one that represents a young version based on its current morphology.

Although it is designed for more playful uses, it even allows changing clothes or using it on video, I found it interesting to see how it solves these kinds of challenges. The result is somewhat less precise than the previous tool, but just as surprising.

What if I ask ChatGPT to do it?

As part of the experiment, I also decided to try something different and I asked ChatGPT to rejuvenate the lady's image. I was using in my tests. Considering that the base image had also generated it for me, because not to prove it then to edit it.

Although ChatGPT does not edit images as such, it can become a kind of guide or creative assistant that accompanies you throughout the process, helping you decide what to test, what to adjust and even how to tell the story behind a transformed image. Or as in my case, I asked him to create a woman's image again but «more rejuvenated». The result was as follows:

If I have to say which one I liked the most, I think ChatGPT was the one who got the most close to reality. He was able to generate a new image from the original, with a surprising level of detail and without being overtaken by rejuvenating. The result maintained the essence of the face, just a few years less, in a credible and natural way.

Does the IA get to be able to take years away from us in a way «natural»?

The truth is, Yeah, IA gets pretty natural results. if used with restraint. In these tests I have seen how small modifications, such as smoothing wrinkles or slightly lifting the expression, can rejuvenate without devirtuating the face. Now, I also think it's important to note that these are very important tools. AutomatedThey do almost everything alone.

While this is ideal for any user without technical knowledge, the reality is that when we work with more advanced tools like Photoshopthe results can become much more precise, personalized and professional. That is, they will no longer be within the reach of anyone: you need to know how to touch, understand proportions and have a certain aesthetic criterion. The key, as always, is to know what results you seek and with which tools you feel more comfortable to achieve it.

The important thing about these image tests is that it's not about delete the time passbut to offer a friendly and respectful version of the image, but always with the intention of testing the functionalities of artificial intelligence, as if it were an aesthetic treatment «rejuvenating». But always using these technologies with criteria and with a clear objective.

If you're interested in this type of experiment, you can also read the other post I recently published, where I was wondering about create realistic images of people with IA. A reflection very connected to what I share with you today.