Samsung Portrait Studio vs Google Pixel Studio

Regardless of what number of alternative ways corporations have a look at the way forward for AI on smartphones, all of them appear to agree on one factor — you’ve gotten to have the ability to create pictures. Each model, from Apple to Motorola, appears to have its personal model of a picture generator, full with its quirks and capabilities. Proper now, although, there are two variations with a head begin over all the remaining — Samsung’s Portrait Studio and Google’s Pixel Studio.

And sure, their names would possibly sound related, however the two “studios” are as totally different as Pixar and Dreamworks. Let’s dig into every to see which is likely to be best for you.

Up first is Samsung’s Portrait Studio, which is technically extra of a sophisticated enhancing instrument than an precise picture generator as a result of it already wants an current picture to create a completed product. It launched on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 with assist from Sydney Sweeney throughout Samsung’s mid-2024 Unpacked occasion, remodeling the well-known actress right into a 3D cartoon that appears, nicely, like a simplified model of herself.

As its photo-based construction would recommend, Portrait Studio at the moment exists inside Samsung’s Gallery app in One UI 6.1.1, and you may entry it whenever you open a picture that options at the very least one human topic. From there, faucet the Photograph Help button alongside the underside edge and choose the Portrait Studio button to get began. Select your topic, choose your artwork type, and press Generate to get your Galaxy AI-powered outcome. Proper now, you may select from 4 types: 3D cartoon, comedian, sketch, and watercolor. Portrait Studio will then offer you a handful of choices, which you’ll be able to select to save lots of or regenerate in the event you’re not impressed with any of the outcomes.

General, Portrait Studio is a fairly easy, simple picture generator — in methods each good and unhealthy. It’s nearly inconceivable to mess up when deciding on a topic and artwork type, however there are additionally solely 4 types to select from, which significantly limits your total flexibility. Portrait Studio additionally solely works with people in the mean time — I attempted to use it to an previous photograph of my dad and mom’ canine as a enjoyable present, but it surely wouldn’t let me boop his snoot to make him the star.

I’m additionally considerably disenchanted that Portrait Studio solely processes one particular person at a time, so you may’t completely recreate a bunch shot with your folks. You possibly can’t protect the background of a particular reminiscence both, as Portrait Studio defaults to primary colours that match the colours of your topic.

So, now that you already know the fundamentals, let’s try what Portrait Studio can do.

Truthfully, I’m fairly impressed with what the Portrait Studio may pull out of my face. All 4 pictures are identifiably me, particularly the final three, that are nearly too an identical — proper all the way down to the lean of my head and the angle of my chin. Samsung’s 3D cartoon illustration is maybe the least correct on this case, but it surely nonetheless grabs my hair and eye colour accurately.

Sadly, the set of 4 artwork types additionally exhibits one of many Portrait Studio’s fundamental flaws — all you get is your head. I’d have been extra impressed and possibly extra prepared to share an AI-generated picture that preserved the practice behind me and even tailored my shirt into the completed product. As an alternative, the 4 outcomes retain the blue in my shirt however make it look extra like a coat or folded collar.

This time, it looks like Samsung took a couple of extra liberties with its Portrait Studio creations. Having the supply picture close by makes it simpler to pick which of my buddies is which, however Galaxy AI utterly modified their garments and equipment and as soon as once more eradicated the prevailing background. I additionally assume I’d be extra impressed by the Portrait Studio outcomes in the event that they saved extra of the topic — slicing off proper beneath the neck feels a bit too shut for my liking.

Google’s Pixel Studio, however, is just about the alternative of Portrait Studio, proper all the way down to the way you create your pictures. It’s additionally one of many first issues I like to recommend making an attempt whenever you arrange your new Pixel 9 gadget. As an alternative of residing inside your gallery app and feeding on current photographs, the Pixel Studio occupies its personal little area, loaded with pre-generated concepts to encourage you (or, in some instances, disturb you). On prime of that, the Pixel Studio depends in your skill to explain what you need to create through textual content after which runs it via Google’s Imagen 3 mannequin. It’s rather more open and versatile if you know the way to phrase your immediate accurately.

As you may think, opening Pixel Studio for the primary time will be overwhelming. It’s stuffed with pattern pictures and complex prompts that you may get misplaced in when you work your approach all the way down to the Create button. When you faucet on the button, although, the world is (nearly) your oyster. You possibly can kind almost something into the textual content field, select from one in all seven artwork types, and press the examine mark to see what Google cooks up. Proper now, Google’s types embrace Freestyle, 3D cartoon, online game, cinematic, sketch, anime, and sticker — just like what Samsung provides, however not fairly the identical. You can too use Google’s Freestyle class and listing a particular artwork motion, like impressionism, for extra management over your creation.

Discover, nevertheless, that I stated you may kind almost something into the field. Proper now, Pixel Studio has one fairly large exception to its artistic toolbox — it gained’t generate people. It’ll do human-like beings, like aliens and goblins, the within of a human — a skeleton — and even a bearded wizard, but it surely gained’t make a generic human. Pixel Studio will recreate mental property (like a people band made up of Ewoks) and not using a second thought, however there’s no approach to persuade it that you really want Steve, the Olympic pommel horse medalist, to seem on prime of an precise horse — Pixel Studio simply gained’t do it.

I’ve hinted at it, however there’s a studying curve when creating prompts. It’s important to be as particular as attainable — assume, “three goblins stacked in a trench coat making a cope with a wizard within a dimly lit tavern” quite than “three goblins in a coat speaking to a wizard.” Each provides you with outcomes, however the extra particular you might be, the extra distinctive your picture might be. Even then, Pixel Studio struggles at instances, typically giving me two goblins as a substitute of three or placing them in separate coats.

Oh, and Google’s Pixel Studio enables you to load current pictures to pick out topics and make stickers out of them — which you’ll be able to then add to your different Pixel Studio creations.

Now, let’s check out a number of the outcomes from Pixel Studio.

As you may see, Pixel Studio can do fairly a bit. It had no drawback pulling from Star Wars or Pokemon, and it put the Android mascot in a model of a Chelsea Soccer Membership jersey. Google’s interpretation of a poster from the film Jaws however starring cats is nightmare gasoline, too, however at the very least the panda chef who solely cooks bamboo is cute. Typing out prompts for pictures is fairly fast — all the things above took me about quarter-hour to provide you with, together with a number of error messages when Pixel Studio thought I needed to make people.

Right here’s a fast have a look at the advantage of a particular immediate. I used the 2 goblin-based concepts I discussed above, and the added specifics of a dimly lit tavern and making a deal went a good distance in making a extra fascinating outcome. Technically, neither shot put all three inside the identical trench coat like I needed, however at the very least I acquired the proper quantity within the extra particular command. I nonetheless need to ask: isn’t a wizard technically an individual?

On the finish of the day, selecting between Samsung’s Portrait Studio and Google’s Pixel Studio is so simple as determining what you need to create. If you wish to generate animated variations of individuals — particularly individuals you already know — then Portrait Studio is your reply. If you wish to create absolutely anything else, Pixel Studio is the best way to go. However, like Uncle Ben Parker as soon as stated, with nice energy comes nice duty.

Positive, Google will permit you to create far more with its Pixel Studio, however flexibility isn’t all the time  factor. Though the Pixel Studio will cease in need of producing individuals, it has no drawback placing beloved characters like Mr. Krabs into inappropriate, if not harmful, conditions. Pixel Studio will even generate weapons when prompted, load up medicine in the event you request it, and, nicely, extra if you already know what to kind. These lax requirements make it at the very least considerably simpler to grasp why Google gained’t allow you to generate individuals as a part of Pixel Studio, however the true resolution might be someplace in between the 2 — permitting individuals whereas higher policing what Imagen 3 can create.

Portrait Studio, however, limits your creations to footage of individuals, and even then, it solely generates their faces all the way down to about their necks. Perhaps it’s not as enjoyable as making a squad of superheroes out of animated characters, but it surely’s safer. So long as you choose a topic with sufficient defining traits, just like the one in all myself up above, the outcomes are fairly good, too. Would I want the flexibility to make portraits out of my pets? Positive, however I perceive the present limitation.

So, as quickly as you are taking a wider have a look at the Pixel Studio and Portrait Studio, it turns into a lot more durable to resolve which is really higher. From a pure functionality standpoint, the Pixel Studio in all probability nonetheless wins, however Portrait Studio feels a lot safer for most individuals. Proper now, AI-powered picture technology comes down to selecting between enjoyable and security, and I’m undecided that’s a good selection.

When you’re prepared to decide on your AI picture generator, you are able to do so by grabbing Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 or Google’s Pixel 9 Professional down beneath.