Alternatives to AI

There has been a recent push against ai-generated content in DemocracyCraft. As I'm a quite new player on the server, I don't know exactly how long this anti-ai sentiment has been building, but recently a rule change was announced in the discord server banning ai-generated content. There has also been a couple of petitions seeking to ban ai use in the legal system and in billboards.

I personally am very excited about the potential of these bans. I am incredibly anti-ai irl so I am always glad to see it go, but also this opens up new opportunities for the economy of DC as people will have more incentive to hire designers to make graphics for their companies. But for those who cannot or don't want to hire someone, there are plenty of free programs out there that allow you to make graphics. I've compiled a list of various tools that could be useful to people who are seeking to makes images for any purpose.

Art existed long before ai and it will exist long after every datacenter is destroyed.

Canva

Let's get the big one out of the way first. Canva is a website that allows you to make a variety of graphics for free. It has hundreds of templates and is quite accessible. There are paid options for Canva, but it's still perfectly functional without spending a dime.

However, there is one big problem that Canva has: it's embrace of ai-slop.

Canva has its own inbuilt ai and can be used to generate ai images. Because of that I do not recommend the use of Canva. I'm really only including it in this list because of its popularity and the abundance of non-ai templates.

GIMP

Photoshop is incredibly expensive and, unless you already have access to it, I don't recommend spending the money, especially with Photoshop's recent embrace of ai (similar to Canva). Instead, I would recommend GIMP. GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) is basically a free open-source Photoshop clone. I use it all the time irl to edit both screenshots and real-life photographs.

It does have a bit of a learning curve, but if you know how to use Photoshop, it shouldn't be too difficult to learn GIMP.

Mine-mator

Mine-mator is a tool that can be used to create Minecraft style 3d animation and renders. While I don't personally have much experience using it, I think it could be incredibly useful for many players on the server who want graphics that have the same feel as the game.

Blockbench

Blockbench is an incredibly popular 3d-modeling tool. I personally use it to make Minecraft skins, but it can also be used to create nearly any object you desire in the Minecraft aesthetic. It can also be used to create 3d animations as well.

Krita

Krita is a free open-source art program that provides a variety of different tools for drawing. Krita is fairly similar to GIMP, but it's geared more towards artists than GIMP is. I personally use Krita and have several artist friends who also use it. Kirta can also be used to make 2d animation.

LibreSprite

LibreSprite is a free clone of Aseprite, which is a program that is popularly used to create pixel art. LibreSprite allows users to make all sizes of pixel art along with 2d pixel art animations. You can also create sprite sheets and tile sheets for video games using LibreSprite, which isn't that useful for DemocracyCraft, but still a very fun feature.

ArtMap

Did you know that DemocracyCraft has its own art plugin?

Accesible by designers, ArtMap allows players to make art in-game. Read more about it on the designer wiki page.