Sometimes designs hit harder than others. A.I. image generation as a source for design takes a lot of flack. I’m not a designer nor would I suggest I necessarily design cars in these images in the conventional sense. Nevertheless, that’s not to say there isn’t a talent to be developed in crafting a query that begins to net good results, recognizing a particular aesthetic from the infinite possible generated results and then modifying it all to work even better.
This set of images is a great example of just this sort of experimentation. Recently I found myself experimenting around with a new query string that was producing some less conventional designs. Specifically, to my eye they were less tied to established model realism and thus offering a fresh take on familiar shapes.
Midjourney, the tool I tend to use at this phase, has gotten a lot better at zeroing in on specific Audi models. Ask for an RS2, a B5 or a TT Mk1 and the images are often more true to form than the earliest days.
The original rendering then gave me an interesting RS2 result. It had a Cup 1 style wheel design similar to the original RS2, but larger diameter and more concave. The fenders had box flares – not sharp-eded like the ur quattro or bulbous like the Sport quattro, but smoothed like something I’d seen before. They reminded me of the box flares seen in the super obscure Audi V8 (D1) design proposal by Porsche that dates back to the mid 80s. And Porsche, of course, was the dance partner in the collaboration that birthed the RS2.
By my measure, that’s an interesting design cue one might consider for augmenting an RS2. It’s also a hell of a deep cut whether Midjourney intended it or not. I knew it and the base design jumped out of the screen as a result.
Even still, we weren’t quite there on the design. The original rendering showed a matte orange/red color with matching red interior – interesting, but neither all that realistic or all that Porsche or Audi inspired.
That’s where post processing comes in.
Before pushing for a color change, I made some subtle changes to the design. The original Midjourney rendering had some body lines that just didn’t make sense – effectively the “slop” we often expect in these sorts of production. Those were removed and the foglights, originally from the Porsche 968 and similar to the 993-generation 911 in that era were swapped for air duct equivalents we see on cars like the 911 Carrera RS of that 993 era. It’s something I’d love to do on an RS2 if I owned one, but I don’t so I do it in photoshop on a rendered car at a much more affordable price.
Like the ducts, I’ve also always wanted to put Recaro Pole Positions in an RS2. These seats first see fitment in cars like the 911 Carrera RS of the 964 era. They’d later show up in the TT (Mk1) and in the RS 4 Sport (B5). That they never made it into the Porsche-produced predecessor of the RS 4 Sport in an era when Porsche was already using them elsewhere has always been puzzling. Whatever. I added them, or at least what you could see of the seats through the car’s windows in the images.
Other elements from the original rendering remained – less realistic and more fanciful, but lending well to the “Evo” idea I was pushing. These include vents in the hood and that comically long rear spoiler hung off the back of the roof. I liked them, so I left them.
As for color, I tried Nogaro Blue. Arguably, it looks better as it is obviously much more familiar on this form. I also experimented with 90s-era Porsche Carrera Cup colors. I first tried Mint Green with and without color-matched wheels, then moved on to Rubystar – a hot pink that is both polarizing and iconic.
Ever wonder if “Ruby Star” was an easter egg of a name created by Porsche product planners seeking an inside joke for that era’s 911 Carrera RS (964) that was the basis of the Carrera Cup where the color launched? I have.
Ultimately, I went with Rubystar for the final image. Audi exclusive has a similar color called Berry Pearl but it’s a bit more purple. Like Nogaro Blue (“RS Blue” in the RS2 era), it’s similar but not quite the same as Porsche’s own Maritime Blue of that period.
One final change was also performed. The tools just aren’t so detailed at this time to get the very small details like the RS2 badges correct. For that I grabbed real world photography and layered them in while doing my best to match the coolness of the generated image tone.
Why explain all this? The main point is to prove there’s more depth to AI image rendering then I think some people assume. Sure, anyone can generate an image with these tools and it’s frankly amazing what can be done. Even still, a trained eye and some further work really move these images beyond what they are when they come out of an image-generation tool. Like Midjourney’s more recent capability of rendering an RS2, B5 or TT Mk1, maybe some day these tools will be able to make such nuanced changes. For now though, that’s on the nerd creators to dial in for further enhancement.
PHOTO GALLERY
