Aiello Studios

10/26/2026

You may have started seeing another image format appearing in Photoshop and in online article: JPEG XL.

Despite the name, it isn't simply an updated version of the familiar JPEG. JPEG XL supports better compression, high bit depth, HDR, wide-gamut color, and both lossy and lossless compression. Support is also expanding, including Photoshop and major web browsers.

So, should photographers start using it?

We take a look at what JPEG XL is, why it's becoming more relevant now, and where it might fit into a photographic workflow in our latest free AI Photography Training article.

https://aiphotographytraining.substack.com/p/jpeg-xl-a-new-image-format-photographers

With growing support from Photoshop and major browsers, JPEG XL is becoming a format photographers should understand.

10/05/2026

A federal appeals court has rejected a fair-use defense involving copyrighted material used to train an AI system.

That sounds like a major decision for photographers and other artists. And it is significant, but there’s an important asterisk: the court did not rule that training generative AI on copyrighted work is automatically copyright infringement.

Still, there's some hope. Some of the court’s reasoning raises questions photographers should be paying attention to, including whether AI training is truly transformative, how training affects existing and potential licensing markets, and whether calling something “AI training” changes the usual copyright analysis.

In our latest AI Photography Training article, we look at what the ruling actually says, what it doesn’t say, and why it may matter to photographers.

https://aiphotographytraining.substack.com/p/a-significant-ai-copyright-ruling

A federal appeals court has rejected an AI training fair-use defense. It matters for artists, but perhaps not for the reasons the headlines suggest.

09/21/2026

If you use AI in your photography, do you know what the AI was trained on?

We spend a lot of time discussing what comes out of generative AI. Our latest AI Photography Training article looks at the other side: where the training material came from, whether it was licensed, and whether creators were compensated.

As more responsibly sourced options become available, we think this should become another consideration when choosing the AI tools we use.
https://aiphotographytraining.substack.com/p/what-is-your-ai-trained-on

For photographers using AI, the source of training material is becoming another factor in choosing the tools we use.

08/26/2026

What if the thousands of photographs sitting in your archive could someday become the training material for your own personal AI?

Not simply an existing AI weighted toward your photographic style, but an AI built around decades of your images, edits, experiments, selections, rejects, and creative decisions. That possibility may be closer than we think.

In my latest AI Photography Training article, I explore what our archives could become when AI starts learning from our own creative histories.

Could decades of photographs, edits, experiments, and creative decisions become the foundation for an AI of your own?

08/05/2026

Have you noticed the conversation around AI in photography changing?

Yes, the headlines keep coming, and the important discussions about copyright, transparency, and creator compensation are far from over. But lately, I think something else is happening.

More photographers seem to be asking not "Should I use AI?" or “Is there a place for AI in photography,” but "Where does AI fit into my workflow?" That shift is the focus of my latest article.

I'd be interested to know whether you've noticed the same trend.
https://aiphotographytraining.substack.com/p/have-you-noticed-the-conversation

The latest developments suggest we're moving from debating AI to deciding how best to use it.

07/27/2026

This image began as a close-up photograph of an agave. Rather than editing it traditionally, we used Midjourney Retexture to reinterpret the photograph in the style of abstract color fields. The geometry of the original image remains, but texture gives way to color, light, and form.

If you've been following our work, you've probably noticed a recurring theme. Sometimes we're photographers. Other times, we're simply artists who use a camera as a sketchpad for what we call photography-based digital art. This image belongs to that second category. The photograph established the composition and structure; the creative process continued from there. What you see here is not the final result from Midjourney. It rarely is for any of our images. We took that output and further altered the color, contrast, and other adjustments in Photoshop. In fact, we altered the original in On1 Photo Raw even before running it through Midjourney. It's a process.

Ironically, this may be one of the last images we create with Midjourney. Over the past several months, our workflow has evolved, and we've found ourselves relying more on newer AI tools that better fit the way we work. We'll share our reasons and what we've learned in an upcoming article. Watch this space.

07/21/2026

Photographers: here's a quick heads-up. ON1 is currently offering its NoNoise AI software as a free download until July 31, 2026. It's not a trial and doesn't require a subscription, making it an easy addition to your editing toolbox.

I share a few thoughts on why I think it's worth downloading, along with one lesson we've learned over the years: there's rarely a single "best" editing application. This is no exception. The best approach is knowing which tool works best for each image.

Note: If you get a pop-up asking you to subscribe to our Substack, and as much as we'd like you to (it's free), you can just close it or click past it to read the article.

I hope you find it helpful.
https://aiphotographytraining.substack.com/p/a-free-photography-tool-worth-downloading

Download On1's NoNoise AI for free with no strings attached.

06/26/2026

Adobe's announcement that it plans to acquire Topaz Labs is certainly big news. But I think the bigger story isn't the acquisition itself. It's what this says about the future of photographic editing.

In my latest article, I look beyond the headlines and explore why Adobe's choice of Topaz may signal that AI-powered image enhancement is becoming a core part of professional editing, much as digital editing became standard a generation ago.

I'd love to hear your thoughts after you've had a chance to read it.
https://aiphotographytraining.substack.com/p/adobe-to-acquire-topaz-labs

Why This Matters for Every Photographer

06/22/2026

The controversy over an AI-colorized version of Ansel Adams' famous Moonrise photograph has generated a lot of discussion about ethics, artistic intent, and AI. But I think there's a more important lesson hiding underneath the headlines.

Many creators know that copyright is automatic. Far fewer understand the difference between copyright ownership and copyright protection.

In my latest article, I explore what photographers, artists, musicians, and other creators can learn from this controversy, and why protecting a creative legacy may have more to do with paperwork than technology.

https://aiphotographytraining.substack.com/p/ansel-adams-copyright-lesson

The real story may not be AI, artistic intent, or public outrage. It may be what every creator should know about protecting their work.

06/15/2026

Can AI colorize a black-and-white photograph without otherwise altering it?

We put that question to the test using a 4×5 image of the Bourne Cottage at Empire Mine State Park. The results were surprisingly faithful to the original, right down to the smallest branches in the surrounding trees.

The most interesting part wasn't the color. It was how much detail remained intact.

In this week's article, we look at the workflow, the role of a simple prompt, and why starting with an original scan can make all the difference.
https://aiphotographytraining.substack.com/p/converting-bw-to-color-with-ai

How a simple prompt transformed a 4×5 black-and-white image of Bourne Cottage while preserving the details that made the original photograph work