Below, I tried to explain techy things in a non-technical manner without compromising quality or any other important part. You may have read about NFTs on many sites, but the way I explained them is unique and in a simple manner using daily examples. The goal is to introduce you to the NFT market with art that costs you nothing rather than paying artists hundreds of dollars. Whatever comes into your pocket after it is sold, you are in profit.
What Is NFT?
NFT stands for non-fungible token. “Non-fungible” means that it is unique and non-replaceable, unlike cryptocurrencies, which can be traded like 1 Ethereum for another Ethereum (and some brokers even offer one cryptocurrency for another cryptocurrency, e.g., 1 Bitcoin = “n” Ethereum, where “n” is a positive number calculated according to the exchange rate). NFT can be any digital file, such as audio, video, or photo, that is stored on a blockchain.
What Is Blockchain? (Non-Technically Explained)
Blockchain is:
like a bank with accounts where every transaction is recorded for each account. like a point-of-sale software where each sale is recorded separately with a unique ID. like an invoicing software where each invoice has its unique ID.
Relation of NFT With Blockchain (Non-Technically Explained)
NFTs are stored on the blockchain (a bank, POS software, invoicing software). It provides a public proof of authenticity and ownership regardless of which it can be copied and shared, but as mentioned, the one with proof of authenticity and ownership will always stay distinguished. (with reference to the ‘bank’ example above) The bank accounts can have a transaction of the same amount but, each transaction is registered with a unique ID, e.g., “Account #1” sent $100 (Transaction ID = X) and “Account #2” sent $100 too (Transaction ID = Y). Both the transactions are the same, but what makes both accounts different? That is the transaction ID.
Method #1: Using Artbreeder
Artbreeder is a machine learning-based software that allows you to make and modify images of faces, landscapes, and paintings, among other categories. It’s free, but there’s a subscription starting from $8.99/mo for using additional features. Artbreeder Official Website (The guide below is based on using free features.)
Step 1: Sign Up
Sign up for a new account, or simply login in with a Google account.
Step 2: Create Artwork
On the top right-hand side of the header, you will see the “Create” button click there, and multiple categories will be available to choose from. Each of them has a creation method; (other than Compose), Animate, Upload, or none.
Animate: It will generate an animated design using the Artbreeder artwork collection. Upload: It will generate art using your uploaded media file.
“Anime Portraits” is my favorite category as it generates anime character art that can be compared to professional NFTs.
Step 3: Saving and Changing Artwork
After your artwork is created, the render will be visible immediately. You will see three variations of design nearest to the chosen category. Click on the image to save it, plus it will generate again the nearest to that design.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Sample Creation
I generated the image below using the “Anime Portraits” category. Q. Are my designs available to the public? Yes, they’re available to the public. Q. How can I make my creations private? Subscribe to “Artbreeder Pro” to make them private. Q. Can I sell the art as an NFT? Yes, you can. If you want to use it as an NFT, mint it ASAP so you can be the owner of that art in the blockchain. Q. Can I delete my artwork? No. Q. Why can’t I delete my design? People will start exploiting this by downloading the image and then deleting it, so it’s not publicly available.
Method #2: Using Starryai
Starryai is an AI-based art creation application that makes ready-to-mint NFT art using your phone in minutes. Additional features can be used by activating their premium subscription starting from $10/mo (yearly, normally $17.99/mo). Moreover, you get a 50% discount on buying additional credits with a premium subscription. Starryai Official Website (The guide below is based on using free credits.)
Step 1: Download Starryai
The application is available on both android and iOS.
Step 2: Enter Your Desired Keyword
Any art you were about to draw with your own hands for NFT, type the word that best describes the painting in your thoughts in the text bar under the “Create New” section.
Step 3: Choose Style
(Note: You can skip adding styles as it is optional but, the artwork might be abnormal) Click on “+ Add” to add your style. It’s optional to choose the style which you can add up to 3. “Style” contains five divisions: Each one of them is subcategorized and listed in the table below.
Step 4: Wait
Wait a couple of minutes while the app renders your NFT art.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Sample Design
The design below was made by u/krypto_fire_punk, a Redditor, using “Highway to Hell” as a keyword phrase. What are credits, and how do they work? Reddit Each artwork is made with 1 credit, and by default, you have 5 credits. How do I get free credits? You get 5 free credits every 24 hours. The credit reset time is the time you first installed the app. If you’d like to change your credit reset time, contact the Starryai support team. Sharing design on Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit will get you extra 9 credits (3 credits each). Is there any difference between free and paid credits? Paid credits unlock additional features like no ads, custom canvas size, etc. You lose “Additional Features” when you use all the paid credits. I purchased credits, but they did not show up in my account. Send the screenshot of the receipt to the Starryai support team; they will update it asap. Can I use my design for commercial purposes? You own the rights of the artwork (as long as you have all the rights to the initial image if used). Can I sell my art as an NFT? As a copyright owner, you have every right to your creation such that it was drawn manually with your hands. How to get my design featured? There are three ways to get it featured. The first is to post it on r/starryai or tag @get_starryai on Twitter, and the third way is to use the same tag on Instagram. Their team will periodically review these creations and select one to feature. How to upscale my image? After your design is created, you will see the “Upscale” button below it; touch that button to scale your art up to 16x (using credits). Can I delete my artwork? Yes, you can delete it. On the Starryai app home, you will see your art under the “Recent” tab, click on the image you want to delete, and you will see the “Trash” icon on the top right corner of the screen touch there to delete it.
My Opinion
Even if you have to pay for these applications, you should because if you want manually drawn NFT art, it will cost you around $100 from a freelancer. If a freelancer is doing this for $100, consider how much a designing agency will cost you? For Starryai, you need to spend more credits to get a professional and trend-worthy artwork (by increasing runtime, scaling-up, etc.) I will update this article to add more and more information about both applications. I will purchase premium credits later on for research purposes to check different results using general keywords. For Artbreeder, it’s optional for you to buy pro or not, but for starting up, you can use it for free and immediately mint your NFT art, so even it’s in the public domain, you own it on the blockchain. (Note: I am not part of their sales campaign; I listed them because they were on my research list.) This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. © 2022 gr8wellwisher
