Exploring Artistic Style Transfer with ControlNet's IP Adapter

Exploring Artistic Style Transfer with ControlNet's IP Adapter

Artistic expression is a realm of endless possibilities, where creativity knows no bounds. In this digital age, the convergence of art and technology has opened up exciting avenues for artists and creators. One such avenue is the art of style transfer, a method that allows you to infuse the essence of renowned artworks into your own creations. In this article, we delve into the world of style transfer using ControlNet's IP-Adapter.

Getting Started

To start on this creative journey, you'll need a few essential links:

Before we dive into the creative process, it's important to note that, during testing, some users on MacOS encountered an error related to CUDA devices. In such cases, a workaround is to utilize Google Colab Pro, which ensures a smooth experience:

RuntimeError: Attempting to deserialize object on a CUDA device but torch.cuda.is_available() is False. If you are running on a CPU-only machine, please use torch.load with map_location=torch.device('cpu') to map your storages to the CPU.

This may be updated, and working in the future.

The Artistic Journey

Style transfer is an exciting way to breathe new life into your artwork. ControlNet's IP-adapter is your trusty guide on this journey. Here's how you can transfer the style of famous art to create your own unique images:

1. Gathering References

Begin by collecting reference images from the web, representing the five art styles you wish to explore. Here is the list of artist and their famous works that we will be using in this adventure.

Renaissance Art:

  • Artist: Leonardo da Vinci - "The Last Supper"

Baroque Art:

  • Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn - "The Night Watch."

Impressionism:

  • Artist: Claude Monet - "Water Lilies"

Surrealism:

  • Artist: Salvador Dalí - "The Persistence of Memory"

Abstract Expressionism:

  • Artist: Jackson Pollock - "Autumn Rhythm"

2. Image Resizing

Use BIRME [https://www.birme.net/?target_width=512&target_height=512] to resize your reference images to 512x512. While doing so, keep in mind that you may need to crop parts of the original artworks to focus on the essential elements that convey each style.

3. Let the Transformation Begin

Imagine creating a Cyberpunk cityscape with the stylistic essence of your chosen art styles. Here's a glimpse of the main prompt we will be using:

Create a Cyberpunk city with futuristic aesthetics, complex machinery, high-tech lighting, and a futuristic cityscape in the background.
typical cyberpunk city images

4. ControlNet at Your Service

Open the ControlNet extension and select IP-Adapter under your txt2img tab. Choose an image whose style resonates with you the most. For instance, you can start with Salvador Dalí's "The Persistence of Memory." The preprocessor and model should be automatically selected for you.

Set the control weight to 0.6 and the ending control step to 0.6 as well. Keep the other settings at their defaults. Enable ControlNet and generate your masterpiece.

If everything goes according to plan, you'll witness a stunning transformation—a Cyberpunk city with a touch of Dali's surrealism.

Dali's Cyberpunk city?

5. Artistry Knows No Bounds

In our testing, a control weight and control step of 0.6 yielded the most captivating results. However, remember that art is subjective, so don't hesitate to experiment with different settings to discover your unique artistic expression.

Claude Monet never imagined a cyberpunk city like these images
Leonardo's new last supper with robots?
Rembrandt would be proud.
We are pretty sure Jackson Pollock wouldn’t like this.

Conclusion

As we wrap up this journey, remember that style transfer is a powerful tool that allows you to infuse your creations with the essence of legendary artists. Whether you're exploring Cyberpunk cityscapes or venturing into uncharted artistic territory, this technique promises endless possibilities. So, go ahead, experiment, and let your creativity flow, for the world of art knows no bounds.

Prompt data:

Cyberpunk, futuristic, mechanical aesthetics, complex machinery, high-tech lighting scene of futuristic city in the background, virtual engine 5,
Negative prompt: lowres, bad anatomy, bad hands, text, error, missing fingers, extra digit, fewer digits, cropped, worst quality, low quality, normal quality, jpeg artifacts, signature, watermark, username, blurry
Steps: 20, Sampler: DPM++ SDE Karras, CFG scale: 7, Seed: 1093258767, Size: 512x512, Model hash: 3c8530cb22, Model: cyberrealistic_v33, Clip skip: 2, Version: v1.6.0