You are all welcome to our little Halloween Soirée.

You can come any time after dark. Don't be shy? You can even just pop in for a quick bite!

Created with Gemini AI

This family is getting into the spirit of zero emissions travel.

Created with Gemini AI

Werewolf and his friend Skelly, always like a quick game of chess before heading into town.

Created with Gemini AI

It's that time of year, when the wizards take on the witches to see who can be this year's pub quiz champions. Hosted as usual, by the landlord down at the werewolf tavern.

Generated with Gemini AI

A competing social media site (S...C..t) suggested a filter for Valentines Day. Out of boredom I tried it and got frame one. Then I wondered what if Nadar was the photographer instead of me? AI answered my question with frame two and three. Painted by Rembrandt was frame four and five. Painted by Da Vinci was six and seven. Boredom gone.

Up Periscope. Many of us have previous lives or careers that our current associates know nothing of.

This is an A.I generated image - the only thing real is my face.

Frighteningly easy to do using "Google Gemini"

"Nano Banana" is the popular online nickname for Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash Image AI model, which creates small 3D figurines from images or text prompts. The name originated from a playful internal codename, partly because the "nano" refers to its efficient, lightweight architecture, and "banana" came from an early testing bug where the AI would insert bananas into unrelated images. The memorable and human-sounding name spread quickly online, making the advanced technology more approachable than its technical official designation.

Subject Description: Sunderland Corporation broke the municipal mould in the north-east when it launched a flat-fare network with a large fleet of single-deckers - predominantly, but not exclusively, Leyland Panthers with stylish bodies to the Corporation's own design. This image shows how well the Marshall Camair would have looked in Sunderland Corporation colours, the application of which varied significantly to suit different body styles.

AI Notes This is a Gemini AI composition that incorporates an image of the Leyland Panther that I prepared in Photoshop many years ago. AI tried really hard - too hard - to simulate a Sunderland scene and it took several re-works to remove many local icons, such as the Wearmouth bridge placed across end of this street. I gave up trying to remove the curious double-deck bus in the background - each time AI did so, it replaced it with something equally inappropriate (updated 01-Apr-26).

All rights reserved. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that it would be an offence punishable by law to post this image on Facebook or elsewhere (please post a link instead). Follow the link below for terms and conditions, additional information about my work; and to request work from me:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

Subject Description: This view represents a vehicle that not only served in the West Hartlepool fleet for many years but which survives in preservation. Roe-bodied Leyland PD2 BEF 28C (fleet number 28) was one of a pair delivered in 1965 but looks older by virtue of its exposed radiator, a feature that had become increasingly uncommon by that time. West Hartlepool's sole concession to modern trends (as far as double-deckers were concerned) was to fit platform doors to some of its PD2s - no doubt greatly appreciated on the exposed coastal road to Seaton Carew. These were the company's last double-deckers, with the fleet progressively becoming all single-deck. One of the PD2s was converted to open-top and number 28 lingered as a training and special event vehicle, ultimately passing to Eastern Scottish for further use as a training vehicle (retaining West Hartlepool livery throughout its stay). Nick Larkin bought it for preservation and I came across it at the 1994 Delaine Running Day looking a little worse for wear. This digital representation is based on preserved Lincoln Corporation RFE 416, photographed at Lincoln in 2009.

AI Notes This image was prepared in Photoshop except for final 'polishing' of the paintwork, which was done with the assistance of Gemimi AI (updated 30-Mar-26).

All rights reserved. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that it would be an offence punishable by law to post this image on Facebook or elsewhere (please post a link instead). Follow the link below for terms and conditions, additional information about my work; and to request work from me:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

Subject Description: This is a new version of an old image (the earlier version has been retained since it is a more broadside showing more detail). It was inspired by the 34ft-long three-axle Guy Arabs which were, reputedly, the world’s longest double-deckers at the time. At two full bays longer than a standard Routemaster, this fictional version must be somewhere in the region of 37-foot. The window shades, characteristic of many South African buses, possibly exaggerate the length by making the windows appear shallower (this is more apparent in the earlier version).

AI Notes: The bus itself was prepared in Photoshop some time ago. Gemini AI has been used to place it in a 1970s Cape Town Street scene to good effect (13-Feb-26).

All rights reserved. These rights cannot be overridden by the rules of individual Flickr groups to which I agree to add my work. Please follow the link below for full terms and conditions and additional information about my work:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

Subject Description: West Hartlepool remained loyal to ECW for bodywork on all its Bristol RELLs but looked elsewhere for subsequent purchases. It's questionable whether any of these were an improvement on the proven Bristol-ECW combination; the best that can be said about some is that were different. This fictional image, based on a Chesterfield Leyland Panther with a raised driving position, shows what a Northern Counties-bodied Bristol RELL might have looked like in a simplified version of the company's traditional livery.

AI Notes This image was prepared in Photoshop except for final 'polishing' of the paintwork, which was done with the assistance of Gemimi AI (updated 30-Mar-26).

All rights reserved. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that it would be an offence punishable by law to post this image on Facebook or elsewhere (please post a link instead). Follow the link below for terms and conditions, additional information about my work; and to request work from me:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

A competing social media site (S...C..t) suggested a filter for Valentines Day. Out of boredom I tried it and got frame one. Then I wondered what if Nadar was the photographer instead of me? AI answered my question with frame two and three. Painted by Rembrandt was frame four and five. Painted by Da Vinci was six and seven. Boredom gone.

Nature's Fury, Golden Hour's Grace

A dramatic AI-generated panoramic landscape capturing the raw, contrasting power of a severe supercell shelf cloud rolling over a rugged coastline.

To the left, cold, violent lightning strikes pierce the heavy downpour over a churning, white-capped sea. To the right, the breaking storm clouds catch the intense, fiery glow of a golden hour sunset, illuminating the sweeping green cliffs, a solitary lighthouse, and a winding coastal road below.

Note: This image was created using an AI tool, Google Gemini, as part of my creative process and refined in Lightroom / Luminar Neo. While I strive for realism, this is a digital generation and not a photograph.

2026 Keith Jones All Rights Reserved.

A competing social media site (S...C..t) suggested a filter for Valentines Day. Out of boredom I tried it and got frame one. Then I wondered what if Nadar was the photographer instead of me? AI answered my question with frame two and three. Painted by Rembrandt was frame four and five. Painted by Da Vinci was six and seven. Boredom gone.

Subject Description This is the sort of work that the Class 74s were intended for - working heavy boat trains over the electrified mainline lines from London to the Channel Ports and then onwards over non-electrified tracks to the quayside. Unfortunately, they proved unreliable under diesel power, often being replaced on the final leg by Class 33 diesels - defeating their very raison d'être and hastening their demise. This image depicts E6102 on the street tramway section to Weymouth harbour.

AI Notes (-26) This is a Gemini AI-generated image that required a lot of corrective work in Photoshop. The Class 74 is based on a hand-coloured version of an original monochrome image that had been created for an earlier project (07-Aug-26).

Not to be posted on Facebook under any circumstances but you are welcome to post a link. Not to be posted elsewhere without prior written permission. Follow the link below for additional information about my Flickr images, including an explanation of the terms 'fiction', 'digital representation' and 'digitally-coloured':

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

Subject Description Ten examples of the Class 71 electric locomotive were rebuilt at Crewe Works between 1967 and 1968 into Class 74 electro-diesels that could work from a third rail power supply or an on-board 650hp diesel engine. Buckeye couplers and high-level ‘bagpipe’ control and brake jumpers were fitted to facilitate working with other electric stock, especially TC units in push-pull mode. They were intended especially for use on the boat trains to Southampton and Weymouth, as both routes included sections of non-electrified track and tramway along the public thoroughfare. In practice, they proved to be less reliable than expected. All were withdrawn by the end of 1977 and scrapped over the following four years.

AI Notes This is a Gemini AI-generated image that required a lot of corrective work in Photoshop (07-Aug-26).

Not to be posted on Facebook under any circumstances but you are welcome to post a link. Not to be posted elsewhere without prior written permission. Follow the link below for additional information about my Flickr images, including an explanation of the terms 'fiction', 'digital representation' and 'digitally-coloured':

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

Copyright - All Rights Reserved - Black Diamond Images

Nothing is real anymore. I guess one can look at this image as accidental art perhaps.

This image was created based on a misunderstanding by ChatGPT on Aug 2, 2026 when I asked the Ai engine to produce an image of what 'Cama Castle' would once have looked like.

I gave the Ai no specific instructions regarding the Chateau de Chillon castle whatsoever and it just did its own thing and produced the image above.

I've no explanation for why, other than I mentioned the word 'castle'.

I did search of Chateau de Chillon images and at least the Ai has produced something that basically replicates that castle.

Anyway its interesting times as the capabilities of Ai seem to be advancing rapidly, maybe that's not a good thing, despite some obvious benefits of the technology.

I decided to post it anyway, for its art sake, not having yet been to Monteux. I did pass pretty close by it though in 2023 when I visited Les Diablerets, Aigle and Chamonix

(Les Diablarets to Aigle to Montreux =36.6 km (about a 51-minute drive)

Overview

Château de Chillon is a spectacularly preserved medieval fortress situated on a small rocky island on the eastern edge of Lake Geneva, just south of Montreux, Switzerland. Thanks to its dramatic waterside setting and rich history, it is currently Switzerland's most visited historic monument.

History

The history of the castle is traditionally divided into three major eras:

The Savoy Period (12th Century – 1536)

The site has been occupied since the Bronze Age, but the first written mention of the castle dates back to 1150. The powerful Counts of Savoy used the island's strategic location to control the Via Francigena trade route connecting northern and southern Europe, collecting tolls from passing merchants and pilgrims. In the 13th century, Count Peter II significantly expanded the fortress, transforming it into a lavish summer residence.

The Bernese Period (1536 – 1798)

The Swiss Bernese forces conquered the region and captured the castle in 1536 after a three-week siege. Under their rule, the castle served as an administrative hub, a weapons depot, and a state prison.

The Vaudois Period (1798 – Present)

During the Vaudois Revolution in 1798, French-speaking patriots reclaimed the castle from the Bernese without a fight. It became a national asset and has belonged to the Canton of Vaud ever since.

The Famous Dungeon & Literary Fame

In the 1530s, a Genevois monk named François de Bonivard was chained to a pillar in the castle's subterranean vaulted dungeons for six years due to his political opposition to the House of Savoy.

When the English poet Lord Byron visited the castle in 1816, he was so moved by the dungeon and Bonivard's story that he penned the famous poem, "The Prisoner of Chillon". This literary work—alongside writings by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and Mary Shelley—propelled the castle into international fame during the Romantic era and sparked a wave of tourism that continues to this day.

Architecture & Key Features

An Island Footprint: The castle was constructed to perfectly match the oval dimensions of the rocky island it sits on, measuring roughly 100 meters long and 50 meters wide.

Dual Personalities

It is considered a dual-purpose castle. The facade facing the land is a heavily fortified defensive wall with arrow slits and machicolations. Conversely, the side facing the lake features elegant windows and resembles a luxurious princely residence.

A Massive Complex

Rather than a single building, the site consists of over 25 independent structures and three courtyards connected by defensive walls. Visitors today can explore grand halls featuring 14th-century murals, medieval bedrooms, and the famous underground cellars.

Source - Gemini Ai

Subject Description: Had their reliability issues been resolved, the Class 74s may have proved useful on infrastructure work, supporting the Class 73s off-grid and reducing diesel haulage over live sections of track. This fictional example is depicted in the so-called Dutch livery.

AI Notes: The Class 74 base image was created using Gemini AI and the livery applied in Photoshop. AI could have probably done the whole job but it was simpler to complete the livery in Photoshop than to wrestle with AI’s interpretation (08-Aug-26).

Not to be posted on Facebook under any circumstances but you are welcome to post a link. Not to be posted elsewhere without prior written permission. Follow the link below for additional information about my Flickr images, including an explanation of the terms 'fiction', 'digital representation' and 'digitally-coloured':

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

Copyright - All Rights Reserved - Black Diamond Images

At long last I've managed to get a bit of clear space in my life's journey to resume posting images from our 3 month 2023 European trip.

When I stopped posting images many months ago (September 13, 2025) I had posted photos up to and including our 3 night stay in Zermatt.

From Zermatt we took the train on the 24th August 2023 to Tasch and returned to our car in the carpark, but on arriving at the car I realised I'd left my carry bag on the train. Immediately returning to the ticket office I was fortunate that two honest gentlemen seated across from us on the train had noticed the bag and dropped it to the ticket office where I was able to be reunited with it. Sometimes when on travels we do dumb things, or maybe only I do.

Now back in the car and on the road we headed to Visp before turning east to Brig and finally arriving in the town of Fiesch with the intention of taking the Fiesheralp Gondola to the top of Eggishorn Mountain.

From there we planned to view Europe's largest glacier, the Aletsch Glacier (Aletschgletscher), something of a bucket list thing I'd wanted to do for many years.

The Eggishorn was indeed an amazingly panoramic place to view the Aletschgletscher in all its vast majesty. We reached it via a cable car from the Rhone Valley in the Valais. The Eggishorn Viewpoint is located on a ridge at an altitude of 2869 metres. The actual summit of the Eggishorn peak however is located 500 metres north, at an altitude of 2926 metres.

Eggishorn stands on the edge of the UNESCO Natural World Heritage property "Jungfrau - Aletsch - Bietschhorn": a unique high-alpine region that also includes the Bettmerhorn and the Jungfraujoch. Six days earlier we'd previously viewed the upper reaches of the Aletsch Glacier during our visit to the Jungfraujoch while we were based in Grindlewald.

Once at the top of the Eggishorn one is in a unique high-alpine world with seriously grand views of the Aletsch Glacier. You’ll also see the mighty peaks of the Bernese Oberland and the Valais.

At our visit we did enjoy a lunch and a hot chocolate in the small restaurant Horli-Hitta, about 50 m from the cable car station.

In summer there are many hiking options, especially from Fiescheralp, the mid-way cable car station. But you’ll also find trails down from the Eggishorn. One of the easier yet beautiful hikes in this area is the panoramic trail from Fiescheralp to Bettmeralp and Riederalp.

Fiescheralp is also one of the many locations where paragliders take off for their flight.

In winter, the whole area is a winter sports paradise with many ski and several sled runs around Fiescheralp and its neighboring villages.

Just my view, but perhaps its fair to claim that no trip to Switzerland is complete without experiencing the view of this awesome glacier from the Eggishorn Viewpoint.

Album 1 - Europe 2023

Album 2 - Europe 2023

A competing social media site (S...C..t) suggested a filter for Valentines Day. Out of boredom I tried it and got frame one. Then I wondered what if Nadar was the photographer instead of me? AI answered my question with frame two and three. Painted by Rembrandt was frame four and five. Painted by Da Vinci was six and seven. Boredom gone.

© All Rights Reserved - Black Diamond Images

The Laguna Trading Post dates back to c.1835 when it provided respite for weary travellers along the long and isolated convict built Great North Road which ends in Cessock in the Hunter Valley.

The Laguna Trading Post continues to do so to this day. We were surprised to find a Tesla Destination Charger but unfortunately we couldn't get it to work.

The Trading Post has a cafe with a large eating area and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also is home to a bakery, a general store and a bottle shop, all operating 7-days a week.

The bakery supplies home made sourdough, pastries, cakes, pies and sausage rolls, all baked fresh daily.

The Trading Post also offers a great selection of locally sourced house wines and beers sourced from the Hunter Valley and wider parts of New South Wales.

Several other stores operate in the trading Post.

This image is a panorama taken inside Laguna Luxe, housed in a rough hewn timber and tin shed alongside the Trading Post. Laguna Luxe offers a range of homewares and lifestyle products through to clothing and footwear.

Musgrove Realty and Laguna Village Providore, which supplies fresh garden and farm produce, also operate in the Trading Post.

Image edited in Gemini Ai.

Gemini Ai Generated Image from an image taken at the Gem Pier, Williamtown, Victoria, Saturday 21st March 2026

HMAS Castlemaine (J244/M244/A248), named for the city of Castlemaine, Victoria, was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially crewed and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Builder - HMA Naval Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria

Laid down - HMA Naval Dockyard, Williamstown, Victoria on 17 February 1941.

Launched - 7 August 1941 by Dame Pattie Menzies.

Quick facts History, Australia

Launched in 1941 and commissioned in 1942, Castlemaine operated during World War II in the waters of Australia, New Guinea, and Timor. She remained in service until 1945, when she was decommissioned into reserve and converted into an immobilised training ship. In 1973, Castlemaine was presented to the Maritime Trust of Australia for conversion to a museum ship. She is one of two surviving examples of the Bathurst class, the other being HMAS Whyalla.

Castlemaine was restored and converted into a museum ship. Castlemaine is presently berthed at Gem Pier, Williamstown, Victoria, adjacent to the historic Customs House. The ship is not capable of sailing, as the main mess deck houses a museum, and the engines have been converted to run on compressed air, displaying their mechanical operation to visitors. Wikipedia

Copyright - All Rights Reserved - Black Diamond Images

Here is a clear, chronological “life history” of Spirit of Tasmania IV — but unlike a traditional ship biography, this one reads almost like a modern maritime saga, shaped as much by politics and infrastructure as by the sea.

🚢 Birth of a replacement era (2017–2021)

The story really begins before the ship itself existed.

In 2017, the Tasmanian Government and TT-Line decided to replace the ageing Bass Strait ferries with larger, more modern vessels.

After failed negotiations in December 2018 with the German shipbuilder, Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG), the agreed contract was mutually cancelled in February 2020 due to the shipbuilder's financial difficulties.

These delays, including the onset of the COVID pandemic, resulted finally in a contract being signed by the Tasmanian Gutwein Liberal government between April 14 and 16, 2021 with Rauma Marine Constructions (Finland).

Purpose

Replace Spirit of Tasmania I & II

Increase:

Passenger capacity (~40%+)

Freight capacity (~39%)

👉 This was envisioned as a transformational upgrade to Tasmania’s “sea highway.”

⚓ Construction in Finland (2022–2024)

Key milestones

Steel cutting: early 2022

Keel laid: 28 October 2022

Launched & named: 27 October 2023

She is a large modern Ro-Pax ferry:

Length: ~212 m

Capacity: ~1,800 passengers

LNG-powered (first on the Bass Strait route)

👉 Technologically, she represents a major leap—cleaner fuel, higher efficiency, and much greater carrying capacity.

🌊 Sea trials and delivery (2024)

June 2024: Sea trials begin

September 2024: Officially handed over to TT-Line

At this point, everything looked on track.

👉 The expectation:

Arrival in Tasmania by late 2024 and entry into service shortly after.

❄️ The first twist: stranded in Europe (late 2024–mid 2025)

Instead, the ship entered one of the most unusual chapters in Australian maritime history.

What went wrong

Devonport’s new berth was not ready

Baltic winter ice prevented her staying in Finland

Result

Moved to Leith, Edinburgh (Scotland) for lay-up

Cost: about $47,000 per week in berthing

👉 Attempts were made to lease her out in Europe—but with little success.

Public and political fallout

This became a major political issue in Tasmania:

Cost blowouts

Infrastructure miscalculations

Leadership resignations

The ferry even became something of a curiosity in Scotland, drawing attention simply for being “stranded.”

⚙️ Further delays: technical and planning issues (2025)

Planned departure for Australia in May 2025 delayed due to LNG system problems

Eventually:

Departed Europe mid-2025

Arrived in Hobart in August 2025

👉 Even then, she still couldn’t enter service.

🇦🇺 Return to Australia—but still idle (2025–2026)

Despite finally reaching Australia:

The core problem remained

The Devonport terminal upgrade:

Originally ~$90 million

Blew out to nearly $500 million

Additional issues:

Design mismatches between ship and berth

Further costly modifications required

Result

The vessel has spent extended periods:

In Hobart

In Geelong / Port Phillip Bay

👉 Fully built, delivered, and operationally ready—

but with nowhere suitable to dock in regular service.

📅 Planned entry into service (2026)

Current expectation: October 2026

Route:

Geelong ↔ Devonport

👉 When she finally enters service, she will become:

The primary Bass Strait ferry

A major boost to freight and tourism capacity

The bigger picture: what makes her story unique

Spirit of Tasmania IV represents:

1. Modern maritime ambition

LNG propulsion

High-capacity ferry design

Major infrastructure investment

2. Infrastructure dependency

A ship that cannot operate without:

Purpose-built terminals

Matching engineering specifications

3. Political and economic controversy

Cost overruns nearing $1 billion total project scale

Ongoing public scrutiny and debate

✅ Final perspective

The Spirit of Tasmania IV has already had a remarkable “life”—even before entering service:

Conceived as a transformational transport upgrade

Built as one of the most advanced ferries in the region

Stranded internationally due to infrastructure delays

Returned to Australia—but still waiting

Currently berthed at Williamtown in Port Phillip Bay the ferry is expected to finally commence operation late in 2026

The Lore

In the frost-locked peaks of the Veridian Heights, the sun hasn’t risen in over a century. The mountain dwellers speak in hushed tones of Kaelith, a warden whose very heartbeat is synchronised with the shimmering curtains of the sky.

She carries the Crest of the Star-Thorn, a staff carved from the first tree to survive the Great Frost. Its crown is a core of condensed starlight, pulsing with a rhythmic green glow. This is the Auroran Heart - not just a title, but a burden. Kaelith has bound her own life force to the dying stars to prevent the creeping void from consuming the valley below.

The emerald auroras dancing behind her are her breath made visible, a protective barrier woven from celestial energy. Every winter solstice, Kaelith must draw the cold essence of the earth into her staff. Each time she does, her eyes deepen to a more piercing jade, and she drifts one step further from her humanity and closer to becoming a creature of pure light and ice.

Artist’s Statement

With this piece, I wanted to explore the intersection of beauty and burden. The name Kaelith carries a personal signature, woven into the fabric of the lore as a reflection of the creator’s role: the one who breathes life and light into the void of a blank canvas. She stands at the edge of the world, not just as a protector of the valley, but as a symbol of the enduring spark that refuses to be extinguished by the cold.

Note: This image was created using an AI tool, Google Gemini, as part of my creative process and refined in Lightroom / Luminar Neo. While I strive for realism, this is a digital generation and not a photograph.

2026 Keith Jones All Rights Reserved.

Subject Description: Articulated bus operation was well-established in the Netherlands when Arriva won several regional concessions (contracts) in the early and mid-2000s, so it was no surprise that it used a mix of rigid and articulated buses. This Scania Omnicity was one of 48 similar buses acquired with 20 examples of the rigid version for the Waterland concession that covered the area immediately north of the capital between 2005 and 2011. Note the single-leaf front and rear doors specified by the operator in preference to the twin-leaf style more common on this type of bus.

AI Notes: This is a Gemini AI-enhanced version of a photograph taken in Amsterdam in 2007. AI has changed the lighting from daytime to night-time and enhanced the reflections but otherwise there are no other intentional changes (it initially changed the front doors to twin-leaf but I was able to get it to revert to the correct single-leaf style - such are the challenges of working with AI) (26-Jul-26).

Not to be posted on Facebook under any circumstances but you are welcome to post a link. Not to be posted elsewhere without prior written permission. Follow the link below for additional information about my Flickr images, including an explanation of the terms 'fiction', 'digital representation' and 'digitally-coloured':

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

A competing social media site (S...C..t) suggested a filter for Valentines Day. Out of boredom I tried it and got frame one. Then I wondered what if Nadar was the photographer instead of me? AI answered my question with frame two and three. Painted by Rembrandt was frame four and five. Painted by Da Vinci was six and seven. Boredom gone.

Copyright - All Rights Reserved - Black Diamond Images

Image created in Gemini Ai from an image of the full sized operational replica of the paddlewheel steamship 'William the Fourth' taken at a wharf at Honeysuckle, Newcastle Waterfront, NSW. The vessel operates as a chartered specialist cruise boat.

The original vessel was built at Clarencetown in 1831 and the replica, from which this image was created, was built in Raymond Terrace and launched in 1987 with funding from a community bicentenial project.

A magical, sun-drenched day where the meadow comes alive with a flurry of bunnies and colourful Easter eggs. Capturing the spirit of spring as it wakes up in full bloom, complete with gentle morning light and a cosy cottage in the distance. A truly whimsical scene that feels like a fairy tale brought to life.

A competing social media site (S...C..t) suggested a filter for Valentines Day. Out of boredom I tried it and got frame one. Then I wondered what if Nadar was the photographer instead of me? AI answered my question with frame two and three. Painted by Rembrandt was frame four and five. Painted by Da Vinci was six and seven. Boredom gone.

Copyright - All Rights Reserved - Black Diamond Images

Edited using Gemini Ai to clone a jagged black unrendered band across some or all of the bottom and also across part of the top of this handheld panoramic image.

This problem is a consequence of the panning action and can result when panning panorama images handheld with an IPhone.

At this time Ai can sometimes have difficulties cloning these black unrendered bands unless the specific instructions to the Ai are carefully worded.

Of course the black band can always be cloned/removed manually in an editing program like Photoshop, Paintshop Pro or Luminar.

The only reason I didn't do that was because part of the problem with the image was that I needed the horizon straightened and it was faster and easier to just use an Ai editor. The negative of course is that the image saves at a lower resolution if using free Ai editing.

At this stage I cannot bring myself to pay the exorbitant cost of an annual Ai editing subscription, though it is being forced on me due to the fact that free Ai editing capability has been drastically wound back on all the Apps since the beginning of 2026 forcing me to at least consider subscription models.

I'd be interested to know which subscription photo editing Ai Apps people are opting for and if they are worth the money.