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AI-translation of article on https://tweakers.net/nieuws/240766/...d-om-ai-upscaling-die-gezichten-vervormt.html

Mortal Kombat book criticized for AI upscaling that distorts faces

Reviewers and buyers are complaining that a new book about the history of the Mortal Kombat game series uses AI upscaling for old footage. In images, masks blend into faces, eyes appear to "melt," and there are other errors that appear to be typical AI artifacts.

The book "Mortal Kombat: Flawless Victory," which publisher Insight Editions bills as a "visual history of the iconic series," was released in hardcover last week. Buyers on the online retailer Amazon are advising against the book due to the alleged use of AI upscaling and the impression that the authors rushed the book. Images of characters in old Mortal Kombat games have reportedly been enhanced using AI, which, however, produces strange results.

The masks of the ninjas Sub-Zero, Mileena, and Kitana blend into their faces, and eyes appear to "melt" away onto their cheeks. Other classic characters also don't appear properly. The alleged use of AI upscaling concerns the thumbnails of fighters in the first two Mortal Kombat games, according to Time Extension. Digitized photos were used for these, at a resolution that is now very low. Instead of recreating that old footage, AI upscaling was allegedly chosen. Critical buyers on Amazon are also complaining about the layout and content of this book.

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The AI improved pictures are indeed hideous.

 

[spookyfish]

Kitana looks sleepy.

Or stoned.

Or both.

 

[IAmRei]

Dang this is hillarious : ))

 

[Fbh]

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Yeah this is really bad. Just another example of how MK has been treated like shit the last several years by WB. Someone there would have to have the final say to put something like this out there.

This is Ed Boon's baby, how is he letting this happen?

 

[Exede]

Upscaling is fucking easy.... somebody got payed for this....

 

[s_mirage]

Why the fuck were they even trying to "enhance" the original art anyway? It was pixel art; it should look pixelated.

Upscaling is fucking easy.... somebody got payed for this....

You know, this is something that has started to increasingly rankle with me. I, as an amateur, use AI image generation and upscaling a lot for my own enjoyment, for no financial gain, yet I still have standards and take care to fix problems, upscaling artifacts, etc, to the extent that I consider things like consistent iris sizes.

Time and again though, I see absolute trash produced by people who are apparently deemed good enough to do commercial work. This looks like something produced by dall-e mini; just how the hell did it get signed off as good enough? How do these people get their jobs?

 

[DenchDeckard]

omg, this is incredible.

 

[tkscz]

I've been seeing these go around the internet lately, what I didn't realize was these were for a physical book. You mean to tell me that no one double checked the smearing and removal of eyes before they printed these to page? Or maybe all the work was automated?

Why the fuck were they even trying to "enhance" the original art anyway? It was pixel art; it should look pixelated.

Also this. It would've been much cheaper to rip the images from a ROM and put them in a document then print them.

 

[kremiso]

dead fish eyes

 

[The Cockatrice]

Well hopefully whoever buys WB can fire all the execs that ruined it over the years gaming/movie-wise.

 

[Fake]

This should give you jail.

 

[Moochi]

That's not AI upscaling. That's SuperEagle X4 upscaler from Zsnes.

 

[Hypereides]

The fact that some clueless manager signed off on this and sent it merrily to print should tell you everything.

"No one will notice or tell it apart"

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

the fact that an editor looked at these and still decided to print is probably even worse.

 

[TransTrender]

LMAO pay pigs!
Open up your ass wallets and eat the slop!

 

[Spukc]

lol digital it is