Welcome back to The Flop—your cozy corner for demystifying AI with warmth, wit, and a dash of whimsy!

This week’s edition is a little shorter than usual as I'm currently on vacation, fully immersed in my in-laws’ legendary beach tradition: a 40+ year gathering of three generations. Think 36 people, two beach houses, and a whole lot of love, laughter, and sandy snacks 🏖️ .

🐰 Down the Rabbit Hole

From Words to Wow: How AI Creates Images and Videos

Last week, we explored how AI can create original music. This week, we’re shifting from audio to the visual, with a peek into how AI can now draw, paint, and even direct mini-movies based on just a few words from you.

It’s called generative image and video, and it’s like having a team of digital artists and animators at your beck and call (minus the studio fees and coffee runs).

Here’s a quick guide to the terms and tools behind the magic:

🖼️ Text-to-image
This is the classic "type it and see it" magic. You write something like: “A sleepy rabbit in a teacup floating down a river at sunset.” And poof! The AI conjures up an image: sometimes stunning, sometimes silly, and occasionally with too many fingers.

Popular tools: ChatGPT/DALL·E, Midjourney, Craiyon

🎥 Text-to-video
A newer, wilder frontier. You write a scene (“a disco-dancing hamster on a spaceship”), and the AI tries to animate it. It’s not Pixar-level yet, but it’s getting close enough to make your jaw drop and your group chat light up.

Popular tools: Runway, Pika, Sora (still invite-only)

🎨 Style transfer and image remixing
Want to turn a selfie into a watercolor painting? Make your backyard look like a Wes Anderson film? These tools remix existing images in clever and creative ways based on your prompts.

This tech is opening doors for all kinds of creative play—from custom birthday cards and storybooks, to fake movie posters, illustrated recipes, and more. It’s not perfect (yet), but it’s fun, fast, and surprisingly heartwarming when used right.

🛠️AI Hack of the Week

Design a Custom Digital Invite

This week’s project is part party-planning, part creative play: we’re making a custom digital birthday invitation using an AI-generated image.

Whether it’s for a five-year-old’s fairy-tale bash or your dad’s surprise backyard BBQ, this is a fun, fast way to create something totally unique, no graphic design experience required.

This small hack brings big delight—and it’s a great way to experiment with AI while doing something practical (and festive!).

✅ Step-by-Step: Make a Custom Birthday Invite with ChatGPT

⚽ Step 1: Tell ChatGPT what kind of invite you want

Start by describing the vibe you're going for. You can say something like:

ChatGPT will then write out a full description (called a "prompt") that it can use to generate the image. For example:

🎨 Step 2: Let ChatGPT generate the image
Just paste that prompt right back into the chat. ChatGPT will use a tool called DALL·E (rhymes with “WALL·E,” like the Pixar robot) to generate your image.

Here’s what mine looked like:

🛠️ Step 3 (Optional): Customize it

Want to add party details? Or change the style? Just tell ChatGPT what to tweak.

For example, I said:

ChatGPT regenerated the invite, now with the info included right in the image:

📤 Step 4: Share your masterpiece

Hover over the image and click the download button. You can now text it, email it, print it, or post it on the family group chat and wait for the “you MADE this?!” replies.

✨ Bonus Trick: Make More!

Once you've got one image, you can easily make a matching thank-you card, a party sign, or even name tags. Just ask ChatGPT to whip up variations using your original prompt.

💡 Tips for Getting the Look You Want

The more specific your prompt, the better your image. You can shape the style (“make it look like a watercolor painting” or “use bold pop art style”), adjust the background (“sunset soccer field”), or even customize characters (“a girl with curly hair and glasses”).

If it’s not quite right, don’t stress—just tweak the prompt or ask ChatGPT to revise it. It’s like having a designer friend who never sleeps.

For example, I said:

Boom—updated image.

Now I can upload this version to Evite (or any invite site) and use their tools to handle RSVPs, while still keeping my custom design. Fancy and functional.

📎 To use your image on Evite:

1. Go to evite.com

2. Choose Upload Your Own Design 

3. Upload your image from ChatGPT

4. Fill in your party details—and you're done!

And just like that, you're the proud creator of a one-of-a-kind party invite—no design degree, no stress, just a little AI magic and a lot of style.

🌳 Moment of Calm

AI Antidote: Where in the World?

Before we wrap, here’s a little moment of calm for your eyeballs. No AI, no productivity hack—just nature doing its thing.

Can you guess which National Park this is? Simply hit reply with your best guess.

Congrats to Robbie for being the first to successfully identify last week’s park! The correct answer was: Yosemite National Park

👋 Until Next Week

Thanks for being here. I know your inbox is a busy place, and I hope this one made you feel just a little smarter and more prepared in this new world of AI.

Warmly,
Ricci

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