What is the best app to create virtual interior rooms?

9 days ago

I have been stumbling along in MS Paint for all the years I've been on this forum. Time to upgrade my tools. If you're someone who has great success with an app please share your knowledge.

Thanks in Advance.

Featured Answer

simplynatural

8 days ago

I'm not a pro, but FWIW, I'm now using ChatGPT and Gemini (the free AI versions) for room illustrations. I can upload the original room photo, then tell AI what to do to it in plain English ("add an 84-inch contemporary navy sofa centered on the right wall"). I can upload additional photos of furnishings and accessories if I want the AI's to use specific objects instead of letting them make their own choices. They will "fill in the blanks" (add sofa pillows and table accessories, for instance), unless you tell them not to.

The AI's do tend to "correct" elements that they think could be improved (changing room proportions, window size/placement, etc.). I find that saying specifically, "Don't change anything else", helps keep their renderings a little more accurate, but they still tend to have minds of their own. You have to compare the new image to the original pretty carefully and decide which alterations you can live with, and which are too far off to accept. Sometimes I sketch what I want on the original photo using Paint first, then upload that image to one of the AI's and tell it, "Just clean up the drawing; don't change anything." I get the slick image but my own design ideas.

AI's images all tend to have a characteristic warm orange-ish glow; if you like whiter lighting, you can/must tell it to use that. And sometimes I never do get a useful image out of AI and I just give up. But it's fun and easy (and free!) to try, and sometimes the result is really beautiful--and it's much faster than Paint.

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Comments (7)

Lorraine Leroux
8 days ago
Bev I have been using MS Paint FOREVER and what I like is that is it fast without all the bells and whistles that cause you to waste time by having to work in layers etc. I still use a grid paper image and overlay onto it with a transparent shape-easy peasy.
BeverlyFLADeziner thanked Lorraine Leroux
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BeverlyFLADeziner
Original Author
8 days ago
Lorraine, what I wish I could do is adjust the pics of furnishings to match the perspective in the photo and add accessories easily. I see how complete the photos are from some of the PROS and I want to be able to provide that level of illustration. The MS Paint doesn't allow that.
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BeverlyFLADeziner
Original Author
6 days ago
SimplyNatural, Thanks so much for the useful info. I decided to speak with ChatGPT to determine what plan is best for me since I am setting up my own website to offer services to seniors who are downsizing and need solutions for how to position their existing furnishings in smaller space. The services are not comprehensive just basic space planning and adjusted photos to illustrate the solution.
simplynatural
5 days ago
It looks like the Go version of ChatGPT would be a pretty good value. I do run into the images-per-day limit with the free version (one reason I use both ChatGPT and Gemini; if I'm out of images on one, I can use the other to do a few more). And maybe (hopefully!) Go is a little smarter than free?
melindas1977
5 days ago
What a great idea, BeverlyFLADeziner!!
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BenW
2 days ago
Hi - a few of the things i use - if you want a mood board with text then Canva is a pretty easy option. Works like power point but has better styling defaults. If you're looking to edit photos (eg, try this room but change the wall color or add panneling) then something like Google Gemini has the best understanding of image editing. And if you want to do a 3D layout to check sight lines and do a virtual walk through then try Arcadium 3D. 3D is a bit complex but it's definitely the best of the bunch.