Hi, and welcome to the blog!
In this blog post, I'll walk you through the basics of creating a compelling story, crafting characters, generating voiceovers, and translating content into multiple languages – all with the help of AI.
Most of all, it's going to be quick, very inexpensive and super fun!
I will use the following tools:
Chat GPT: Story Generation, Image Generation, Translation
Elevenlabs: Voice Over
Cap Cut: Video Generation - putting audio and images together (I could have also added subtitles for free but I didn't do it, as this is just a quick experiment)
Here is the final output:
Italian Version: Bruno il Leone Spendaccione
English Version: Bruno the Spendthrift Lion
French Version: Bruno le Lion Dépensier
Portuguese Version: Bruno o Leão Gastador
Spanish Version: Bruno el León Gastador
Picture this: I was chatting with my friend Bruno while on a road trip. Bruno has two kids and is deeply interested in cartoons, so he mentioned the Disney classic"Lambert the Sheepish Lion", a very cool short story about a lion adopted by a sheep that Disney created in the 50s.
Bruno is a total newbie to the world of artificial intelligence. In the car, I decided to introduce him to the incredible potential of AI in creative endeavors, such as writing books, comics, children's books, and more.
Just a few months ago, achieving what AI can do today would have cost a fortune and taken weeks, if not months of outsourcing. But now, thanks to the power of artificial intelligence, you can accomplish all of this in minutes and at a fraction of the cost – even as low as zero dollars.
Crafting Your Story with AI
To start, we conducted a simple experiment with ChatGPT. We gave it a few quick prompts to generate a story. However, keep in mind that to create truly engaging narratives with AI, you'll need to invest some time in scriptwriting and storytelling. While AI is incredible, it doesn't possess the creativity to surprise you, as I've mentioned in my previous blog posts.
Enhancing Children's Books with AI
Our experiment resulted in a story that was decent but lacked humor. For children's books, a good story, quick-witted characters, and high-quality voiceovers can work wonders. In our case, we would have had to add humor manually, as AI isn't yet a master of comedic writing.
To make AI work for you, provide clear instructions to guide it.
For instance, I tasked AI with creating a story about a lion named Bruno known for extravagant spending, aiming for a comical and hilarious tone. Our prompt was simple, and while it worked for the experiment, creating humor might require a more hands-on approach.
Chat GPT: Story Generation, Image Generation, Translation
PROMPT:"I want to write a story about a lion named Bruno. This lion has an incredible flaw: he always wants to spend a lot of money. Make it comic and hilarious."
Here is the output (the real output was in Italian, but I will write here the english version):
Bruno, the little lion, was known throughout the savanna for his bottomless wallet. Whether it was a handful of ants or a bamboo bungalow; if it was for sale, Bruno bought it! His extravagant spending habit was so exaggerated that merchants lined up in front of his den at sunrise, hoping to sell the "indispensable item of the day".
Once, Bruno bought a pair of custom sunglasses for each day of the week, despite the fact that lions don't distinguish colors very well. Another day, he convinced himself that he needed an entire collection of ties, even though he didn't even have a neck suitable for wearing them!
The comedy of the situation peaked when Bruno bought a pool-building kit. Completely ignoring the fact that lions aren't natural swimmers, he began to build it. But, naturally, he ended up using it as a giant milk bowl!
His friends from the savanna decided it was time to intervene when Bruno tried to buy a cloud from the sky, thinking it would make an excellent pillow. So, they organized an "intervention" under the moonlight, introducing him to a new passion: saving! They gifted him a piggy-shaped piggy bank, hoping Bruno would learn the value of money.
From that day, Bruno the little lion became a bit wiser with his spending, although he still treated himself to a rocking zebra or a pair of binoculars and the occasional bowler hat from time to time.
Voiceovers and Multilingual Content
Once we had our story, the next step was creating a high-quality voiceover. I first translated the story into Portuguese (Bruno is Brazillian) so later I could add voiceovers in both Italian and Portuguese using AI. This simple translation process, which would have taken hours in the past, was completed in a matter of seconds.
So I went to Chat GPT and I simply wrote:
Once again, if you want a better translation you should at least ask Chat GPT to "Act" as a professional bilingual translator.
Character Creation with AI
Visual representation is essential in storytelling. While I initially tried to instruct ChatGPT to create Disney-inspired characters in a 1950s hand-drawn style, AI's artistic capabilities are still evolving, so I wasn't quite sure of the output. Instead, I opted for a versatile sticker-style character, which can be used effectively in various contexts.
To create the images, you can simply refer to the story and either ask for images to Dall-E within Chat GPT, or you can ask for the types of images you want or you can even ask AI to suggest images ideas before creating them.
If you want to know more about drawing styles, you can check my Sticker Style Guide here.
The styles apply also to images that are not stickers.
Elevenlabs: Amazing AI Voices
Once you are good with the script, just head over to Eleven labs.
Not only can you try it for free, but you can also try the first month for 1 dollar, then pay 5 dollars a month for around 50,000 monthly characters.
This is very inexpensive, considering the high quality output you can get in over 29 languages at the speed you can get it!
Elevenlabs: Voice Over
Capcut: Put Things Together
With Capcut you can add the audio track, the images or video tracks and export it for free.
You can also add amazing high quality subtitles, and even music.
CapCut: Video Generation - putting audio and images together
Export your masterpiece, and you are good to go!
How to Leverage AI to Create Children's Books and Stories
With your story, voiceovers, and characters in hand, the creative possibilities are endless. Here are some avenues to explore:
Create slideshows for free using tools like CapCut and launch your own YouTube channel.
Publish your children's book on platforms like Amazon.
Produce animated children's movies and distribute them online.
Explore other creative ventures limited only by your imagination.
Exploring AI Further
For those eager to delve deeper into AI-powered creative content, consider checking out my book, where I share my journey and insights on how to leverage AI to create children's books. You'll also discover strategies for branding and promoting your work on platforms like Amazon.
As a self-publisher myself, I understand the potential of AI in creative ventures.
Lastly, don't forget to join the Facebook group I'm launching, specifically focused on discussing creative uses of AI in storytelling. As I expand my self-publishing business into character-driven stories and more, I'll be sharing valuable insights and experiences with fellow creators.
If you want to know more about publishing books and use AI to make money online, check out my post on how to create cookbooks with AI and publish them on Amazon KDP.
If you want to speed up your learning on how to leverage AI for business, checkout my book on Amazon.
Thanks for reading. I will catch you in the next one!
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