Creators: You have the best kitchen now. The best ingredients. Be a Michelin-star chef.

It’s never just about the ingredients.

A Michelin-starred meal is about the person putting it together : the timing, the balance, the experience.

That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling about this new era of AI creation. We’ve suddenly been handed every ingredient imaginable, but the artistry is still in knowing how to use them.

Over the last few months, my work as a motion designer and director has changed completely. It’s like someone handed me a cheat code for the game I’ve been playing for over a decade. Unlimited power, yes… but you still have to play the missions properly. You still need to know what the goal is.

I’m talking about AI video. For years I’ve worked at the intersection of animation, motion design, and live-action... not traditional VFX, but more graphical, more experiential compositing. And now the process feels like a creative jam session with new instruments.

I'm not a gatekeeper. Here's how I'm using which tools at the moment: When I start working on a project now, I begin with stills. Midjourney is still unbeatable for cinematic looks. It’s not about using the image directly.. it’s more like riffing, exploring, finding a vibe.

Once I have the tone and lighting, I move to Seadream, my AI version of Photoshop. Nano Banana but better. You talk to it, give it references, ask it to change elements in the image.. It understands me frighteningly well. Then back to Photoshop and Firefly, which, for some reason, is still the best for set extensions. (cropping but the other way) Magnific.ai handles upscaling and adds those tiny imperfections that make things feel real. Skin texture, messy hair, natural foliage.

And then comes Veo3.1 This is where things truly move. I use Claude AI to build detailed JSON prompts (yes, it’s a bit nerdy), then Veo takes my stills and turns them into moving, cinematic moments. I test countless 'fast' versions before committing to a final 'quality' render. It kinda feels like shooting takes on set.

The funny thing is, AI hasn’t replaced anything. It’s just another part of the puzzle. I use it like I used to use live-action footage, 3D animation, or stock elements — all parts of one bigger composition.

And here’s the unexpected part: AI hasn’t made things easier. It’s made them harder in the best way.

Now, my understanding of lighting, composition, art direction, and movement feels more important than ever. If you don’t know what “good” looks like, AI won’t fix it — it’ll make that painfully obvious. Everything I’ve learned over fifteen years suddenly matters even more.

So, are we all about to lose our jobs?

No. Not even close.

Lately I’ve had agencies come to me after months of trying to handle AI production in-house. The tech is powerful, but clients still want the human vision.. the taste, the intuition, the storytelling.

This is our moment to take back the narrative. To use these tools confidently, creatively, and wisely. To direct, to design, to compose. With AI as an extension of our craft, not a replacement for it.

I see a near future where sterile greenscreen studios fade away and beautiful on-location shoots return. Where post-production becomes fluid and flexible. Where artists feel empowered again.

So yes, the cheat code is real. But the game still takes skill to play.

And the best chefs. the ones who truly know their ingredients. Know where they come from, what makes a great piece of meat, what makes carrots taste the best they possibly can.. Those chefs are about to cook up something extraordinary.