1 Installing and starting
Windows says "Windows protected your PC". That is what it does
for any software it doesn't know yet, whatever the contents. Click
More info, then Run anyway.
Nothing opens when I double-click. The software starts a local
server then opens your browser: allow a few seconds the first time. If
the page stays blank, open http://127.0.0.1:8390 yourself.
The model download was interrupted. Start the installation
again: whatever is already there is not downloaded twice.
How much space do I need? About 60 GB free, of which 25 GB of
models downloaded once and for all.
2 Can my machine generate?
You need an NVIDIA card with at least 8 GB of memory. On first
launch the software checks your computer and tells you itself, without
jargon.
With no graphics card, the software rents one on demand and
does everything for you: it starts it, installs the engine and the
models, sends your character over, and switches it off after five
minutes with nothing to do. You need a prepaid account with a GPU
provider and a few euros on it: you can never spend more than what you
deposited. Reckon on about $0.50 per hour of use.
Generate in large batches. What takes time is starting the
machine and loading the models, not the images. Thirty images in one
go cost barely more than three.
The driver is too old. The software still works, but about ten
times slower. Updating the NVIDIA driver is the most profitable gain,
and it is free.
3 Trial and licence
The trial lasts 7 days and asks for no bank card. There is
nothing to cancel: it stops by itself. During the trial everything
works; images carry a watermark and the trained character cannot be
exported.
My trial has paused. The trial licence checks the date against
the website: it pauses after three days offline and resumes as soon as
you reconnect. A paid licence never needs the internet.
Do I need to be online? Not to use the software: a paid licence
works offline all year. The software only requires that it has seen the
date online within the month before expiry, to establish that the term
is ending. That is the only connection asked for all year, and it
transmits nothing.
How do I get my licence? In the software, Settings tab, "My
licence" card: pick your edition, enter your email, click. It arrives
inside the software, with nothing to copy or save.
I closed the software while waiting. No problem: the licence is
waiting for you and installs itself next time you open it.
I'm changing computer. The licence is tied to the machine.
Write to us: we issue a new one for the new machine, at no extra cost,
for the remaining period.
I'm changing motherboard. Same answer: it is the only hardware
change that requires a new licence.
4 Paying
By bank transfer. When you make your request, the software
shows the amount, the IBAN and a unique reference, and sends them to
you by email as well. Do include the reference: it is what links your
transfer to your licence.
How long does it take? Usually within 24 working hours of the
transfer arriving.
There is no automatic charge. The licence lasts one firm year
and never renews by itself. At expiry you renew if you want to, after
an email reminder.
The invoice arrives by email with the licence and serves as an
accounting document.
5 Characters
How do I keep the same face from one image to the next? Train a
character: the "Create an image set" tab makes the thirty images needed
by itself, with no starting photo, then the "Train a character" tab
takes over. Reckon on about 45 minutes.
Training needs a powerful machine and runs on a rented GPU,
with a ready-made tool. The software walks you through it.
The description does everything. Hair colour and length, eyes,
age, build, distinguishing marks: the more precise it is, the more your
character stays the same from one image to the next.
6 My data
Nothing leaves your machine. Your images, your text and your
characters stay on your disk: the code to send them does not even
exist. The software transmits only two things, and only when you ask
it to: your machine's fingerprint, to issue your licence, and the
technical report if you click "Report a problem", which you can read
in full before sending.
7 Updates
The software checks for a newer version itself and offers to install
it in one click. Every update is signed: a modified archive would be
refused. Your settings, your characters and your images are never
touched, and the previous version is kept in case of trouble.
8 Still not working
In the software, Settings tab, the "A problem?" card: describe
what is happening and send. The technical log goes with it, and that is
what makes it possible to understand without making you try ten
things. You can read what will be sent before you click.
Otherwise, write straight to contact@safelightstudio.com. We
usually answer within 24 working hours.