USED AI IN DESIGN

tldr at the end of post

so i got a job (designing a book cover) a month ago. client requested for a fantasy-ish design and the deadline is in 2 weeks. i have NO subscription for any stock images site or anything, just Freepik (very expensive in my country). time constriction was definitely an issue, as i also had another gig during that time. so i couldn't hire a studio, good camera, or anythint.

WORK PROCESS

for the main character, i took a picture of myself in the right position and stance and wore clothes that would match the client's description, then edited, adjusted, etc in photoshop (changing pants colour, body size, all that). because i couldn't find any images that matches the client's request, so i just decided to do the pose and edit it and AI'd it.

for the scenery, the process is the same. i would take pictures of alleyways, buildings, and edited it inside photoshop as best as i could to match the client's description of the cover. then AI'd it.

then the i edited the main character and background together, blended it so the lighting and shadow matched and all.

there were other effects, but all of that can be done with just photoshop without the need to use AI.

just so you know, i have informed the client and he is totally okay with my work process. and i cant share the before and after because it's confidential and the book hasn't released yet.

my question is, can i put this in my portfolio? and should i mention how i integrated the usage of AI in my editing flow? this is the first time i incorporated AI because of the time and asset constraints.

tldr: incorporated the usage of AI in my workflow of editing, can i put it in my portfolio and should i mention how i integrated AI?