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Introduction to AI image creation
AI has revolutionized image creation. You can now type in a text prompt, like “design a storefront for a cookie store,” and get captivating visuals back. There are lots of different AI image generators out there, both free and paid, and you’ve probably used some yourself. In this video, in partnership with Zapier, we’ll look at the top seven AI image generators, from DALL·E 3 to Midjourney and more. Let’s dive in.
1. DALL·E 3 features and pricing
We have DALL·E 3, which is developed by OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. You can access this directly from chatgpt.com with a free account, although you only get two images per day. With a Plus account, on the other hand, you can create more images, but plans start at $20 per month. As an alternative, you can go to Microsoft’s Bing Image Creator, which allows you to create any number of images for free, and it uses DALL·E 3 on the backend, the same as what you get with ChatGPT. So, what do I like or dislike about it? Overall, you get highly detailed and realistic images. It integrates directly with ChatGPT. If you’re already having a conversation there, you can generate an image directly from that conversation. You also have some limited editing tools. For example, you can highlight an area of the image and have DALL·E 3 regenerate that area. There is Two way to acces…..
DALL·E 3 API and automation
One of my favorite features is that DALL·E 3 offers API access, something that none of the other AI image generators provide. This means you can automate the process of generating images based on specific triggers, like receiving a new email, filling out a form, or even adding a row to a spreadsheet. Here are some example Zaps you can set up using DALL·E 3.
For example, if I receive feedback at the Kevin Cookie Company via Google Forms, I can use Zapier to automatically generate an image using DALL·E that represents that feedback, and then I can automatically save that image to Google Drive. Honestly, this is much quicker to understand feedback than to read the actual text. Zapier is free to use. However, you will need API access through OpenAI to make this all work. In terms of downsides for DALL·E 3, I find that the images are somewhat less realistic, and there are sometimes issues generating text that’s spelled correctly.
2. Midjourney
Midjourney. Head to midjourney to sign in. In the past, Midjourney operated primarily through Discord, although recently they rolled out a web interface that makes it more accessible. So what do I like? Midjourney is renowned for its high-quality, vibrant, and cohesive images. It’s user-friendly, and you get very impressive results. You also get lots of control over the image generation settings. The downside though, it’s subscription-based with no free tier available, and plans start at $10 per month.
Prompt “Ultra-realistic, high-resolution image of a man peacefully floating above the clouds, with a vast rural landscape visible far below. His arms are stretched out to the sides like wings, dressed in casual everyday clothes, radiating calmness and serenity as he enjoys the sensation of flight. The composition is dynamic, with the subject slightly off-center to emphasize the expansive sky and scenery. Captured as if with a high-end professional camera, cinematic detail, dramatic lighting, and a wide-angle perspective highlighting the depth and scale of the scene.”
Basic plan start with $10.
3. Stable Diffusion
Stable Diffusion. This is an open-source model known for its flexibility. You can find the model on Hugging Face. This allows you to generate images from text prompts, and you can perform what’s known as in-painting and out-painting. That basically means you can fill in missing or removed parts of an image as well as extend an image. So, what do I like? First off, it’s open source, and that gives you lots of customization and control. In fact, you can run it directly on your PC. That way you have full privacy and you don’t need any internet access. The downside though, running it on your PC requires a fairly powerful computer if you want the best performance. It also has a steeper learning curve than many other tools we’re talking about here.
Prompt “A futuristic city skyline at sunset, flying cars in the sky, ultra-realistic sci-fi concept art”
Stable Diffusion is open source AI (Hugging Face) But if you want to access this directly by stablediffusionweb then you have to pay and starter plan is $7 per month.
4. Ideogram
Ideogram, which launched in August 2023. Simply head to ideogram.com. So, what do I like? Ideogram specializes in generating images with legible text, and that’s a feature that sets it apart from most other models. If you need images and text, this is a service for you. You can upload an existing image and have it generate a prompt based on that image. That way you get some inspiration. You can also have it generate images based on a specific color palette. You can choose different styles, and they also upscale images. They have editing tools that allow you to fill in areas, extend an image, or remix an image. On the downside, the free plan is fairly limited and takes about 30 seconds to generate an image. Plans start at $7 per month.
Prompt “A modern bakery logo with the text ‘Sweet Bites’ in elegant cursive font, pastel color palette, vector style.”
With free plan you can access limited and Basic plan start with $7 per month.
5. Adobe Firefly
Adobe Firefly, which offers AI image generation directly within applications like Photoshop and Illustrator. You can also access it directly at firefly.adobe.com for free. So, what do I like? You get it in the apps that you may already be using, like Photoshop and Illustrator. You get lots of settings to customize your generated images, like composition, style, effects, and more. It’s trained on licensed data, which addresses ethical concerns regarding content use. In terms of downsides though, the text generation doesn’t work well. To remove watermarks, you’ll need a subscription that starts at $10 per month.
Prompt “A surreal desert landscape with giant floating clocks in the sky, Salvador Dalí inspired digital art.”
Yes you can use Firefly free but limited access and Standard Plan start Approx. $10 per month.
6. Flux AI
Flux AI, and this stands out for its exceptional image quality and user-friendly setup. However, it requires a powerful PC, and there are some ethical implications since it’s so good. You can find out how to install it using the link in the description. So, what do I like? It’s completely free to use. You also get super high-quality image generation, even better in my opinion than Midjourney and DALL·E 3. It’s also user-friendly to install. You get lots of settings to customize the generated images. So, sounds pretty good, but what do I not like? It’s very resource-intensive, so you’ll need a powerful computer to be able to run it, which could be a limitation.
Prompt “A majestic dragon flying above snowy mountains, ultra-detailed fantasy concept art, 8K resolution.
7. Getty Images
Getty Images, which was developed in partnership with NVIDIA. This is by far the most expensive of all the offerings, starting at $49 for just 25 image generations. So why would you use this?
All the images are legally secure and commercially safe. The AI was trained on Getty Images’ vast library of images, but as large as their archive is, it’s not as large as what many of the options we looked at used. They also offer fewer customization options compared to some of the open-source alternatives, which can restrict your creativity.
Starting price $49 for just 25 images.
Closing
So, there you have it, some of the best AI generators out there, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.