Image Generation Tools (Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion)

Image Generation Tools (Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion)

Image Generation Tools (Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion)

Let's explore the AI tools that can turn your words into images. No artistic talent required!

What Are Image Generation Tools?

Image generation AI (also called "text-to-image" or "generative AI") creates images from text descriptions. Type what you want to see, and the AI generates it. It's like having a professional artist who works at lightning speed and never complains about revision requests.

The Big Three

Midjourney

The artistic powerhouse

Best for:

  • Artistic, stylized images
  • Concept art and illustrations
  • Fantasy and sci-fi imagery
  • Professional-looking results with minimal effort

How it works:

  • Runs through Discord (yes, really)
  • Type /imagine followed by your description
  • Get 4 variations, pick your favorite, upscale it

Pricing: $10-$60/month (no free tier anymore)

Strengths:

  • Consistently beautiful results
  • Great at artistic interpretation
  • Strong community and resources

Weaknesses:

  • Discord interface is clunky
  • Less control over specific details
  • Can't run locally

Example prompt:

"/imagine a cozy coffee shop in autumn, warm lighting, people reading books, watercolor style --ar 16:9"

DALL-E 3 (OpenAI)

The accessible all-rounder

Best for:

  • Realistic images
  • Following detailed instructions
  • Text within images (it's surprisingly good at this)
  • Quick iterations

How it works:

  • Integrated into ChatGPT Plus
  • Just describe what you want in conversation
  • ChatGPT helps refine your prompt

Pricing:

  • Free tier: Limited credits
  • ChatGPT Plus ($20/month): Integrated access

Strengths:

  • Easy to use (just chat with ChatGPT)
  • Great at understanding complex prompts
  • Good with text in images
  • Safe, filtered outputs

Weaknesses:

  • Heavy content filtering
  • Less artistic than Midjourney
  • Limited style control

Example prompt:

"Create a modern tech startup office with diverse team members collaborating around a whiteboard. Include a company logo that says 'InnovateCo' on the wall. Photorealistic style."

Stable Diffusion

The customizable powerhouse

Best for:

  • Full control and customization
  • Running locally on your computer
  • Specific styles and fine-tuning
  • No content restrictions

How it works:

  • Download and run locally, or use online platforms
  • Highly technical with lots of settings
  • Can train custom models

Pricing:

  • Free (if you run it yourself)
  • Various paid platforms: $10-30/month

Strengths:

  • Completely free and open-source
  • Unlimited generations
  • Full control over every parameter
  • Can be fine-tuned for specific styles
  • No content filtering

Weaknesses:

  • Steep learning curve
  • Requires decent computer hardware
  • Results vary more than competitors
  • More technical setup

Example prompt:

"portrait of a cyberpunk hacker, neon lighting, detailed face, digital art, trending on artstation, 8k, highly detailed"

Other Notable Tools

Adobe Firefly

  • Integrated into Adobe Creative Suite
  • Commercial-safe (trained only on licensed content)
  • Great for designers already using Adobe

Leonardo.ai

  • Game asset focused
  • Consistent character generation
  • Good free tier

Playground AI

  • User-friendly interface
  • Good free tier
  • Mix of different models

Ideogram

  • Excellent at text in images
  • Free tier available
  • Simple interface

How to Choose

Want beautiful art with minimal effort? → Midjourney

Want easy integration with ChatGPT? → DALL-E 3

Want full control and customization? → Stable Diffusion

Need commercial-safe images? → Adobe Firefly

On a budget? → Stable Diffusion (free) or Leonardo.ai (generous free tier)

Understanding Image Generation

How It Works (Simplified)

  1. Training: AI studies millions of images and their descriptions
  2. Learning: It learns relationships between words and visual elements
  3. Generation: When you give it a prompt, it creates an image matching those learned patterns
  4. Refinement: It iteratively improves the image to match your description

Key Concepts

Prompt: Your text description of what you want

Seed: A number that determines randomness (same seed + same prompt = same image)

Steps: How many iterations the AI takes (more = better quality, slower)

CFG Scale: How closely it follows your prompt (higher = more literal)

Aspect Ratio: Image dimensions (16:9, 1:1, 9:16, etc.)

Writing Better Prompts

Basic Structure

[Subject] + [Style] + [Details] + [Lighting] + [Quality modifiers]

Example Progression

Vague: "a cat"

Better: "a fluffy orange cat sitting on a windowsill"

Even better: "a fluffy orange tabby cat sitting on a sunny windowsill, looking outside, soft natural lighting, cozy atmosphere"

Professional: "a fluffy orange tabby cat sitting on a wooden windowsill, looking outside at a garden, soft golden hour lighting, cozy atmosphere, shallow depth of field, photorealistic, 8k, highly detailed"

Style Keywords That Work

Artistic styles:

  • "watercolor painting"
  • "oil painting"
  • "digital art"
  • "pencil sketch"
  • "anime style"

Photography styles:

  • "photorealistic"
  • "portrait photography"
  • "cinematic lighting"
  • "golden hour"
  • "macro photography"

Quality boosters:

  • "highly detailed"
  • "8k resolution"
  • "professional"
  • "award-winning"
  • "trending on artstation"

Common Use Cases

Marketing & Social Media:

  • Social media posts
  • Blog header images
  • Ad creatives
  • Product mockups

Creative Projects:

  • Book covers
  • Game concept art
  • Character designs
  • Storyboards

Business:

  • Presentation visuals
  • Website graphics
  • Infographic elements
  • Brand imagery

Personal:

  • Custom wallpapers
  • Gift ideas
  • Party invitations
  • Profile pictures

Practical Tips

  1. Start simple, then add details: Get the basic composition right, then refine

  2. Use reference images: Many tools let you upload a reference for style or composition

  3. Generate multiple variations: First result is rarely perfect

  4. Learn from others: Browse community galleries to see what prompts work

  5. Iterate: Refine your prompt based on what you get

  6. Save your prompts: Keep a library of prompts that work well

Legal & Ethical Considerations

Copyright: AI-generated images exist in a legal gray area

  • Generally safe for personal use
  • Commercial use: check the tool's terms
  • Can't copyright AI-generated images (in most jurisdictions)

Training data concerns: Some tools trained on copyrighted images without permission

  • Adobe Firefly: Only trained on licensed content
  • Stable Diffusion: Trained on internet images (controversial)

Best practices:

  • Don't try to copy specific artists' styles exactly
  • Don't generate images of real people without permission
  • Check terms of service for commercial use
  • Be transparent about AI-generated content

Cost Comparison

Free options:

  • Stable Diffusion (self-hosted)
  • Leonardo.ai (limited)
  • Playground AI (limited)
  • Ideogram (limited)

Budget ($10-20/month):

  • Midjourney Basic
  • Various Stable Diffusion platforms

Professional ($30-60/month):

  • Midjourney Pro
  • Multiple tool subscriptions

The Bottom Line

Image generation AI is incredibly powerful and accessible. Start with a free tool like Leonardo.ai or Playground AI to learn the basics. If you love it and want the best results, Midjourney is worth the investment. If you're technical and want full control, dive into Stable Diffusion.

The key is experimentation—these tools reward creativity and iteration!

Up Next

We've covered text and images. Now let's explore AI tools for video and audio!