How Does AI Generate Images?
AI image generators like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion can create images from text descriptions. Type "a cat wearing a space suit on Mars" and seconds later, you have an image.
These tools use diffusion models. Here's the basic idea:
- Start with random noise (like TV static)
- Gradually refine the noise, step by step
- Use the text prompt to guide what the final image should look like
- End up with a coherent image
How It Learned
These models were trained on billions of image-text pairs from the internet. They learned to associate words with visual concepts.
Popular AI Image Tools
Midjourney
Known for artistic, stylized outputs. Works through Discord. Popular with artists and designers. Paid subscription required.
DALL-E 3
Made by OpenAI. Integrated into ChatGPT. Good at following complex prompts accurately. Better at text in images than competitors.
Stable Diffusion
Open source—you can run it on your own computer for free. Highly customizable. Has a large community creating specialized models.
Writing Good Prompts
Better prompts = better images. Include:
- Subject — What is in the image?
- Style — Photography, oil painting, 3D render, anime?
- Mood/Lighting — Cinematic, bright, moody, golden hour?
- Details — Colors, composition, camera angle
Example: "A cozy coffee shop interior, warm lighting, rainy day outside the window, watercolor illustration style, soft colors"
What AI Image Generators Can Do
- Create concept art and illustrations
- Generate marketing images
- Prototype design ideas
- Create unique artwork
- Visualize ideas quickly
Current Limitations
- Hands and fingers — Often come out wrong
- Text in images — Usually garbled (DALL-E 3 is getting better)
- Exact specifications — Hard to get precise layouts
- Consistency — Hard to recreate the same character
- Counting — Ask for 5 apples, get 3 or 7
Ethical Considerations
AI image generation raises important questions:
- Training data — Models trained on artists' work without permission
- Job displacement — Impact on illustrators and photographers
- Deepfakes — Potential for misuse in misinformation
- Copyright — Who owns AI-generated images?
Summary
- • AI image generators use diffusion to create images from noise
- • Detailed prompts with style, subject, and mood work best
- • Each tool has strengths—Midjourney for art, DALL-E for accuracy, Stable Diffusion for customization
- • Consider ethical implications when using these tools