AI image generation tools have seen intense interest from users in recent years. Let’s take a look at the AI image generation tools that are highlighted for 2024 that we’ve compiled for you.

DALL·E 3 is one of the first models that comes to mind in the field of AI image generation tools. This is due to its predecessor, DALL·E 2, which was both good enough to create quite interesting images and was widely used by people.

Offered as part of ChatGPT Plus, DALL·E 3 stands out for its ease of use. However, some of its main drawbacks include occasional inaccuracies in ChatGPT’s controls and the relatively high cost of $20 a month if one does not wish to utilize the GPT models.

We can say that DALL·E 3 has made significant advancements compared to DALL·E 2. With the new update, DALL·E 3 generates more interesting, realistic, and consistent results for any prompt. OpenAI can be seen as challenging its competitors again with DALL·E 3. You can access the application through ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing’s AI Copilot, as well as several other services using its API.

As mentioned earlier, DALL·E 3’s most significant feature is its incredibly simple use. When you tell ChatGPT or Bing what you’d like to see, you can choose between two to four variations produced by AI within minutes. The tool utilizes GPT-4’s language understanding to expand your prompts, ensuring each result is unique and allowing you to always ask for more.

While OpenAI allows free ChatGPT users to generate two images per day with DALL·E 3, Microsoft offers much more flexibility in its free options.

When using DALL·E 3, there are two ways to edit your images: you can ask ChatGPT to make modifications and it will rework the prompts with your additions, or you can use a selection tool to limit the updates to specific parts of the image. If you want more control over the images, you can try one of the other applications in this list.

In addition to enabling DALL·E 3 through ChatGPT, OpenAI has also provided an API that allows developers to create applications integrated with the two DALL·E 3 models. DALL·E 3 is available for $20 a month as part of ChatGPT Plus and for free through Microsoft Copilot; API pricing is a bit more complex, starting at $0.016 per image.

FLUX.1, which supports Grok-2 and surpasses Midjourney, is the product of a team we previously shared with you. When Stability.ai began to falter, a significant part of the team left to found Black Forest Labs. Following this step, the team released FLUX.1, their first “text-to-image” model series.

It can be said that FLUX.1 is at least as good as Stable Diffusion. Currently, the model is not widely supported. However, as more AI artists fine-tune niche models, it may gradually gain more attention.

If you want to delve into open-source AI image generation instead of using a simpler text-to-image tool, you might want to experiment with FLUX.1 instead of Stable Diffusion. FLUX.1 Schnell is available under the Apache 2.0 license, while the larger FLUX.1 is open for non-commercial use.

The simplest way to use FLUX.1, similar to Stable Diffusion, is via online AI art generators like NightCafe, Tensor.Art, and Civitai. You can try the model by creating a free account and compare it side-by-side with some other models. FLUX.1 pricing varies by platform, but most platforms offer free usage rights so you can experiment with the models.

While many AI image generators struggle to accurately produce text due to the diffusion process being unsuitable for generating letters, Ideogram has solved this process. The current 2.0 algorithm of Ideogram, which received$80 million in investment in February, can accurately incorporate text into any generated image.

Moreover, Ideogram stands out as one of the leading image generators overall. It features a user-friendly web app, an image editor, and the ability to use any image as a base for a new image – some excellent features.

Ideogram also has a free plan limited to 10 credits per day. You will need to wait a few minutes for an image to be generated. During this process, you only have access to Ideogram’s basic features. However, we should note that it serves as a good way to get a sense of the application.

The main drawback of Ideogram is that by default, the images you create are publicly available. Alongside the limited free plan, you can access Ideogram for prices starting at $8 per month for high-resolution downloads and 400 priority credits per month.

Recently, Midjourney has stood out for its higher consistency compared to all the other image generators on this list, thanks to its focus on hardware development. The tool consistently produces good-looking images. The generated images appear more consistent with better textures and colors. People and real-world objects look more realistic and natural, especially when compared to other AI image generators, and they manage to achieve this with little guidance.

Midjourney now has its own web app, so you no longer have to access the tool only through Discord. Some of its most advanced features, such as blending multiple images, preserving details between generated visuals, and matching styles, have not yet transitioned to the web app. Nevertheless, you can use the editor within the platform and maintain a considerable degree of control over how your images will look.

On the other hand, the fact that the images you produce are publicly visible by default on Midjourney’s Discover page and can be viewed on your profile can be seen as both a plus and a minus. While this adds a community layer to the visual production process, it also means that anyone can see what you are producing. This may not be an issue for artists wanting to showcase their work, but it could be a deterrent for those using the tool for business purposes.

Also, you can find support through Midjourney’s documentation. The platform guides you when starting both the web app and Discord. It shows you how to control various features, from selecting model versions to using character references and customization tools. Once you understand the different options, the results you can achieve can be quite surprising.

Currently, Midjourney’s free trials are suspended due to a high volume of people trying to use it, but they are occasionally restored for a few days. If you miss the free trial period, the Basic Plan starts at $10 per month and comes with 3.3 hours of GPU time or about 200 images. You also have the option of purchasing additional GPU time, and you can use your images commercially.

We previously introduced Stability AI’s text-to-image model, SD3 medium. Unlike DALL·E and Midjourney, Stable Diffusion is open source, meaning that anyone with the necessary technical skills can download it and run it locally on their computer. It also means you can train and fine-tune the model for specific purposes. Over the past few years, Stable Diffusion has been used in many areas, including artistic portraits, historical portraits, and architectural renders. Also, Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion models are now available on Amazon Bedrock.

In fact, Stability.ai has faced various challenges for some time. The company’s latest model and licensing terms have been heavily criticized and, as mentioned at the start of this article, most of the research team’s members have left to start a new company.

While all these issues put Stable Diffusion in a peculiar position, it still has countless finely tuned versions of its models available. In this sense, the most stable way to use the widely popular Stable Diffusion is through image generation tools like NightCafe, Tensor.Art, or Civitai. Many other platforms provide access to the tool as well. Most of these platforms also grant you a few free credits, allowing you to experiment with the models without payment. However, we must warn you that some of these platforms may lack the content moderation typically found in larger social sites. There is a chance you might encounter some strange and explicit content. If you want to avoid all this or have complete control, you can download Stable Diffusion and run it locally.

Image Source: Dall-E


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