How to Generate images with Generative AI
If you wanted some artwork or photos for your blog, article, or social media post, you had to find a copyright-free image, fork out a lot of money for stock pictures, or commission an artist to bring your vision to life.
Not any more. With the power of AI, you can bring anything in your imagination to life with incredible results! All it takes is a bit of know-how, and you'll be crafting beautiful images in seconds. Step into the vibrant world of AI-powered art with this beginner-friendly guide. Whether you're a graphic designer seeking fresh inspiration or a digital artist craving groundbreaking tools, our expert tips will empower you to create mind-blowing, original artwork.
Join us and unlock a new realm of artistic possibilities!
Let's start with the current market leader, Midjourney. Although this one is a bit more involved than the others on our list, with just a bit of effort, you'll be creating AI digital art in no time!
Unlike other AI image generators, you'll need a Discord account to get started. Discord is an incredibly useful communication tool used by millions of people, so you should probably have an account anyway. Follow the set-up guide found here, but be advised you will have to pay a subscription, starting from $10 a month.
To create images, you'll use prompts, which are just short sentences describing what you want to see in your image. In MidJourney, this is done by typing /imagine prompt into any Discord discussion channel labelled general-# or newbie-#.
Now, this is where the fun begins! Type whatever you want to see. Maybe a rat surfing in the Bahamas or a Renaissance painting of a fair; it's up to you! Here are some winning tips:
Be as detailed as possible! "A bright summer day at a lake in the mountains, surrounded by green fir trees with wildlife hiding in the landscape."
Add styles! Midjourney is great at mimicking artists and genres, so add "...in the style of Van Gogh" or "...inspired by the Impressionists."
Midjourney is great for photography! Ask it for black-and-white photos, aerial views, and even macro shots.
Creative tag for unique results: incorporate the -creative tag into prompts to encourage Midjourney to generate more unconventional, experimental artwork.
As you can see, the best piece of advice is to be as detailed in your prompts as possible and let your imagination run wild!
You've undoubtedly heard of this game-changing AI art generator, and it's one of the most popular tools out there. Unlike Midjourney, DALL-E is free to use, so give it a shot.
Like Midjourney, you'll use prompts to generate fantastic images (the previous tips apply here, too), but you'll get four images here. If you like one, you can create variations of it to get something closer to what you envisioned.
You can even upload images to edit. For example, you can ask DALL-E to remove shadows, change textures, or even expand the image by painting new art outside the frame.
Another great tool that's similar to the above is DreamStudio, which has more features that enable you to get really specific with your prompts. It's more advanced and so might be a bit more confusing with tools like "Prompt Strength" and "Generation Steps", but they're easy enough to understand with a little experimentation.
The standout feature here is the "Negative Prompt", which lets you specify things the image should avoid. DreamStudio is free to try but will require credits to generate images, and they do go quite quickly.
Unlike the other tools on this list, Metal Canvas doesn't use prompts to generate images. No, you'll have to draw yourself, but that's just the start and where the magic happens.
With its revolutionary use of spatial strokes, 3D navigation, and free-form animation, Mental Canvas is a drawing application that makes your sketches come to life. It offers a smooth transition from conventional pen-and-paper methods to a completely immersive 3D environment, reimagining drawing for the digital age.
When you draw, you're creating a 3D space that you can explore and shape as you see fit. Artists can create a limitless canvas: imagine seeing a city and then zooming into individual streets packed with details. Mental Canvas provides an unmatched drawing experience that will revolutionise your creative journey, regardless of your experience level.
No matter your tool, you're sure to get some incredible artwork for your content creation, marketing, or creative pursuits.