Generating images with artificial intelligence models has been the subject of much debate online since its inception. Proponents say that it makes the creative process more accessible for those with less artistic skill. However, detractors raise good points about the AI models’ training material source and ethics: they often take someone’s art without their permission to recreate it with a computer.
There are further issues with the legality of the copyrights to AI-generated work. Using artificially generated images commercially violates the licensing agreements of many generators. So, use your powers wisely when using an AI image generator, and ensure you do not violate the law.
To populate this list, we looked at different artificial intelligence models designed for generating images. We assessed their features and image-generation capabilities. Since these models were free, we took two prompts, one simple and one complex, and asked each generator to generate the image.
Since the images cannot be used commercially, we cannot show you the images generated. However, we assessed each model in its ability to handle simple and complex prompts without the use of LoRAs.
Tensor
Tensor’s AI is unique as it hosts multiple free models and allows users to build and upload their models. The generation efficiency depends strongly on the model you’ve chosen for your design. It’s best to choose a model that is meant to generate the image you want.
For our test, we used the DreamShaper 8 model, which is a personal favorite of mine to play with from time to time. The generation was okay. Some details were lost, but compared to most free-to-use hosted models, the images aligned with what I prompted.
Tensor’s generation was competent enough and the service is completely free. Users just need to sign up for a free account to start generating images. They receive credits each day and each generation costs a certain amount of them. If a user wants to generate more images after running out of credits, they can purchase credit packs, which fund the AI’s development and hosting.
Craiyon
Craiyon is an excellent free AI image generator for people who want to generate a lot of images without creating an account. Every generation with Craiyon generates nine images and users don’t have a stamina limit that prevents them from generating as many images as they want. However, the images generated have more limits and take more time than some other services. Faster generation is a paid feature.
Craiyon did an okay job generating both of my prompts. The simple prompt generated a more correct image than the complex prompt. However, all of the main elements of the complex prompt were present even if the details didn’t match the image inside my head.
NightCafe
NightCafe is a good choice for people who want free access to high-quality models. Each day, NightCafe will give you five free generations using the Flux model by Black Forest Labs, one of the largest and most competent AI image generation models on the web. After those five generations are up, you’ll still have access to Stable Diffusion XL Lightning and a few other models for free.
The image generation is quite competent. It generated mostly images that included all the small details in the prompt. The generation with Flux was much better than the ones done with Stable Diffusion XL Lightning. The SDXL generation was correct and included all of the details, but I found the ones with Flux to be more visually appealing.
Bing Creator
If you already have a Microsoft account, for Outlook or Skype, using the Bing Creator AI image generator might be a good choice for a free AI image generator. It uses Microsoft’s proprietary AI image generation technology which is excellent and passed all of our testing with flying colors. It was able to handle both simple and complex prompts with ease and didn’t miss any major details. The images generated for both prompts were roughly in the wheelhouse of what I imagined in my head.
The one notable downside to Bing Creator is that users who want to use it will need a Microsoft account. It is free to make an account using one of Microsoft’s email services and Skype. However, some people may not want to sign up for an account to generate images. Unfortunately, this is not avoidable with Bing Creator.
Canva
Canva has integrated an AI image generator into its suite of productivity tools for graphic designers. Users who want to try this generator will need to sign up for an account with Canva, but the account is free. Signing up for an account gives one access to the image generator as well as Canva’s other visual design tools. Some designs and tools are designated for pro users only, but the free suite is very extensive for what it is. The Canva suite is available in-browser and is very lightweight. You won’t need tons of computing power to run their suite.
Canva did an okay job at producing images that roughly fit the design I was looking for. The major components of the prompt were in the image. However, the placement of certain elements was not correct. For instance, my complex prompt called for latte art in the image but the generator put the latte art design on the front of the cup instead of inside it.
DeepAI
DeepAI is a good option for users who don’t want to have to create an account to generate images. However, we recommend using their HD model instead of the Standard option. When using the Standard generation option, the AI produced all deformed images that would not have passed any rigorous testing. However, the HD generation was competent and freely available. So, we still recommend it for users who fit the specific use case for it. The HD generation was able to handle both simple and complex prompts and didn’t miss any major details from the text.
Leonardo AI
For those who only need to generate a few images daily, Leonard AI offers a premium AI image generator experience for free. Free users get 150 credits per day and a four-image generation batch costs 24 credits. So, users can expect to generate around 6 batches of images per day on a free plan. However, this is more than enough as Leonardo AI’s model handles images very well and will likely generate acceptable images from the outset. The model passed our testing for both simple and complex prompts without any issues with content.
The only issue I was able to find with Leonardo is that the images have “same face syndrome” but with the whole composition of the images. “Same face syndrome” is an art term for an issue some newer artists have where all of their drawings have the same face with different secondary features. Leonardo AI’s images all had the same basic composition, indicating that perhaps the AI was generating all the images from the same seed instead of randomizing the seed for every image.
Adobe Firefly
Users of Adobe products like Photoshop and Lightroom might be drawn to Adobe Firefly , and for good reason! The AI image generation from Firefly is both free to use (with an account) and quite competent at recreating images from a textual description. However, there are some downsides to using it, depending on your use case. Firstly, it uses a credit system that regenerates monthly instead of daily. These credits are also shared with Adobe’s other generative tools, such as Generative Fill and Generative Expand. So, if you use those services too, you’ll have fewer image generations per month with Firefly.
Adobe Firefly passed our testing with both simple and complex prompts. The images were complete, did not contain major deformities, and did not miss any major details of the prompts. However, like with Leonardo AI, several of the images had the same composition and were a bit “same-face”-y, which might indicate the reuse of seed data during generation.
DALL-E 3
ChatGPT users can generate images through ChatGPT’s interface using OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 AI image generator model. This is one of the most advanced models on the web today and its generation speed and quality are both top-notch. Its interface is easy to use. Just tell ChatGPT to generate an image followed by the textual image prompt and the program will generate the image for you.
DALL-E 3 passed both of our tests for simple and complex prompts with flying colors. The images were of high quality and did not leave out any details from the prompt. However, the only way to use DALL-E 3 is to sell your soul to OpenAI, which might leave some users feeling wary of the service.
Stable Diffusion
For more technically advanced users, Stable Diffusion is an excellent free and open-source image generation AI. Stable Diffusion can be used in your web browser using the HuggingFace interface or another web interface that utilizes SD models, such as Tensor. However, this entry focuses on running your instance of Stable Diffusion through a local installation of Automatic1111 or another graphical user interface for the model. Installing these interfaces can require a bit more technical know-how, as many installations require using the Command Line. However, when using it, you have the most customization options available in image generation.
Running your Stable Diffusion instance gives you access to any models that are compatible with the interface, it’s private, and you don’t have to worry about commercial licensing plans with Stable Diffusion, as output licensing is covered in their service license.
Aside from the more complicated installation, the biggest drawback to Stable Diffusion is that your generation output is going to be heavily dependent on your computer resources. Since Automatic1111 runs directly on your computer, low-powered computers won’t be able to use it and mid-powered computers may struggle to generate outputs with high sample sizes. In some cases, trying to overextend your computer’s physical resources may cause it to crash. So, this one is primarily for our tech-focused users who have the knowledge and resources to make it work.
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