Don’t you think it’s wild just how far technology has come in the past few years? Just a few decades ago, we didn’t have smartphones, social media, or even the internet as we know it today. And now, there are intelligent virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri that do everything for us, from controlling the lights to setting reminders and ordering groceries. With rapid progress in the field of AI, deep learning, and NLP, we are also seeing the development of some specialized applications of AI, one of them being AI image generation. Yes, that’s right! AI can now help you create realistic-looking images using minimal human input. And this article will cover some of the best AI image generators out there.
The right AI image generator can help you turn your ideas into visual representations almost instantaneously. And since most of these tools are very easy to use, anyone can create AI images, even without prior graphic design experience. So, are you ready to learn more about AI image generators? Read on and find out which one is best suited to your needs.
What is an AI image generator?
Best AI image generators for visual content creation
What is the best AI image generator?
What is an AI image generator?
An AI image generator from text is exactly what you think it is. It’s an AI-powered tool that can create unique and detailed images, and even modify existing images, based on user input. These AI image generation tools use neural networks and machine learning algorithms to analyze and learn image features and patterns from a large dataset of existing images. The knowledge gained from this exercise is then used to generate AI images in a variety of styles, from photorealistic images to abstract or oil paintings.
The popularity of AI image generators has skyrocketed recently, thanks to building excitement around AI tools for marketing like ChatGPT. However, AI image generators are not exactly new in the world of AI content creation, since this technology has been around for several years and has been continuously improving over time. In 2014, Google researchers developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system known as DeepDream that could generate beautiful images by recognizing patterns in existing images and enhancing them. Subsequently, more sophisticated image generation systems like BigGAN and DCGAN were developed, which could generate much more realistic images.
Today, AI photo generation prompts are being widely used to create realistic artwork, video game graphics, and interactive visualizations for education. These tools are also being leveraged for content marketing, whether it is for creating personalized social media content or high-quality images for affiliate marketing campaigns.
So, let’s take a look at some of the best AI image generators out there.
TL;DR Here’s a quick video listing all the AI image generators discussed in this post.
Best AI Image Generators for Visual Content Creation
1. Narrato AI Images
AI Images is an AI image generator tool offered by Narrato, the AI content workspace. This is an easy-to-use text-to-image generator that lets you create amazing AI images of your own with just a couple of words. You can easily access AI Images through the AI Content Assistant tab on Narrato Workspace, or from the content task page itself. Whether you’re a designer, marketer, or content creator, this tool can be a game-changer.
Here are some standout features of Narrato’s AI Images tool –
- 4 image outputs with every prompt
- High character limit: Add up to 1000 characters to write a detailed image description prompt
- Variety of art styles: Photograph, cartoon, oil painting, abstract painting, drawing, synthwave style, oil pastel drawing, anime, pencil and watercolor drawing, digital art, 3D render, pop art, high-quality photo, etc.
- Additional style options: Portrait, black and white, realistic, close-up, hyper-detailed, high resolution, ambient light, etc.
- Quality image production with a standard 518×518 resolution
- Ease of use: AI Images is incredibly easy to use, allowing users to fully utilize the tool’s capabilities, even without any technical expertise
- High-speed image production: Once you enter your prompt, your AI images will be created in just a few seconds
Narrato offers a whole series of AI tools to assist you in content creation, like the AI content assistant, AI writer, and AI SEO content brief generator. Besides this, it also offers a host of other features for content planning, project management, team management, and more. So, when you choose Narrato, you’ll essentially have one place to take care of all your content needs.
Pricing: Narrato offers three plans – Pro, Business, and Custom, which start from $45 per month, billed annually (5 user seats included). The Pro plan allows you to create 100 images per month, while the Business plan offers an unlimited number of AI image generations. Narrato also offers a free trial if you want to get a sense of how the platform works.
2. Freepik AI Image Generator
Freepik AI Image Generator is an innovative tool that harnesses the power of generative artificial intelligence to instantly conjure stunning, high-quality images tailored to your vision. Whether you’re crafting captivating visuals for presentations, social media, or design projects, Freepik can make it quick and easy.
Some key features of this tool –
- Generates 5 images with just one prompt
- You can customize the outputs using Freepik’s online editor
- Style options: Generic, Photo, Digital Art, Painting, 3D
- High-quality images
- Prompt suggestions
- Friendly user interface
Pricing: Freepik is a freemium service. If you are going to generate just a few images, the free plan is more than enough for you. The premium subscription, starting at $12 per month, allows you to generate up to 100 images per day.
3. Stable Diffusion
This text-to-image generator AI tool is another great choice for creating high-quality, ultra-realistic visual content from simple text prompts. Powered by neural network technology and cutting-edge algorithms based on deep learning techniques, Stable Diffusion delivers unparalleled quality with ease. With a simple prompt, you can expect accurate and detailed images in no time.
Here are the key features of this tool –
- High-quality images: Generate amazing images in a flash just by typing in whatever you can think of
- Fast image generation: GPU enabled, which makes it easier to get fast image outputs by running your prompt through the mode
- Privacy: The tool doesn’t store any of your personal data, whether it is the AI images, text or any other data
- Negative prompt option: Specify the characteristics you don’t want in the AI image
- Guidance scale: Control the extent to which the generated image adheres to the text prompt
- Prompt database: Search from over 12 million prompts stored in the Stable Diffusion prompt database.
While the tool does boast some great features, it does not provide art style options like Narrato does.
Pricing: Stable Diffusion is completely free, which means that you can enter an unlimited number of prompts and generate as many AI images as you want.
4. Midjourney
Midjourney is an AI image generator that is also known as the Midjourney Bot. Why? Because it works as a bot that can be integrated within a Discord server. To use this AI image generation tool, you would just have to join a newbie server, enter your prompts after typing /imagine, and start creating AI images.
Let’s take a look at some of its features –
- Generates 4 image options with each prompt
- Create concept AI images and experiment with various art styles
- Large community: Frequent Q&A sessions, showcases, and daily themes
- Predictable image outputs, with some degree of randomness
- Watch as the tool generates the image, from blurry visuals to the final image in high resolution
- Standard 256 px thumbnail, which can be upscaled (using credits)
The tool does have some drawbacks, for instance, you have to create an account on Discord to access it. Besides that, it can seem a bit overwhelming to users at first.
Pricing: Midjourney offers 3 pricing plans, besides its free trial – Basic, Standard, and Pro. The monthly subscription plans start from $10.
5. ImgCreator
If you’re looking for an AI image generator that does both, text-to-image and image-to-image, then ImgCreator can be a good option. This tool comes with a wide range of customization options, which allows the user to play with the tool, and create visually appealing images that check all the boxes. Think of it more like an AI-powered design studio.
The following features are what makes this tool stand out –
- Create AI images through both text and other images
- Category options: Choose between realistic photos, anime, art, free form, design, character, and graphics and logos. It also offers a variety of style options within each category
- Customization: You can choose the number of images (2,4, 6, 8) you want to create at once, as well as the output resolution (640px, 1024px, and 2048px), and canvas size
- Background AI: Create hyper-realistic backgrounds for your images
- Set image reference strength
- Built-in editing options to modify images as you like
Pricing: ImgCreator offers 3 plans, Starter, Pro, and Boss, which start from $9.99 per month.
6. DALL-E 2 by Open AI
This AI image generator is created by the same team that gave us ChatGPT – OpenAI. DALL-E 2 is a sophisticated tool that is capable of generating unique AI images right out of your imagination. The tool was first introduced as DALL-E in 2021, which was revolutionary, but the images created with it were of subpar quality. The new and improved DALL-2, on the other hand, can create stunning AI images with 4x better resolution.
So, here’s a brief look at its features –
- Create multiple iterations of your original image and better compositions with multiple objects and complex scenes
- Option to combine concepts, styles, and attributes
- High resolution images: 512x512px, instead of the 256×256 that were available with DALL-E 1
- Outpainting: Expand the AI images beyond the original canvas
- Inpainting: Edit and retouch your images easily, and add/remove elements. Control the textures, reflections, and shadows
Pricing: Registering for DALL-E 2 is free, and when you first sign up, you’ll get 50 free AI image generation credits. Thereafter, you’ll have 15 free credits every month. If you happen to run out, you can buy 115 more by paying $15.
7. Bing Image Creator
Bing Image Creator is an AI image generation tool from Microsoft that comes in the form of Bing chatbot AI. It is also the first AI image generation tool to be integrated into a web browser (Microsoft Edge). It is fairly simple to use. Once you type an image description into the chat window, just provide some context, select your art style, and you can get custom AI images generated by DALL-E 2.
Here are some of its key features –
- 4 images generated with each prompt
- Customizability: Customize the AI image output with specific parameters (image size, color scheme, and format)
- User-friendly interface: Easy-to-use tool make AI image generation quick and easy
- GPU acceleration for faster image processing
- Explore ideas: Look through a repository of AI Images for prompt inspiration
Pricing: Bing Image Creator is free to use.
8. Fotor AI Image Generator
Fotor, the popular tool for online photo editing, has also come out with an AI image generator that can bring your ideas to life. This AI image generator tool can help you create all kinds of images, from digital art, painting, and background to realistic face images.
Here’s a look at some of its features –
- Supports both text-to-image generation and image-to-image generation models
- No character/word limit for adding image description prompts.
- Fast image generation
- Generate multiple images (2 to 6)
- Variety of art styles: 3D, concept art, art nouveau, and more
- Customization options: Choose light effects (octane render, soft lighting, global lighting, studio lighting, etc), details (8k/HD, studio quality, super detailed, smooth rendering, etc.), and composition (wide angle, triangulation, macro, etc.)
- Gallery to save all your AI-generated art
Pricing: First 5 AI image generations are free, and after that, you can go for the paid plans – Fotor Pro and Fotor Pro+. These start from $8.99 per month.
9. Canva AI Image Generator
If you’ve been in the content and designing space for some time, you might be already familiar with Canva. Among the recent feature additions on the platform is Canva AI Image Generator, which lets you create images from text. This feature can be accessed through a separate page on Canva, and also through Canva’s image editor. It works pretty much the same way as the other tools mentioned in this list. Simply provide your text prompt and let the AI image generator work its magic.
Let’s take a look at the features of this AI image generator –
- Get 4 AI images with a single prompt
- Art style options: There are numerous style options, like 3D pattern, concept art, painting, drawing, etc.
- Edit the AI image right on the platform
- Aspect Ratio: Choose between square, portrait, and landscape.
- Prompt suggestions for inspiration
Pricing: This Canva feature is completely free, which means that you don’t have to buy any plans to create AI images from text.
10. Shutterstock
Shutterstock is another popular name in the world of visual content, as a provider of stock images, stock videos, stock music, and more. Shutterstock AI Image Generator is a fairly recent addition to the platform, and this was achieved by integrating with OpenAI’s image generation tool – DALL-E 2. As with other AI image generation tools in this list, you simply have to input your image description to get started.
Some of the key features of this tool are –
- High-resolution image output: 1024x1024px. There is also an option to go with a smaller resolution.
- Style options: All styles, art styles, photo styles, digital styles, and 3D styles
- Edit the images on the platform
- License and download your AI images
- Supports 20 languages
Pricing: On Shutterstock, you can generate AI images for free. If you wish to download HD images, you can get additional credits, starting from $2.36 for 25 credits per month. There are also on-demand packs to get images when you need them.
11. NightCafe
NightCafe leverages diverse, state-of-the-art AI technologies, including Stable Diffusion, VQGAN+CLIP, CLIP-Guided Diffusion, and Neural Style Transfer, to provide users with the best possible results. This makes it one of the most loved AI image generators in the market today.
Here’s a look at some of its features
- 2 Conversion Models: Supports both text-to-image and image-to-image generation
- Fast AI image generation
- Choose the number of images: 1, 4, 9 and 16
- Choose an algorithm and model
- Variety of art styles: Striking, artistic portrait, dark fantasy, 3D game,
- Style Transfer: Copy the style of famous artwork in your images.
- Resolution Options: Thumbnail (512×512 px) Medium Res (896x896px) and Low Res (640x640px)
- Aspect Ratio: Choose between square, portrait, landscape, mobile vertical, and widescreen
Pricing: NightCafe works on a credit system, but you do get 5 free credits per day. You can purchase credits for as low as $4.79, and there’s also an option to earn credits by participating in the community.
12. Craiyon
Formerly known as DALL-E mini, Craiyon is an AI image generator developed by the people at Google and Hugging Face. Images created using this AI image generation tool can be used for both personal and commercial use. The tool is also available through an Android app.
Here are some of the key features of this tool –
- Generates 9 images with a single prompt
- Style options: Art, drawing, photo
- Negative words: To exclude some concepts and elements from the image
- Upscale AI-generated images for better resolution
- Download or screenshot
- Easy to use, no sign-up required
The one drawback of this tool is that it doesn’t offer as many style options as other tools like Narrato and DALL-E 2 do.
Pricing: This AI image generator is free to use. But, if you want to generate the images faster and download them without a watermark, you can try the paid versions, which start from $6 per month.
13. StarryAI
StarryAI is a beginner-friendly AI image generator that comes in the form of a mobile application. This text-to-image generation tool offers its users complete ownership of the images and a range of customization options.
Here’s a look at some of its standout features
- Available for both Android and iOS
- Over 1000+ image style options
- Bulk AI image generation
- Upscale your images for better quality and resolution
- Customize image size, aspect ratio
- Variety of in-painting options
Pricing: When you download the app and set up your account, you’ll get 5 free credits (for 25 images). But if you want to use some of its customization features, like changing the canvas size and aspect ratio, you can purchase the StarryAI Pro plan for $11.99.
14. DeepAI
DeepAI is an image generation tool that uses the Stable Diffusion model to create images from textual descriptions. This tool allows you to create an unlimited number of AI images. It also comes with a range of customization options.
Some key features of this tool are –
- Unlimited free AI image generations
- Use cases: Text2img, cute creature, cyberpunk generator, renaissance painting generator, old style generator, 3D objects generator, and more
- Customizable canvas shape
- API access
- Enhance: Option to improve the quality of images
When you use this web-based tool, you’ll be presented with a lot of ads, which can be a little jarring. Besides this, it does not create photorealistic images.
Pricing: DeepAI is mostly free, offering an unlimited number of AI image generations. But certain features, like the complete style library, API access, and ad-free experience, are only available in the paid version, which is priced at $4.99 per month.
15. Dream by Wombo
Created by a Canadian AI startup, Dream by Wombo is an AI image generation tool that works a lot like NightCafe. This tool also supports both image-to-image and text-to-image generation. It is available as a web-based tool, as also as a downloadable application.
Here are some of the features of this tool –
- Character limit for prompt: 200 characters
- 1 free image per prompt, 4 images with the paid version
- High-quality AI image generation
- Variety of art styles: HDR, watercolor, spectral, expressionism, and more
- Edit with text: Option to add or remove elements from the image through text prompts
- Make Variations: This option allows you to make subtle variations to your images to get the perfect output
Pricing: The Pro version of Dream by Wombo is priced at $9.99 per month. The only difference with the free version is that you won’t have access to some of the features.
16. Artbreeder
Artbreeder is an AI-powered image generator tool that lets you create a collage of AI art. It comes with a feature known as the Artbreeder Collager that lets you create a fun montage of pictures and shapes, and then turn it into an AI masterpiece with a simple prompt.
Here are the key features of this tool –
- Generate portraits, anime, landscapes, and more
- 1000+ illustrations, images, and shapes available
- Fast render for AI images
- Model options: Stable 1.4 and 1.5
- Select the number of steps, and choose ‘Guidance’ level
- Edit, crop, and draw around images
- Image download options: JPG and PNG
Pricing: You can start using Artbreeder for free, but if you want to try out some advanced options, you can go with the paid versions, Starter, Advanced, and Champion. These start from $8.99.
17. Runway ML
This AI image generator tool works with both moving and still images. Think of Runway ML as a unique AI-powered creative suite, with more than 30 generative AI tools. Runway ML’s Text to Image is the basic image generator, while Gen-1 lets you turn any text prompt, image, or video into a film. It’s an interesting tool, even though it might take users a little time to get the hang of it.
So, here are some of the features of this tool –
- Fast image generation
- High-quality image output
- Customize the composition and style of images
- Option to expand images with prompts
- Edit images and videos
- Remove background from images
Pricing: Besides the free plan, Runway ML offers 3 other plans – Standard, Pro, and Enterprise. These start from $12 per user per month.
18. Images.ai
Create by Unite.ai, Images.ai is an easy-to-use AI image generator that lets you create stunning images in a matter of seconds. Since this AI image generator doesn’t require any sign-up or registration, you can get started with it right away.
Some unique features of this tool are –
- Render 25 AI images per day
- Select ‘Recipes’: Various style options for images, like Anime Inkpunk, Pixar cartoon, Van Gogh, rainbow, folded paper
- Select image orientation and size: Landscape, portrait, square, wide, tall
- Edit images with positive and negative prompts
- Option to create more images from the same prompt
- Optimization features: Facelift, meme-fy, remix
- Community showcase: See what kind of AI images other people are generating
- Copyright-free images
Price: Images.ai is completely free.
19. Synthesys X
Synthesys X is purely an AI image-to-image generator that comes as Chrome extension. It lets you add images directly from the browser to recreate relevant new images using its AI magic. It does this by analyzing the features and patterns in the original image.
Key features of this tool are –
- Does not require prompts or special input
- 1 click generates 2 images
- Generate up to 50 images per month (completely free)
- Face restoration
- Option to create multiple variations of AI images
Pricing: The free version of the tool will remain always free. If you want to upgrade, you can go with the Premium version ($12 per month).
20. Deep Dream Generator
This simple and intuitive AI image generator does what it promises – creating stellar AI images. Even though Deep Dream Generator doesn’t offer many advanced features available with the other tools, the ease of use it offers makes it a good choice for starting out with AI image generation.
The main features of this tool are –
- High-quality, fairly accurate AI images
- User-friendly interface
- 3 main styles: Thin, Deep, and Deep Dream
- Image previews
Pricing: To use this tool, you’ll have to either buy a single energy pack or go for one of their subscription plans. The energy packs start from $9, while the monthly subscription plans start from $19 per month.
21. CF Spark Art
Created by Creative Fabrica, CF Spark Art is an AI image generator with a twist. It gives users an option to monetize their AI image files by putting them up for sale to other members. It also comes with a range of tools that help simplify the process of AI art generation.
Here are some of its key features –
- Easy-to-use interface
- 4 images generated with each prompt
- Option to choose image ratios
- Option to re-prompt AI images created by other users
- Faster image generation with speed credits
- Prompt book for inspiration
Pricing: You can create AI images on this platform for free, but if you want to sell your images, you’d have to upgrade to a paid plan, which starts from $9 per month.
What is the best AI image generator?
With so many options for AI image generator tools, it can be difficult to decide which one is the best fit for you. Here are some factors that you should consider when choosing an AI image generator tool –
- Output quality: When you’re searching for the best AI image generator, the final output is key. Do the AI-generated images look great? Does the final output fit the image description every time?
- Speed: Speed is important, especially if you’re looking to create a large number of images.
- Customization features: Look for an AI image generator tool that gives you options to customize images, like changing up the art styles or layout.
- Value for money: Cost is an important concern, and the tool should have a fair price given the features it provides.
- Ease of use: Make sure the AI image generator you choose is easy to use and doesn’t require too much technical knowledge. It should have an intuitive interface, so you can get up and running quickly.
If you’re considering investing in an AI image generator, it’s important to thoroughly research the different options. Compare all the tools, take a look at the features, and see if it fits within your budget. If everything looks good, then go ahead with your decision.
Wrapping Up
AI tools are revolutionizing the way we create content. Today, there are tools like AI content idea generators, AI content writing assistants, AI SEO tools, and of course, AI image generators, that address every aspect of content creation. With the right AI image generator tool, you can create amazing visual content for your blog posts, social media posts, and other marketing material in no time. And with so many options available, you will be able to find the perfect tool to suit your needs. So why wait? Get started today and unleash the power of AI to create stunning visuals.
