How to generate images with AI: 5 Best tools

If DALL·E 3 is your daily work buddy, Midjourney is your creative soulmate. Midjourney is the powerhouse behind those dreamy, otherworldly images that have been flooding social media feeds in recent years. It’s the go-to tool for creating images with a distinct, almost painterly aesthetic (think less “corporate headshot” and more “viral fantasy art piece”).

What sets It apart:

• Unique, instantly recognizable artistic style 
• Great for creating concept art and character designs 
• Strong community of creators sharing tips and inspiration
• Regular updates with new artistic styles and features

Unlike dedicated AI image generators, Canva is less about generating the initial image (though it can do that too!) and more about what you do with that image afterward. Focused on creating social media content at scale, the platform offers a full design toolkit that’s built into your workflow, so you can create, edit, and publish visual content without having to hop between platforms.

What sets it apart:

• Strong focus on social media formats
• Everything lives in your Canva workspace
• Keeps your brand colors and style consistent
• No learning curve

Think of Stable Diffusion as the Android of AI image generation: open-source, customizable, and powerful – if you know what you’re doing. It’s perfect for creators who want complete control over their AI art.

What sets it apart:

• Install on your desktop for unlimited use 
• Train the AI on your own style
• Generate as many images as you want (if self-hosted)
• Join an active developer community

While other AI image generators focus on still images, Runway ML is pushing boundaries with video generation. Perfect for TikTok creators and anyone looking to add motion to their content.

What sets it apart:

• Transform still images into video
• Automatically track moving objects
• Remove green screen or any video background
• Edit videos with AI

AI image generators are powered by algorithms that were trained on huge datasets of images. Think of them as artists who graduated from the world’s biggest art schools, mastering millions of images and artistic styles. When you ‘prompt’ these tools, i.e., give them a text description of what you want to create, they put this extensive training to work to create something new.

Here’s how it works:

1. You enter a prompt describing the image you want (for example,  “pink sunset over a tropical beach”)
2. Behind the scenes, the AI translates your words into visual patterns
3. The AI presents the new image 
4. Some tools allow feedback, so you can refine the image until it’s perfect

1. Create smart prompts 

First rule of smart prompts? Provide as many details and be as specific as you can. For example:

2. Set the right mood

Here again, details are key. The more vivid your description, the better the AI can capture the mood you’re aiming for. Don’t be afraid to experiment! Start with a general idea and then refine your prompt with more details until you nail the desired mood.

3. Use AI writing tools to improve your prompts 

Tools like ChatGPT are creators’ not-so-secret weapon for creating great prompts. They suggest exciting new visual directions, and know how to build a prompt that gives you the result you’re looking for. Just tell ChatGPT what kind of image you want to create, ask it to suggest prompts, and watch it do its magic.

4. Save your top-performing prompts 

Keep a handy file of your top-performing prompts so you can tweak and reuse them in future projects. It will save you tons of time and brainpower later on (trust us, we’ve been there). 

The AI image generators we’ve reviewed so far are powerful, but most are designed for desktop use. What if you need a professional AI image creator right on your phone?

That’s where Bazaart comes in. The only mobile-first AI image generator, Bazaart lets you create stunning AI visuals on your phone, edit, and publish them in seconds.

Designed to meet the needs of social media creators and ecommerce sellers, Bazaart offers an all-in-one design studio, with everything you need to create studio-quality images on-the-go.

What sets it apart:

• The only AI image generator built for mobile
• Perfect for social media creators and ecommerce sellers
• Built-in editing and photo enhancement tools
• Resize formats for social media in one tap