The Best AI Art Generators: DALL-E 2 and Other Fun Alternatives To Try
The Best AI Art Generators: DALL-E 2 and Other Fun Alternatives To Try
com/article/best-ai-art-generator/
DALL-E 2 by OpenAI
View now
Best AI art generator overall
Dream by WOMBO
View now
Best AI art generator for your phone
Craiyon
View now
Best completely free AI art generator
Midjourney
View now
Best AI generator for highest-quality photos
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If you've ever searched Google high and low to find an image you needed to no
avail, AI is coming to the rescue.
ZDNET recommends
AI chatbots and writers can help lighten your workload by writing emails and essays and even doing
math. They use artificial intelligence to generate text or answer queries based on user input.…
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With AI art generators, you can type in a prompt as detailed or vague as you'd like
and have the image you were thinking of pop up on your screen instantly. These
tools can help with branding, social media content creation, vision boards, and
more.
Even if you have no professional use for it, no worries, the process is so fun that
anyone can participate.
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anyone can participate.
table of2contents
DALL-E has made a huge splash because of its advanced capabilities and easy
access. However, there are plenty of other AI art generators on the market that can
DALL-E 2 by OpenAI
suit different needs.
Bing Image Creator
To put the generators to a test, I put a version of the same prompt, "a baby Yorkie
Dream
sittingbyon
WOMBO
a comfy couch in front of the NYC skyline" in each one and included a
screenshot for your viewing pleasure (yes, I am a Yorkie mom).
Craiyon
Using these observations, I put together a list of the best AI generators and detailed
everything you need to know before starting your next masterpiece.
DALL-E 2 by OpenAI
Best AI art generator overall
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pros + Fast
+ Not copyrighted
+ Accurate depictions
- No app
more details
Features:
The site is very intuitive and can produce results in seconds. All you have to do is
type in whatever prompt you'd like, specifying as much detail as necessary to bring
your vision to life, and then DALL-E 2 will generate four images from your prompt.
Also: How to use DALL-E 2 to turn your wildest imaginations into AI-generated art
Not happy with the results? You can tweak it a little and try again. The best part is
you get 50 free credits your first month and 15 credits every month after. If you need
more, you can always buy credits, too.
+ Quick
+ Convenient to access
- In preview stage
more details
Features:
• Powered by DALL-E
• Accessible via Bing Chat and browser
• Quick and easy to use
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Bing's Image Creator is powered by DALL-E and produces the same quality results
just as quickly. Like DALL-E, it is free to use. All you need to do to access the art
generator is visit the website and sign in with a Microsoft account.
The biggest perk about this AI generator is that you can access it in the same place
where you can access Bing's AI chatbot, Bing Chat.
Although Bing does have a site you can visit to access the Image Generator
individually, if you have access to Bing Chat you can just ask it to produce an image
there. To get your image, all you have to do is put Bing Chat in creative mode and
ask it to draw any prompt you'd like.
Also: How to use the new Bing (and how it's different from ChatGPT)
This feature is so convenient because you can get all of your image-generating and
AI chatting needs met in the same place.
Dream by WOMBO
Best AI art generator for your phone
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+ Multiple templates
more details
Features:
This app's major success landed it a first-place spot for the best overall app in
Google Play's 2022 awards. With the app, you can create art with the simple input of
a quick prompt.
An added plus about this AI art generator is that it allows you to pick different
design styles such as realistic, expressionism, comic, abstract, fanatical, ink, and
more.
In addition to the app, it has a free desktop mobile version that is simple to use. If
you want to take your use of the app to the next level, you can pay $90 per year, $10
per month, or a lifetime subscription of $170.
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Craiyon
Best completely free AI art generator
pros + Free
+ Unlimited access
+ Simple to use
- Distorted images
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more details
Features:
Despite originally having the name DALL-E mini, this AI art generator is NOT
affiliated with OpenAI or DALL-E 2, rather, it is an open-source alternative. However,
the name DALL-E 2 mini is somewhat fitting, as it does everything that DALL-E 2
does, just with less accurate renditions.
Unlike DALL-E 2, the outputs from Craiyon lack quality. The good thing? Because
you have unlimited prompts, you can continue to tweak the prompt until you get
exactly what you're envisioning. The site is also so simple to use, adding to the
overall appeal and making this AI generator a strong contender.
Midjourney
Best AI generator for highest-quality photos
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+ Discord community
- Confusing to set up
more details
Features:
• Utilizes Discord
• Highest-quality photos
• Creates art for a variety of uses
• Price: Starts at $8/month
I often play around with AI art generators because of how fun and easy creating
digital artwork is. Despite all my experiences with different AI generators, nothing
could have prepared me for Midjourney. The output of this image was so crystal
clear that I had a hard time believing it wasn't an actual image someone took of the
prompt I put in. This software is so good that it has produced award-winning art.
To create your images, all you have to do is go to the site and join the beta by
signing up through Discord. Then you get access to 25 free renderings and can
upgrade to a plan starting at $8 per month. A really fun perk of Midjourney's
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To show you just how good these renditions are, I included a close-up below.
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Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
- Long wait
more details
Features:
Last fall, in a mega-viral TikTok trend, people were sharing AI-generated portraits of
themselves on the app. The photos were powered by MyHeritage's "AI Time
Machine," which uses 10 to 25 user-inputted photos to create realistic portraits of
what you'd look like throughout the ages.
Also: You can use an AI Time Machine to see what you'd look like in different eras
throughout history
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throughout history
Although you have to wait 30 to 90 minutes to get the results, the beautiful artwork
makes it worth the wait. The trick to getting them for free is refreshing the site and
waiting until the free trial window opens up, designated by a "Try it now for free"
button. If you can't wait, there is only a $12 fee to have your photo.
DALL-E 2 by OpenAI is considered the best overall AI art generator due to its
combination of accuracy, speed, and cost-effectiveness. It has become incredibly
popular among users due to its intuitive interface and ability to generate high-
quality images in just a matter of seconds.
Although I crowned DALL-E 2 the best AI art generator overall, other AI art
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Although I crowned DALL-E 2 the best AI art generator overall, other AI art
generators perform better for specific needs. For example, if you are a professional
using AI art generation for your business, you may need a tool like Midjourney which
delivers consistent, reliable, quality output.
On the other hand, if you just want to play with AI art generating for entertainment
purposes, Craiyon might be the best option because it's free and unlimited.
Bing Image The best AI art generator for convenience. If you have
Creator access to Bing Chat, you can get all of your art-
generating needs met while chatting with the bot and
getting all of your questions answered. The art generator
is reliable, quick, and easy.
Dream by The best AI art generator for your phone with multiple
WOMBO templates, realistic renditions, and a mobile app. It also
has a free limited access version, making it a great option
for those who don't want to spend too much money.
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To find the best AI art generators, I tested each generator listed and compared their
performance. The factors that went into testing performance included UI/UX, image
results, cost, speed, and availability. Each AI art generator had different strengths
and weaknesses, making each one the ideal fit for different individuals as listed
next to my picks.
An AI art generator refers to software that uses AI to create images from user text
inputs, usually within seconds. The images vary in style depending on the
capabilities of the software but can typically render an image in any style you want
including 3D, 2D, cinematic, modern, Renaissance, and more.
Like any other AI model, AI art generators work on learned data they are trained
with. Typically, these models are trained on billions of images, which it analyzes for
characteristics. These insights are then used by the model to create new images.
AI art generators are trained on billions of images found throughout the internet.
These images are often artwork that belongs to a specific artist, which is then
reimagined and repurposed by AI art to generate your image. Although it's not the
same image, the new image has elements of artists' original work which is not
credited to them.
Contrary to what you might think, there are so many AI art generators other than
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DALL-E 2 out there. Some produce even better results than OpenAI's software. If
you want to try something different, check out one of our alternatives listed above or
the three additional options below.
ALTERNATIVE
Nightcafe - Best multi-purpose AI art generator
Nightcafe is a multi-purpose AI art generator that is worth trying becaus it allows
users to create unique and original artwork by using different inputs and styles,
including abstract, impressionism, expressionism, and more.
View at Creator.nightcafe
ALTERNATIVE
Canva - Best AI art generator for marketing professionals
Canva is a versatile and powerful AI art generator that offers a wide range of
options. It allows users to create professional-looking designs for different
marketing channels, including social media posts, ads, flyers, brochures, and
more.
View at Canva
ALTERNATIVE
Imagen - Best AI art generator coming soon
Imagen uses advanced AI techniques such as deep learning and neural
networks to create images that are both realistic and imaginative, resulting in a
high level of detail and complexity.
View at Imagen.research
ZDNET recommends
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The best AI art generators: DALL-E 2 and The best movies and shows to stream Never pay full
other fun alternatives to try right now: Our top picks for February great AirPods
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show comments
related
How to use DALL-E 2 to turn your creative visions into AI-generated art
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table of contents
DALL-E 2 by OpenAI
Dream by WOMBO
Craiyon
Midjourney
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Christina Darby/ZDNET
Life imitates art, or does art imitate life? With OpenAI's DALL-E 2, art can imitate just
about anything. The trending text-to-art platform allows users to generate images,
but with their words instead of art supplies.
The concept sounds almost too simple (and futuristic) to be true: Type your idea into
a search bar and voila! But for the best results, you'll want to follow these tips and
tricks to get the most realistic and accurate representations of your desired
searches.
Before you get started with DALL-E 2, there are three housekeeping rules that you
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Before you get started with DALL-E 2, there are three housekeeping rules that you
table of
should contents
know:
DALL-E 2 by
1. Since OpenAI
you technically create the idea for your artwork, you, by default, are the
accredited artist for the AI-generated product. If you choose to download the
Bing Image Creator
image, though, there will be a colorful DALL-E 2, watermark on the bottom right
Dream by WOMBO
corner.
Craiyon
2. There are limits to what you can create with the platform. For example, DALL-E 2's
content policy prohibits harmful, deceitful, or political content. To discourage
Midjourney
deep fakes, search terms for many public figures -- Taylor Swift, for example --
are prohibited. While not all celebrities violate the content policy, their faces will
often be distorted for safety.
3. DALL-E 2 is currently free to use, but there is a catch. You're allotted 50 free
credits during your first month's use and 15 free credits after that. A credit is only
cashed after a generation is inputted and completed, so searches that violate the
content policy and, therefore, end up not being generated won't be deducted
from the free credits. You can check how many credits you have remaining each
month by clicking on your profile icon in the upper right hand corner of the search
interface.
Before you start generating images, either create or log into an account on DALL-E
2's website. You can do this on mobile or the web.
2. Getting started
Once you're logged in, you're ready to start creating. At the top of the webpage is
the search bar. You will also find other images created by DALL-E 2 artists
underneath it. If you need some inspiration, you can roll your mouse over each one
to see what words the artists used to generate the image.
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to see what words the artists used to generate the image.
Christina Darby/ZDNET
Once you're ready to give your own idea a try, type a phrase into the search bar.
For example, "a modern painting of a cowboy using spaghetti to lasso a cow in the
middle of outer space."
You may be thinking that the wording is oddly specific, and it is. Since the AI is
reliant on your words, I've found it best to be as particular as possible when
describing the image.
You can also designate an art style for the image by mentioning it in the search
phrase. Also, be clear about the positioning of your subject(s) if you want something
in the foreground versus the background. Otherwise, DALL-E 2 will just populate
everything through its own interpretation.
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Select "Generate" when you're satisfied with your search term and DALL-E 2 will
produce four different images for you to preview. If you're not satisfied with the
images, identify any common denominator between the four and tweak your search
phrase accordingly.
For example, you may want to move a subject to the foreground or background, or
reorder the terms in the phrase so that one thing comes before the other.
If you're satisfied with the output, select the image that you'd like to save.
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Christina Darby/ZDNET
Once you've made a selection, the image will appear in full size. From here, you can
save the image to your DALL-E 2 gallery by selecting the save button on the top
right corner. You can either save to your "Favorites" collection, which will constantly
appear in a window to the right of your DALL-E 2 workspace, or to a specific
collection you've started -- Pinterest-board style.
There is also an option to download the artwork in the upper right corner of the
image. Your creation will save to your device and you'll be able to send it to friends
and family. Or, you can print the photo to have on display.
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You can save the generated image to the Favorites collection or a custom one.
Christina Darby/ZDNET
If inspiration hasn't struck you quite yet or you're feeling overwhelmed, hover your
mouse over an image or concept you like from the main page gallery and select
"Click to try."
From there, DALL-E 2 will create similar variations which you can customize with
your own text description(s).
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Christina Darby/ZDNET
If you lack inspiration, let the software be your muse. Above the search bar, select
the "Surprise me" button. From there, a phrase will appear in the search bar. You can
either hit the button again for a different result, modify the phrase with your
personal touch, or keep it as is and generate.
You can select the "surprise me" button if you're stuck or just want some fun art.
The other day, my colleague Sabrina Ortiz was trying to create a piece with a Corgi
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and a Yorkie. DALL-E 2 had no problem recognizing the word "Corgi" but struggled
to process "Yorkie" or "Yorkshire Terrier". Instead, "Yorkie dog" did the trick.
Essentially, the more specific, the better -- AI is smart, but you're smarter.
FAQ
What is DALL-E 2?
Originally launched in early 2021, DALL-E 2 is OpenAI's artificial intelligence system
that allows users to create art from textual input.
Is DALL-E 2 free?
In September 2022, DALL-E 2 officially closed its waiting list and opened the
platform to the public. Users start with 50 free credits to transform searches into
fully generated artwork and 15 free credits every month from then on. The site also
allows you to buy more credits.
While that artist isn't directly creating your DALL-E piece, your art does have
elements from the original art without being credited to the artist. Whether or not
AI-generated art is ethical is currently a hot topic of debate.
see also
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