Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gained immense popularity in recent years as it permeates various aspects of our lives. This trend has been steadily rising for some time, but interest in AI experienced a surge due to prompt engineering. This resulted in a revolution in both text and image generation, with the likes of ChatGPT, GPT-4, Stable Diffusion, and DALL-E 2 becoming household names. In this piece, we aim to highlight the most significant facts and methods associated with the image generation sector, particularly diffusion models. The images used in this article were exclusively created with Stable Diffusion models.
Diffusion models are a recent addition to the AI art generators' arsenal, which are increasingly popular tools for generating images and artworks. These models work by feeding an AI prompt and allowing the model, which has been trained on billions of images, to create art. Although DALL-E 2 is the most popular example, there are many others, including the industry-leading Stable Diffusion by Stability AI.
Stable Diffusion is an open-source AI model that leverages natural language processing to create large-scale images. The model is trained on 2.3 billion English language-labeled images from the LAION-5B dataset, which comprises 5.85 billion image-text pairs. Stable Diffusion can be accessed via the web or run locally on a PC with a GPU packing at least 6GB of video RAM or an Apple Silicon device running macOS (13.1) or iOS (16.2). The most recent version of Stable Diffusion, 2.1, was released in December 2022.
How to use Diffusion Models?
Diffusion models generate images based on a prompt, which is a command given to an AI model, that describes in human language what we want the model to generate. It is crucial to create a proper prompt to achieve the desired effect. A good quality prompts for Stable Diffusion should include three components: frame, subject, and style.
Step 1: Sign up for Stable Diffusion
To use Stable Diffusion, you’ll need to sign up for an account on their website. They offer a free trial, so you can test out the tool before committing to a paid plan.
Step 2: Choose an Image Type
Once you’ve signed up, it’s time to choose the type of image you want to create. Stable Diffusion offers a variety of options, including landscapes, animals, and abstract designs. Choose the one that best fits your needs.
Step 3: Customize Your Image
After selecting an image type, you’ll have the option to customize your image further. You can adjust the color scheme, add text or logos, and even choose the level of detail in the image.
Step 4: Generate Your Image
Once you’ve customized your image to your liking, click the “Generate Image” button. Stable Diffusion’s AI model will create a stunning image for you in just a few seconds.
Step 5: Download and Use Your Image
After the image is generated, you can download it in a variety of formats, including PNG and JPEG. Use it on your website, social media, or any other platform where you want to make an impact.
How to generate images with Stable Diffusion?
The text-to-image sampling script, “txt2img”, consumes a text prompt and parameters such as sampling types, output image dimensions, seed values, and outputs an image based on that information.
The keyword categories are:
- Subject
- Medium
- Style
- Artist
- Website
- Resolution
- Additional details
- Color
- Lighting
An extensive list of keywords from each category is available in the prompt generator. You can also find a short list here.
You don’t have to include keywords from all categories. Treat them as a checklist to remind you of what could be used.
Anatomy of a Good Prompt
A good prompt should have the following characteristics:
Specificity
A good prompt should be specific and precise. It should clearly communicate what kind of image you want to generate. For example, instead of saying “generate an image of a car,” you could say “generate an image of a red sports car with black leather seats and a sunroof.”
Relevance
A good prompt should be relevant to the objective you want to achieve. It should communicate the right message to your target audience. For example, if you’re creating an image for a marketing campaign, the prompt should align with your brand message and values.
Clarity
A good prompt should be clear and easy to understand. It should avoid ambiguity and confusion. For example, instead of saying “generate an image of a happy couple,” you could say “generate an image of a couple holding hands and smiling on a beach.”
Conciseness
A good prompt should be concise and to the point. It should avoid unnecessary details and information. For example, instead of saying “generate an image of a red sports car with black leather seats, a sunroof, and alloy wheels,” you could say “generate an image of a red sports car.”
In conclusion, Stable Diffusion represents a significant step forward in the field of text-to-image generation. With its ease of use and powerful capabilities, it has the potential to transform the creative industry, introducing new art forms and ways of working. We encourage you to explore its possibilities and join us as we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible.