How to Generate AI Images for Free: A Complete Beginner’s Guide
Modern artificial intelligence makes it easier than ever to generate an image from a human description. Whether you’re building a blog, Instagram feed, YouTube thumbnails, presentation or a website – there are numerous opportunities to use AI to design and generate images for free.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to generate AI images for free, the different AI image generating tools you can use, how to write AI image prompts and give you tips to get the most out of your free trials.
What Is an AI Image Generator?
An AI image generator is a tool that uses algorithms to generate images from a variety of different prompts.
For example, you could ask for “a futuristic smart city at night with cars, skyscrapers, cinematic lighting, realistic photography”, and an AI image generator will turn that into an image.
Types of AI Images You Can Generate
AI image generators can be used to generate different types of imagery, such as:
photorealistic
digital artwork
illustrations
anime
product shots
landscape
character concepts
marketing collateral
social media graphics
thumbnails
background imagery
and many more
The results will depend on the tool, the specific AI model, and the prompts you’ll be using.
Can You Generate AI Images for Free?
Yes, there are numerous online platforms that allow you to generate AI images for free.
Depending on the tool, you may be able to use certain features for free and other will require a credit or a paid subscription.
Popular Free AI Image Generation Tools
Some of the most popular tools for generating free AI images are:
Microsoft Designer
Bing Image Creator
Adobe Firefly
Canva
and many more
Keep in mind that the policies, limitations, and free features can change over time. Always make sure you’re aware of the current terms and conditions of any AI image generation tool you’re using.
Best Free AI Image Generators
Microsoft Designer
Microsoft Designer is great for beginners due to its intuitive interface that centers around using natural language to describe and generate images.
Microsoft Designer can be used to generate images and designs for blogs, social media, posters, marketing, presentations, graphics, and more.
It’s perfect for beginners because it relies on natural language processing and does not require any design expertise.
Bing Image Creator
Another great tool for beginners is Bing Image Creator.
It offers an intuitive interface that allows you to generate images from natural language prompts.
For example, you can try generating an image like this: “professional home office with a laptop, ergonomic chair, indoor plants, natural lighting from windows, modern minimalist interior”.
Bing Image Creator is great for generating mockups, marketing collateral, and any other images that require quick turnaround time and do not need to use professional design tools.
Adobe Firefly
Adobe Firefly is a great AI image generator for Adobe users.
Firefly allows you to write prompts and generate images and graphic concepts freely with AI. Using Adobe Firefly you can experiment with different concepts and mockups.
Adobe Firefly is great for generating image concepts, but it is generally more limited for graphic design and other tasks that require more advanced image editing.
Canva
Canva is a graphic design tool that has integrated an AI image generator that allows you to generate images with text prompts.
Canva is great for creating not only images, but also complete graphic concepts, such as social media banners, posters, presentations, and more. Being able to generate an image is one thing, but being able to place text, graphics, logos, and other elements around it in Canva gives you much more flexibility.
Canva offers a variety of different design and image tools. If you’re a beginner, this might be the best option. The free plan has some limitations, so make sure to review the current policies before you start designing.
How to Generate AI Images for Free
Let’s take a look at how you can generate AI images for free using one of the tools listed above.
We’ll start with the basics and then move on to more advanced techniques.
Step 1: Choose an AI Image Generator
Choose a free image generator that you feel the most comfortable with.
If you’re a begginer, we recommend choosing a tool with a simple interface, such as Microsoft Designer, Bing Image Creator, Adobe Firefly, or Canva.
Step 2: Open the Image Generator Tool
Browse to the website or open the image generator application.
Look for a Create Image, Text to Image, AI Generator, or similar option.
The exact wording will vary depending on the tool you’re using.
Step 3: Write Your Prompt
At this point, you should write your image prompt. A prompt is a short description of the image you want the AI to generate.
Don’t write a simple prompt like “laptop image”.
Instead, try something like “modern silver laptop on a clean wooden desk in a minimalist home office with natural sunlight coming from windows, realistic photography, modern clean laptop image”.
Using descriptive language helps the AI to generate an image that meets your expectations.
Let’s examine an example to see how prompts work.
Example AI Image Prompt
Prompt: “young software developer working on a laptop in a modern home office with a large monitor, indoor plants, realistic photography, natural lighting from windows, clean professional composition”.
You can see that the second prompt uses far more descriptive language. As a result, the second image has more visual elements and provides a more complete description of the image.
Step 4: Generate Your Image
Submit your request and let the AI generate the image.
Depending on the tool you are using, it may generate multiple images.
If you are not satisfied with the results, modify your prompt and try again.
Step 5: Edit the Prompt
You can tweak the prompt to get a different result.
In most cases, simply changing a word or two will give you a completely different image.
For example, you could change the subject, location, composition, camera angle, lighting, colors, and many other elements.
Step 6: Download or Edit the Image
When you are done, make sure to download or edit the image in the design tool of your choice.
Note that many image generators will produce low-resolution images that you can upscale using image upscalers or graphic design tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator or Canva.
If you plan on using the image for a blog, make sure to optimize the image for web, compress the image file, or resize the image.
How to Write AI Image Prompts
Let’s examine how to write a better prompt.
A good prompt typically consists of elements such as subject, environment, style, lighting, composition, and other details.
Let’s take a look at an example:
Example AI Image Prompt
Prompt: “a young software developer working at a computer in a modern office with a large monitor, indoor plants, professional photography, natural lighting from windows, clean composition”.
Subject: young software developer
Environment: modern office with large monitor
Style: professional photography
Lighting: natural lighting from windows
Composition: clean composition
As you can see, the example prompt contains a variety of elements that together form a single cohesive image.
Let’s take a look at how individual elements can affect the generated image.
Subject
The subject is the main point of interest in the image. For example, you could ask to generate an image with the following subjects:
a young software developer
a futuristic smartphone
a mountain landscape
a robot
a modern office
Environment
Next, let’s examine the environment. In simple terms, environment refers to the general location where the subject is placed. Some common examples of environments are:
a modern office
a futuristic city
a mountain valley
a home office
a coffee shop
Style
The style refers to the overall aesthetic of the image.
For example, you may want to generate an image in the following styles:
photorealistic
cinematic
digital artwork
three-dimensional render
watercolor painting
minimalist
editorial photography
and many more
Lighting
Lighting plays an important role in photography and computer-generated imagery. Here are some common types of lighting:
soft natural lighting
golden-hour lighting
studio lighting
dramatic lighting
neon lighting
low-key lighting
and many more
Composition
Finally, let’s examine the composition of the image. In simple terms, composition defines how the image will be framed. Here are some common types of composition:
close-up
wide-angle
centered
top-down perspective
portrait
landscape
and many more
AI Image Prompt Examples
Let’s take a look at some common examples of AI image prompts.
Technology Blog Image
“A futuristic artificial intelligence workstation with multiple monitors that display neural network visualizations, modern office with subtle blue ambient lighting, photorealistic technology photography, wide composition”.
AI Student Image
“a college student studying artificial intelligence on a laptop in a modern university library, notebooks on the desk, windows with natural light, realistic photography, wide composition”.
Home Office Image
“a clean modern home office with a laptop, ergonomic chair, desk lamp, indoor plants and bookshelves, warm natural sunlight, minimalist interior design, realistic professional photography, wide landscape composition”.
Cybersecurity Image
“A cybersecurity professional analyzing digital security dashboards on multiple monitors, modern security operations center with dark environment, realistic technology photography, dramatic screen lighting, highly detailed, wide composition”.
AI Robot Image
“A friendly humanoid AI robot helping a human worker in a futuristic office, realistic materials, modern technology environment, soft cinematic lighting, photorealistic, professional corporate technology illustration”.
How to Generate AI Images for a Blog
When it comes to blog images, AI image generators can be really helpful.
If you run a tech blog, for example, you can use a text-to-image AI generator to create images related to the article you are publishing.
You could generate an image of an AI assistant, a futuristic computer, a person interacting with a robot, or anything else relevant to the blog post.
However, keep in mind that AI generated images cannot replace high-quality content.
Make sure the article provides value to your readers in spite of the generated visuals.
How to Create AI Images for YouTube Thumbnails
AI image generators can also be used to generate thumbnail concepts.
For example, you can ask to generate “a dramatic futuristic AI robot standing next to a glowing computer, surprised human silhouette in the foreground, strong visual contrast, cinematic lighting, clean background, YouTube thumbnail composition, 16:9”.
Once you have generated a background image, you can use online graphic design tools to add text and other elements on top of the image.
Creating thumbnails with text can be challenging, because most AI image generators struggle to render text correctly.
How to Generate AI Images on Your Phone
Most AI image generators can be accessed from a mobile device.
Even if you do not have a high-end PC, you can still access AI image generators from your phone.
AI Image Generation Process on Mobile
The process is generally the same across all platforms:
Open the AI image generator
Log in or sign up (if necessary)
Go to the AI image generation section
Enter your prompt
Generate the image
Edit the prompt (optional)
Save the image
All you need to use an AI image generator on your phone is a working internet connection.
How to Get More Realistic AI Images
If you want to generate realistic images, make sure to add realistic photographic elements to your prompt.
For example, instead of using a simple prompt such as “man working on a laptop”, try using a more descriptive prompt, such as “professional lifestyle photograph of a young software developer working on a laptop at a modern desk with natural window light, realistic skin texture, shallow depth of field, subtle background blur, authentic office environment, 50 mm photography look”.
You could also try including keywords such as photorealistic, natural lighting, realistic textures, professional photography, shallow depth of field, and other similar terms.
Avoid using extremely long prompts that contain dozens of different elements.
How to Generate Consistent Images
When using AI image generators, it can be challenging to generate the same image twice.
To get similar images, make sure the most important aspects of the image remain the same.
For example, you can ask to generate “a young software developer at a computer desk with a monitor, indoor plants, natural lighting from windows, modern office, photorealistic style, professional photography composition”.
You can then keep some of the most important elements the same while changing others.
For best results, use references, character references, and style references if the tool allows it.
Can You Use AI-Generated Images on a Website?
In most cases, yes.
However, it depends on the tool, the plan you are using, the image generation model, and the laws in your country.
Make sure to review the terms of use and conditions of the AI image generator tool you are using.
Also, make sure you understand any image licensing agreements, trademarks, copyrights, and other restrictions that may apply.
For example, some AI image generators prohibit using their images for commercial purposes or publishing recognizable characters.
Always
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