AI Image Creation: How to Create Pictures With AI

In the digital realm, it's almost impossible to run away from Artificial Intelligence (AI). Whether we love them or hate them, AI has transformed the way we operate, particularly in business and marketing.

Generative AI, in particular, has gained significant popularity. Because of its ability to create new content effectively and in minimal time, it’s been wielded by many businesses in their daily marketing efforts. In fact, it is estimated that 78% of work in Australia can be automated using generative AI by 2023.

As digital assassins, we’d like to highlight a particular subset of generative AI that we think could be a useful weapon for your business: AI image generators.

Like all weapons, using an AI image generator can bring about operational benefits, but only with the right knowledge and skills. This article looks into the basics of AI image generation, how it’s used, examples of the best AI tools for images, and important considerations before adopting it.

What is an AI Image Generator?

AI image generators use advanced machine learning, known as artificial neural networks, to create novel images. This sophisticated tool is highly trained in a large dataset of images, where it essentially learns existing patterns and features, and then creates a wholly new image when prompted.

But how does one create pictures with AI? The tool works by generally entering a text prompt into the AI of the desired image, and then witnessing as the prompt turns into the intended visual in seconds.

AI Image Generator

AI image sourcing and generation have been around for decades, but the recent boom in generative AI has significantly improved its capabilities. It means that you get better images in a variety of different art styles. AI images have skyrocketed in popularity, particularly among businesses and individuals who want to save time and resources generating imagery.

Using AI to create images is so popular that the market is forecasted to be at USD $917.4 million in 2030. As of September 2022, over 15 billion AI images have been generated, and it’s estimated that around 34 million AI images are created every day.

AI Image in Content Marketing

If content marketing is a battlefield, then an AI image generator is your admiral. The world of content is radically different from what it was a decade ago. With more people online and consuming content, it's imperative that businesses create high-quality content more quickly than ever before.

Here are some examples of the types of content that AI image generators can produce for businesses.

AI images are widely used in marketing imagery and collaterals, particularly for social media posts and website images. Currently, over 39% of marketers use generative AI to create social media images, and 36% of them use it for website images.

For example, Coca-Cola leveraged an AI image generator during its marketing campaign while launching its new Y3000 Zero Sugar flavour, a "limited-edition" beverage that’s co-created with artificial intelligence. It’s a prime example of how AI imagery is adopted even by big brands with high marketing budgets.

Now that we’ve provided intel on AI image generation, let's explore the best AI tools for making images.

Best AI Tools for Images

The AI image generator market is dominated by a selected few players. Here are the most popular AI tools that generate images for individuals and businesses.

While all of them are popular, their usability and pricing vary. If you’re planning to get started with AI image creation, here are our assassin-approved recommendations on which ones to have in your arsenal. We recommend either one of these three.

Dall-E 3

Dall-E 3 was created by OpenAI in January 2021, a company that also created the famous ChatGPT. This tool is highly intuitive in image generation and is currently used to create an average of 2 million AI images a day. It is especially popular among users of ChatGPT and comes complimentary with a ChatGPT Plus subscription (valued at USD $20/month).

Midjourney

Midjourney is another popular award-winning image generator, known for its fantastic image quality and great for creative and complex prompts. This tool is mainly popular among designers and creatives, as it has a steeper learning curve than others. Getting started with Midjourney requires a Basic Plan at USD$10/month, but you will be limited to around 200 images a month.

DreamStudio (Stable Diffusion)

DreamStudio is recognised as one of the easiest AI image generators to use, even if one doesn’t have any AI prompting background. Fast and responsive, it's suitable for creating eye-catching social media images and visuals. DreamStudio has a pay-per-use model, in which users pay approximately USD $1.18 for every 100 generation credits (your image settings will determine how the credits are used).

Benefits and Considerations of AI Image Creation

AI image creation comes with immense benefits. But before you begin to adopt it in your marketing plan, beware of some of its ethical and legal considerations. Let’s look into its benefits and limitations in detail.

Benefits of AI Image Generation

Building your imagery bank with AI has several known benefits. Here are some of the more prominent ones:

Efficiency: Images can be generated for around $2 dollars per image, which is significantly more inexpensive than hiring a graphic designer in your business.
Time-saving: Because the AI can generate an image in seconds, it saves marketers and business owners time, allowing them to focus on other aspects of their job.
Flexible: Making edits through an AI image generator is simple and quick, as it typically takes another simple prompt. Most image generators allow you to specify the dimensions and illustrations, and personalise the image to your liking during the text prompt.
Scalable: With a paid account, you can create large amounts of visuals quickly and consistently according to your brand image.

Limitations of AI Image Generation

While there are many benefits to AI image generation, one should also consider the limitations of using the tool. Here are the top four:

Copyright: Images generated are typically not private, and most basic plans do not offer any copyright on those images that you’ve prompted. This means that anyone can use your image for themselves.
Lacks innovation: AI image generation has yet to reach the level of humans in designing quality images. Because machine learning takes every idea that’s already existed, the chances of you generating any novel image are little to none.
Inauthentic: If you’re looking to create authentic, local images that are specific to your brand, AI image generators are not the tools that can deliver. Consider crafting content manually instead to best capture your individual expertise.
Bias: AI algorithms typically have the biases that they were trained on, and can only create images that are within society's standards. For example, some tools will only give you male tradies or female nurses.

Key takeaway: Are AI tools good for creating images?

As digital assassins, we strongly advocate combining both AI and human intelligence when crafting your marketing imagery. This means supplementing your images with AI, but not making it the focal point of your execution - especially if you’re creating images that are important to you or your business.

If you’re unsure of how to create targeted imagery that captures your audience's attention, consider working with the experts at Digital Assassins.

Digital Assassin’s digital marketing package involves developing content and masterful imagery that help businesses infiltrate their customers. We work together with our partners' internal staff to ensure all content is made to produce targeted results.

To get started with improving your content marketing strategy with Digital Assassin, speak to an assassin today.