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Text-to-image generating AIs have been the talk of the town after Dall-E grabbed the attention of users everywhere in 2022. Dall-E and Dall-E 2 are two of the most popular models from Open Source that are remarkable platforms for creating AI art. The name takes inspiration from Salvador Dali and Pixar's Wall-E.
The AI is based on GPT-3 and has been trained in over 12 billion parameters, making it a prime example of machine learning. A variety of images can be extracted from text input provided by the user to generate almost all kinds of artwork.
Dall-E's major strength is its ability to generate aesthetically pleasing artwork in the abstract genre. Here are a few alternatives to explore that are on par with the AI art model.
Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and 3 other alternatives to Dall-E
1) Midjourney
Midjourney is an open-source AI project that creates images and videos from text prompts, just like Dall-E. It went into open beta testing in July 2022 and has since been updating its databases and improving its algorithms to bring out near-accurate depictions of text commands.
Access is currently limited and provided through a Discord server where users can type in their text descriptions with the "/imagine" command. After a short free trial, users will have to opt for a paid subscription package.
When it comes to images, Midjourney's greatest strength is its ability to produce photo-realistic images. The AI has a huge database to work from and allows users to input multiple prompts and parameters. Focus on the details of the subjects and their environments are near accurate and highly photo-realistic.
However, the AI does struggle with a few things, like long and descriptive text commands that blend multiple art styles together. The model's use of colors is extravagant and useful when creating abstract images, but it occasionally produces incoherent results on certain prompts. Midjourney also seems to struggle a bit with blending facial expressions.
Midjourney is a work in progress, and there have been some impressive adjustments with every new version. At this rate, it could soon outperform Dall-E.
2) Stable Diffusion
Stable Diffusion went public sometime around the late months of last year. Hardware with decent specifications, like mid-range gaming PCs, is all that's required to run it.
Stable Diffusion seems to have adopted a flexible approach with its image production when compared to Dall-E. Most images via Dall-E follow a generic form unless provided with modifiers. However, Stable Diffusion tends to go beyond the common norms, with a focus on producing something new.
The model handles lighting and color blending well, but the AI struggles with following long text prompts, often producing images that don't align with the original command.
Stable Diffusion has a lot of potential, and its algorithms could see a major overhaul with more updates.
3) Night Cafe
Named after the famous artist Vincent Van Gogh, the AI platform has been around since 2019. It is a paid app that has a short trial period for users to try out the advanced features. The subscription features really open up a lot of possibilities for customization.
Night Cafe has a considerable database and a huge parameter count that allows the user to browse various options before blending them into a final product. The app has a credit system that lets users can stack up points to use the paid features for a limited time.
Night Cafe tends to do better in digital art styles that are commonly found in artwork created on Procreate or Art Rage. As with most text-to-image apps, this one also needs improvements when it comes to deciphering descriptive text inputs.
The sheer amount of settings in Night Cafe indicates that it has the basic architecture to become an AI art powerhouse.
4) Craiyon
Craiyon, initially named Dall-E Mini, was developed to be light on the GPUs of users. Though it can be downloaded on PC, it is probably better to use the website rather than having your system do the work.
Craiyon's creative style can be best described as straightforward and simple. It has the ability to parse commands from long descriptions, just like Dall-E. The images that it produces are relevant and in line with the text prompts.
However, when it comes to providing optimal detailing, Craiyon falls short. At times, the images lack details under a certain mix of commands. Other images get bombarded with too many details, which results in an unconvincing final product. Craiyon also seems to lack a certain "instinct" to sense what would be desirable to the user.
However, Craiyon is capable of creating simple illustrations by incorporating text and using vibrant colors.
5) Jasper AI Art
Jasper AI is similar to the language AI ChatGPT and also uses the ChatGPT model for its operations. They recently introduced their image AI feature, Jasper AI Art, that converts text descriptions to images.
Being a fairly new project, this AI has the capability of generating generic artwork and graphic illustrations. The interface is simple and provides dedicated customization options for artist styles, mediums, moods, etc. They also have a freeform mode that only requires text input. It produces multiple images at a time, offering multiple interpretations of the prompts.
The art style has a lot of room for improvement, especially in the field of photorealism and detail. The facial construction model is still in its infancy and requires optimizations in light-play and contrast when compared to Dall-E.
Jasper AI Art is a fun app that can be used to create cover illustrations for music tracks or magazines. With its growing database and additional paid features, it could be a light alternative to Dall-E.
