
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
AI-generated pictures are extra spectacular than ever, with some even profitable pictures awards and fooling consultants within the course of. The perfect half? You don’t should be knowledgeable artist or have any technical abilities to create them. However not all AI picture turbines are created equal — some excel at realism, whereas others are riddled with easy-to-spot errors. One factor is for certain: only a few can generate textual content reliably. To seek out the very best one then, I pushed every AI picture generator with successively difficult prompts. Listed here are my findings.
Which is the very best AI picture generator?

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Discovering the very best AI picture generator is troublesome for the reason that outcomes can fluctuate wildly from one immediate to a different. Nonetheless, we all know that generative AI tech tends to battle in sure areas greater than others so we are able to tailor our prompts to focus on these weaknesses and see the place each shines — or fails. Nearly all picture turbines can deal with less complicated artwork kinds so I’ll restrict testing to real looking scenes this time.
In case you ever must stress take a look at an AI picture generator, strive asking for pictures with intricate particulars like arms, hair, or textual content. Solely a handful of them can deal with these nicely, with others usually producing distorted or unrealistic outcomes. One other good take a look at is advanced scenes with a number of topics or uncommon views, which are likely to journey up even the very best fashions.
With that in thoughts, I made a decision to check a handful of various AI picture turbines. Particularly, I picked Google’s Imagen 3, Meta’s Think about, DALL-E 3 by way of Microsoft Designer and ChatGPT, and Grok. And for my first immediate, I requested for a picture of an individual crying. This request could appear too floor, however the consequence variance was fascinating.
Immediate 1: An individual crying, with tears streaming down their face
As you’ll be able to already inform, pictures from completely different AI fashions look nothing alike. Whereas a part of it’s because my immediate was somewhat imprecise, each picture generator I examined was additionally educated on a unique dataset. Meta used public pictures from Fb and Instagram, for instance, whereas it’s much less clear how most different firms obtained their coaching datasets.
Replicating anatomy has all the time been tough for AI picture turbines and these outcomes solely proves that truth. Google’s Imagen 3 produced an especially convincing consequence, with others like Meta’s Think about generated . I retested this immediate with minor variations to enhance the pattern measurement however Imagen 3 did win each single time.
Microsoft Designer makes use of OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 underneath the hood, that means it ought to produce comparable outcomes as ChatGPT. And that proved to be true in my testing, with each companies delivering first rate outcomes.
Winner: Imagen 3, adopted by DALL-E 3
Immediate 2: An action-packed scene of two dancers mid-performance in a rain-soaked avenue…
I elevated the complexity and element of my immediate this time, whereas retaining human topics within the body. Imagen 3 yielded a wonderful consequence as soon as once more, solely faltering with one topic’s fingers. Then again, Meta’s Think about botched one dancer’s limbs and face fully and I’d take into account the consequence unusable.
Microsoft Designer supplied cartoon-style outcomes, which appeared satisfactory however wasn’t what I used to be in search of. ChatGPT’s try was a lot worse, with an additional limb sprouting out of 1 dancer. Fortunately, Grok swung the pendulum again with an inexpensive consequence in addition to the dancers’ interlocked fingers.
Immediate 3: Generate a picture of an Airbus A380…taxiing down a runaway with tropical bushes within the background.
I could sound like a damaged report at this level however Imagen 3 continues to decimate the competitors. Regardless that this immediate requires the AI to generate textual content on the fuselage, Google’s mannequin dealt with it with ease. The airline’s identify is replicated completely and other than the odd runway taxiway markings, it’s practically unattainable to inform that the picture has been AI generated.
Grok delivered a equally spectacular consequence, though not on the primary strive, and nonetheless garbled some home windows on the aircraft’s higher deck. The chatbot makes use of a comparatively new picture generator referred to as Flux, created by the researchers who developed Secure Diffusion. Given the latter’s repute within the picture generator area, it’s no shock that Grok can produce wonderful outcomes.
Sadly, the opposite AI picture turbines delivered sub-par to comically unhealthy outcomes right here. Meta’s Think about spit out garbled textual content and the improper aircraft. DALL-E 3 by way of ChatGPT nearly nailed the textual content on the aspect of the aircraft however generated malformed runway markings. Microsoft Designer makes use of the identical DALL-E 3 mannequin however by some means delivered even worse-looking unrealistic pictures.
It’s price noting that including phrases like “photorealistic” or “HD” did little to make the AI-generated outcomes any extra authentic-looking or lifelike. The affect was minimal at finest, though it’s customary apply to incorporate these phrases as a part of good prompting.
Winner: Imagen 3, adopted by Grok
Immediate 4: Well-known personalities
Quite a bit has been stated in regards to the darkish aspect of AI picture turbines and their potential to sway public opinion via false narratives. To fight this downside, most generative AI platforms now have guardrails stopping you from requesting pictures that mimic a selected individual.
Unsurprisingly then, my immediate was turned down by each single AI picture generator – besides Grok. Elon Musk created Grok as a most “truth-seeking” AI, which is simply advertising converse for a chatbot with fewer guardrails than its rivals. This lack of restrictions extends to AI-generated pictures, as nicely, which suggests you might technically generate pictures of world leaders, celebrities, and even Musk himself in questionable settings.
Which AI picture generator do I like to recommend?

Lots of the AI picture turbines I examined have distinctive strengths that make them higher than the remaining, so right here’s my high choose relying on my priorities.
- High quality: Google’s Imagen 3 might not have probably the most recognizable model identify of all of the AI picture turbines on this checklist, however it stands out for delivering real looking pictures and intensely plausible outcomes. The one draw back is that you simply solely get one picture at a time and the AI processing can take a number of seconds every time you ship in a immediate.
- Pace: Meta Think about stands out should you want a fast picture because you don’t even must hit the Enter key to see a consequence. The device generates a picture inside a second of typing in a immediate, which feels nearly instantaneous in comparison with different choices on this checklist.
- Price: With so many AI picture turbines obtainable at present, is paying for one even price it? Doing so will unlock some good options, since AI picture modifying is usually locked behind subscription companies like Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, and DALL-E 3. For easy AI picture era, although, I’d advocate Imagen 3, Meta Think about, and Microsoft Designer.
- Censorship: Grok presents one of many best AI picture turbines with a number of the least restrictions, so it’s price a strive. The one draw back is that you simply’ll want an X Premium (previously Twitter Blue) subscription to make use of the service.
From a sensible standpoint, although, the very best AI picture generator might very nicely be the one already in your machine. For instance, Meta AI is already built-in inside WhatsApp and Fb Messenger. In case you already use both app, Meta Think about ought to serve you for fundamental picture era wants.
Likewise, the Pixel 9 collection ships with Google’s new Pixel Studio app powered by Imagen 3. Alternatively, it’s also possible to request AI-generated pictures by way of the Gemini app on any Android machine. The latter nonetheless makes use of the last-gen Imagen 2 for now, however it should transfer as much as Google’s newest mannequin quickly.