Beginner's Guide to AI Image Generation Tools

For non-technical users, creating eye-catching visuals used to be challenging. Now, AI image generation tools provide an accessible solution. This article explores leading AI platforms, analyzes their capabilities and business impact, and provides strategies to maximize value.

AI Tools for Content-Relevant Images

AI-powered platforms provide simple ways for non-technical users to produce custom images that are highly relevant to their content.

DeepArt

DeepArt utilizes neural network AI to instantly transform photographs into remarkable artworks modeled after iconic painting styles.

To use DeepArt, users simply upload any image and choose from a wide selection of artistic styles—including Van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet—that they want to mimic. DeepArt's algorithm will then digitally paint the photo in the stylistic vein of the selected artist. This instantly generates an eye-catching graphic that aligns with the aesthetics of many websites and brands.

Let's say you are travel blogger, want to turn one of travel photos into a Van Gogh-style painting to feature on blog. Here's how you could use DeepArt:

• Go to deepart.io and click "Process Your Image"

• Upload your travel photo and wait for it to process

• Browse the Style Transfer filter options and select "Van Gogh"

• Click apply and DeepArt will transform your photo into a Van Gogh-esque painting

• Download the generated image and insert it into your blog post

• Generating Social Media Images with Runway

Runway

Whereas DeepArt converts existing images, Runway's AI lets users create wholly unique images from text prompts.

To generate custom graphics, users simply type a textual description of the visual they want to produce. Runway's advanced generative algorithms will then process the text and output a novel, high-quality image matching the description.

With Runway, non-technical users can dream up the perfect graphic for their content and bring it to life within seconds. It's ideal for users who need custom images but lack the technical skills for graphic design and photo editing.

You are e-commerce social media manager, needs to create a product photo for Facebook showcasing a new item. Here's how you can use Runway's text-to-image AI:

• Go to runwayml.com and select the image generation model

• In the text prompt box, describe the image you want such as "A photo of our classic leather boots on a white background"

• Runway will process the text and generate a custom image

• You can refine the image by adjusting the text prompt until the output matches your goal

• Download the final image and posts it natively on social media

AI for Brand Assets

AI image generation tools enable non-designers to effortlessly create a variety of visual assets that reinforce brand identity.

Hatchful by Shopify

Hatchful is an AI-powered logo creation tool for small businesses and personal brands. Users can generate a custom logo in seconds simply by selecting their industry and style preferences.

Hatchful's algorithm will instantly produce a set of unique logo options for the brand based on the inputs. Non-technical users can rapidly iterate until they find the perfect fit for their business.

You are the entrepreneur, needs a logo for your new consulting business. You can make one in Hatchful through these steps:

• Go to hatchful.shopify.com and select "Start from scratch"

• Choose your industry (business consulting) and style preferences

• Hatchful will provide your with 10 logo options based on your inputs

• You can favorite the ones you likes and Hatchful will generate more iterations

• Once you find perfect logo, you can download the files to use on your website and business cards

Snappa

Snappa helps non-tech users make a wide range of graphics like banners, ads, flyers, and more using AI-generated design templates.

Users simply choose a template for the asset they want to build. Snappa will then customize the design with stock imagery and brand elements tailored to the user's business.

You need to make a banner ad for company's latest sale promotion. Here's how you can quickly design one in Snappa:

• Go to snappa.com and search for "sale banner" under templates

• Select the template you like and Snappa will open the customization editor

• Upload your company logo and enter the sale details like dates and percentages

• Browse Snappa's stock photos and select an image that fits your promotion

• Arrange the elements how you like and click "Use this design"

• Snappa will optimize the banner for web and let John download JPG, PNG, and GIF formats

Dynamic Image Optimization

AI can also assist non-technical users in optimizing images for each user's device and network conditions.

imgix

imgix seamlessly integrates with existing image hosting to provide real-time, device-specific image optimization.

The service automatically resizes images, adjusts formatting, and compresses file size based on the viewer's device and network connection speed. This ensures each user sees images in the most optimized form for their context.

For non-technical website owners, imgix takes all the guesswork out of image optimization. It provides optimal viewing experiences without needing to manually create resized copies or special mobile versions of each image.

You own an e-commerce site but notices your product images load slowly on mobile. You can fix this using imgix:

• Sign up for an imgix account and integrate it with your site by updating the image URLs

• Imgix will now proxy all your image requests and optimize in real-time

• To improve mobile speed, enable "Autoformat" and "Compress" in your imgix dashboard

• imgix will automatically convert and compress images per device

• Test on mobile and see image load time decrease dramatically

AI for Image SEO

AI tools can also analyze image content and generate SEO metadata for non-technical users. This helps improve image search visibility and traffic.

SEOlyzer

SEOlyzer uses image recognition AI to scan images and automatically detect key objects, themes, and text within them. It then generates appropriate alt text descriptions and title tags for each image to highlight these elements.

Additionally, the tool suggests relevant meta descriptions that summarize the image content for search engines.

For non-technical SEO beginners, manually optimizing dozens or hundreds of website images is an overwhelming task. By automating alt text and meta data generation, SEOlyzer makes it easy to optimize images at scale.

You have lots of product photos on ecommerce site but want to optimize them to improve search visibility. Here's how you can use SEOlyzer:

• Go to seolyzer.io and sign up for an account

• In the image optimizer, click "Add New Images" and upload your product photos

• For each image, SEOlyzer will provide auto-generated alt text and title tags

• You can edit the alt text if needed to accurately describe the image

• Reviews the auto-generated meta descriptions for relevance

• Clicking "Download SEO Data" provides a zip file with optimized metadata

• Uploads this data to your site to enhance image SEO

• You can also enableintegrations for continual optimization

Current AI imaging tools have limitations but progress rapidly. Non-technical users can gain an edge by adopting these emerging technologies before they become mainstream. Recognizing the power of AI image creation provides a competitive advantage in branding, engagement and conversions.