Dall-E 3 vs Midjourney vs Stable Diffusion XL comparison. Which is the best AI image gen tool?

Taming AI
15 Oct 202306:51

TLDRThis video compares the top AI image generation tools as of October 2023: Dall-E 3, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion XL. Focusing on common AI weaknesses like human hands, text, and complex patterns, the comparison evaluates the quality of output. Dall-E 3, available for free via Bing Image Creator, shows promise but has daily limits. Midjourney requires a subscription, while Stable Diffusion is open-source and ideal for privacy-focused users. The tests reveal Dall-E 3 as the leader for quick, unprompted image generation, but all tools struggle with text and visual accuracy, suggesting the need for careful prompting for optimal results.

Takeaways

  • 🚀 Generative AI is rapidly improving, making it challenging to keep up with innovations in the industry.
  • 🆚 A comparison is made between Dall-E 3, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion XL to determine the best AI image generation tool.
  • 👀 The focus is on the quality of output, particularly in areas where generative AI often struggles, such as human hands, text, and complex patterns.
  • 💰 Dall-E 3 and Stable Diffusion XL are free to use, while Midjourney requires a paid subscription.
  • 🔒 Only Stable Diffusion is open source and can be run locally, which is beneficial for privacy concerns.
  • 🎨 The first test involved generating images of software developers painting a mural, highlighting the tools' ability to depict human hands accurately.
  • 🤚 Dall-E 3 produced images with noticeable errors in hand and facial features upon close inspection.
  • 🖌️ Midjourney initially provided cartoonish drawings but eventually produced images with distorted hands and faces after prompting.
  • 🎨 Stable Diffusion struggled with the concept of a mural and had issues with hand and face depictions.
  • 🐱 The second test asked for a cat astronaut playing the piano, revealing difficulties in depicting piano keys and their patterns.
  • 🎉 A test involving an underwater tea party with a 'Happy Birthday' banner showed that all tools had issues with text generation and accuracy.
  • 🏆 Based on the tests, Dall-E 3 seems to be the best option for quick image generation without extensive prompting.
  • 🛠️ The quality of text and image generation can be improved with careful instruction and tweaking of prompts.
  • 🔑 The choice of tool depends on personal circumstances, including budget, image quantity, speed, and privacy concerns.

Q & A

  • What is the main focus of the video comparing Dall-E 3, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion XL?

    -The video focuses on a head-to-head comparison of the top three AI image generation tools as of October 2023, specifically looking at their ability to handle well-known weak points for generative AI such as human hands, text, and repetitive patterns with non-obvious structures.

  • Which tool is currently available for free and how does it differ from the others in terms of cost?

    -Dall-E 3 and Stable Diffusion XL are both free to use. However, Dall-E 3 is accessed through Microsoft Bing image Creator, while Midjourney requires a paid subscription.

  • What is the advantage of Stable Diffusion XL being open source?

    -Being open source, Stable Diffusion XL can be run locally on users' hardware, which is ideal for those who prioritize privacy and prefer to keep their data local.

  • What was the first test conducted in the video and what was the main interest in this test?

    -The first test asked the AI tools to create pictures of a group of software developers painting a mural, with the main interest being the tools' ability to correctly depict the shape and number of fingers in human hands.

  • How did Dall-E 3 perform in the first test regarding the depiction of human hands and faces?

    -Dall-E 3 produced images that looked decent from afar but had errors and inconsistencies upon closer inspection, including deformed hands and twisted faces.

  • What was the issue with Midjourney's initial results in the human hands test?

    -Midjourney initially produced zoomed-out cartoon drawings, which did not meet the test requirements. After prompting, the results still suffered from distorted hands and faces.

  • What tool was used to test Stable Diffusion XL and how was its performance in the mural test?

    -Focus, a tool with a simple installation process and a clean graphical user interface, was used to test Stable Diffusion XL. It struggled with the concept of a mural, and the hands and faces in the generated images were not accurate.

  • What was the second test conducted in the video and what was the main challenge for the AI tools?

    -The second test asked the AI tools to depict a cat astronaut playing the piano, with the main challenge being the accurate representation of the piano keys' repeating pattern.

  • How did the AI tools perform in the text generation test involving an underwater tea party with a 'Happy Birthday' banner?

    -Dall-E 3 got the text right in one image but had visual artifacts. Midjourney failed to include the required text banner, and Stable Diffusion's image quality was poor and ignored the text request.

  • Based on the tests, which AI tool seems to be the best for quickly generating images without much prompting?

    -Based on the tests, Dall-E 3 seems to be the best for quickly generating images without much prompting, as it produces great results and is free, albeit with daily limits.

  • What factors should be considered when choosing an AI image generation tool according to the video?

    -Factors to consider include whether one is willing to pay a monthly subscription, the number of images needed, the speed of image generation, and concerns about privacy and keeping data local.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 AI Image Generation Tools Comparison

This paragraph introduces a comparative analysis of the top three AI image generation tools as of October 2023: DALL-E 3, Mid Journey, and Stable Diffusion. The focus is on their ability to handle generative AI's known weak points such as human hands, text, and complex patterns. The paragraph also touches upon the accessibility, cost, and privacy aspects of these tools, highlighting that while DALL-E 3 and Stable Diffusion are free, Mid Journey requires a subscription, and only Stable Diffusion is open source. The tests will evaluate the quality of the output images, particularly the depiction of human hands in a scenario involving software developers painting a mural.

05:01

🚀 Results of AI Image Generation Tests

The second paragraph discusses the results of the tests conducted on the AI image generation tools. DALL-E 3, available for free through Microsoft Bing image Creator, produced decent but flawed images with noticeable errors upon close inspection. Mid Journey initially produced zoomed-out images, requiring prompting for more detailed results, which still had issues with hands and faces. Stable Diffusion, tested using the Focus tool, struggled with the concept of a mural and also had issues with hand and face depiction. A second test involving a cat astronaut playing the piano showed that none of the tools could accurately represent piano keys, with Stable Diffusion omitting the astronaut aspect entirely. The paragraph concludes with a text generation test for an underwater tea party, where DALL-E 3 managed text correctly in one image, but all tools exhibited issues with textual and visual hallucinations. The summary ends with a preliminary verdict on DALL-E 3 being the best for quick image generation without much prompting, while also discussing the potential of DALL-E 3 to reduce the need for detailed prompts in the future.

Mindmap

Keywords

Generative AI

Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can create new content, such as images, music, or text. In the context of the video, generative AI is used to create images, emphasizing the rapid advancements in this technology. The video discusses the performance of three top AI image generation tools, highlighting the improvements in their ability to generate realistic and coherent images.

DALL-E 3

DALL-E 3 is one of the AI image generation tools compared in the video. It is named after the famous surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, reflecting its ability to create surreal and imaginative images. The video notes that DALL-E 3 is available for free through Microsoft Bing Image Creator, and it is evaluated based on its output quality and ability to depict human hands and faces accurately.

Midjourney

Midjourney is another AI tool in the comparison, which requires a paid subscription for its use. The term 'mid-journey' could metaphorically suggest being in the middle of a process or exploration, which in this case relates to the ongoing development and testing of AI image generation capabilities. The video script discusses the tool's performance, particularly its initial tendency to produce cartoonish drawings and its challenges with depicting hands and faces.

Stable Diffusion XL

Stable Diffusion XL is an open-source AI image generation tool that can be run locally on user hardware. The 'stable' in its name implies a focus on producing consistent and reliable image outputs. The video examines its performance, especially its struggle with generating images of human hands, faces, and complex patterns like piano keys.

Human hands

The depiction of human hands is a known weak point for generative AI, as it requires accuracy in shape and the correct number of fingers. The video uses this as a criterion to test the capabilities of the AI tools, noting the errors and inconsistencies in the generated images, particularly when zooming in on the details.

Text

The ability to generate text is another aspect evaluated in the video, as it tests the AI's capacity to understand and replicate human language within images. The script describes how the AI tools were asked to include a 'happy birthday' banner in an underwater tea party scene, highlighting the challenges AI faces with text generation and integration.

Repetitive patterns

Repetitive patterns, such as piano keys, are complex for generative AI due to their non-obvious structure. The video points out that none of the AI tools managed to accurately represent the pattern of black and white keys on a piano, which is a specific example of the difficulty AI has with certain types of repetitive imagery.

Privacy

Privacy is a consideration mentioned in the context of choosing an AI tool, especially when one of the options, Stable Diffusion XL, is open source and can be run locally, thereby allowing users to keep their data private. The video suggests that for those concerned with privacy, the ability to use AI tools without sharing data is an important factor.

Prompting

Prompting refers to the process of giving instructions or cues to an AI system to guide the generation of specific content. The video discusses the need for prompting with some tools, like Midjourney, to achieve the desired results, and how DALL-E 3 might reduce the need for prompting with its integration into Bing chat.

Artifacts

In the context of AI image generation, artifacts refer to unintended or strange elements that appear in the generated images, which are not part of the intended output. The video uses the term to describe the 'hallucinations' that occur in the images, such as the unexpected appearance of a tentacle snail in one of the DALL-E 3 outputs.

Subscription

A subscription model is a type of payment arrangement where users pay a monthly fee to access a service. The video mentions that Midjourney requires a paid subscription, which is a factor to consider when choosing an AI image generation tool, especially in relation to the cost and the frequency of image generation needs.

Highlights

Generative AI is improving at an extraordinary rate, making it difficult to keep pace with innovations.

A head-to-head comparison between Dall-E 3, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion XL to determine the best AI image generation tool.

The test focuses on the quality of output, particularly the depiction of human hands, text, and complex patterns.

Dall-E 3 and Stable Diffusion XL are free, while Midjourney requires a paid subscription.

Stable Diffusion is open source and can be run locally, ideal for those concerned with privacy.

Dall-E 3 produced stereotypical images with noticeable errors in human hands and faces.

Midjourney initially produced cartoonish drawings, later prompting resulted in distorted hands and faces.

Stable Diffusion struggled with the concept of a mural and had issues with human hands and faces.

None of the AI tools accurately depicted a cat astronaut playing the piano, especially the piano keys' arrangement.

Dall-E 3 had issues with text generation, with only one image correctly displaying the text.

Midjourney failed to include the required text banner and had inferior image quality compared to Dall-E 3.

Stable Diffusion ignored the text banner request and had the poorest image quality.

Dall-E 3 seems to be the winner for quick image generation without much prompting.

Dall-E 3 is available for free through Bing Image Creator but has daily limits.

Dall-E 3 model is also available in Bing Chat for iterative adjustments to initial results.

The quality of text and image generation degrades with each new iteration in Bing Chat.

The choice of AI tool depends on personal circumstances, including subscription willingness, image quantity, speed, and privacy concerns.

The video aims to be useful for viewers interested in AI-related content.