Neural networks today are not just used to create images, they are actually taking work away from designers and artists. In 2023, our team first began using artificial intelligence for marketing tasks in the US, since then the function has effectively moved to artificial intelligence. Today I will talk about which neural networks are best used for generating images, and will also share my own experience.
Overview of the most popular services
This neural network is most often used by fairly advanced users. However, it is also perfect for beginners. You just have to study the prompts.
Lexica can create detailed and complex images with excellent resolution. The tool is free to use. However, it is limited to 16 images per month. The rest is only a paid subscription.
On the plus side, Lexica is very fast, you can edit the result and use ready-made templates. The downside is that each time you are given four results, so in fact you only have four attempts within the free access. Please note that most generated images have problems with realism.
The neural network is one of the information products of SBER Corporation. The neural network is well trained; it includes more than 3 million parameters. A special feature is interface support in different languages, fast image generation, and editing capabilities.
A nice bonus is the complete availability of the service in the form of no paid subscriptions. On the downside, the quality of the finished files can be assessed as average. Don’t expect wide resolution. Many more users note problems with drawing facial features.
Very often, David Holtz’s neural network is used for marketing purposes. Midjourney has so-called diffuse artificial intelligence. This allows you to create complex and detailed images.
The product from Microsoft was released in 2023. The company immediately announced that access would be free. The neural network copes well with tasks related to abstract images, but not always so well with people.
For example, a person may have four fingers instead of five. The advantages of Bing Image Creator include speed and ease of use. Disadvantages – it is impossible to edit the result obtained, there are restrictions on use in the Russian Federation.
This is a neural network from the American company OpenAI. The service creates fairly realistic illustrations. You can also edit your own photos with the ability to change almost all elements.
From an interface point of view, the program is very simple and understandable. The resulting images can be edited and downloaded. At the initial stage, use is free, but if you decide to use the program you will have to pay.
This neural network was presented by Yandex in 2023. Masterpiece has signs of a social network. You will be able to post your work and view the results of other users. An undoubted plus is free access, the neural network was originally created for our country, so the service understands the Russian language perfectly. More suitable for personal use.
AI content tagging
In 2023, the practice of labeling AI content began to be actively used by four large American companies – Adobe, Google, Microsoft and Digimarc. Interestingly, each company has developed its own marking, so the issue of a unified approach has become urgent.
In March 2024, adopted The European Union Artificial Intelligence Act. The document states that all content created using AI must be labeled as artificially generated. According to the procedure, the Law will come into force in early April. But at this stage it will only be partially effective. This time is necessary for companies to adapt to the new approach.
In 2022, China introduced mandatory labeling of any digital products that are created by artificial intelligence. This includes text content, images and audio files.
In Russia this issue is still beginning to be discussed. Most recently, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications Anton Gorelkin took the initiative to introduce a mechanism for tagging content in online services, which is created using solutions based on artificial intelligence.
Ethical aspect
For an artist, painting is often hard work that takes him several months, and sometimes years, of his life. It’s hard to believe that it took Viktor Vasnetsov 18 years to complete one of the most famous paintings, “Bogatyrs.” It took Ilya Repin 11 years to paint the work “The Cossacks Write a Letter to the Turkish Sultan.” Kazimir Malevich created four versions of his most famous painting in order to find the ideal option that could express the depth of the artist’s thoughts.
In February 2023, a group of American artists filed a lawsuit against the developers of the Midjourney neural network. The artists claimed that the authors trained the neural network with their works. But they just forgot to ask permission about this.
A little later, a similar scandal broke out in the Writers Guild of America. More than eight thousand writers, including Dan Brown (“The Da Vinci Code”) and Suzanne Collins (“The Hunger Games”), signed an open letter asking them to stop training neural networks based on their works. Moreover, the question of compensation from companies developing artificial intelligence technology has become acute.
Personal advice
- Address the same request to different neural networks. I recommend using at least three tools. Various experiments demonstrate that the results can vary quite significantly for the same procedures.
- Critically analyze the result obtained. Especially if you use it for marketing purposes. The most important principle is realism at the maximum level. Evaluate the result obtained several times.
- Each neural network has its own specifics. One product is great at creating real portraits of people, the other is focused on abstract graphics or fantasy characters. Therefore, try creating parts of the layout using different tools, and then assemble the result yourself.
- Don’t rush to buy a paid subscription. There are a lot of services on the market. You can find an alternative to the option you like. It only makes sense to buy a paid subscription for professional or commercial use.
