A Beginner's Guide to AI Image Generators

AI image generators turn a text description into a picture in seconds. They’re useful for social posts, blog headers, presentations, and creative projects, even if you can’t draw.

Which tool should you start with?

• Adobe Firefly: a good choice for business use, and built into Photoshop.
• Midjourney: beautiful, artistic results. Paid only.
• Ideogram: the best choice when you need readable text in the image, such as posters or thumbnails.
• ChatGPT and Gemini: convenient if you already use them, since you can create images right in the chat.

How to write a good prompt

A strong prompt describes four things:

1. Subject: what’s in the image (“a golden retriever wearing headphones”)
2. Setting: where it is (“in a cozy home studio”)
3. Style: how it looks (“soft watercolor illustration” or “realistic photo”)
4. Mood and lighting: “warm morning light, calm and cheerful”

Put together:

A golden retriever wearing headphones in a cozy home studio, soft watercolor illustration, warm morning light, calm and cheerful.

Tips for better results

• Iterate. Your first result is rarely the best. Change one detail at a time.
• Name the format. Add “wide banner,” “square,” or “vertical phone wallpaper.”
• Be specific about style. “Flat vector illustration” gives a very different result from “cinematic photo.”

Use images responsibly

• Don’t create images of real people in misleading situations.
• Check each tool’s license before using images commercially.
• Say when an image is AI-generated if your audience would care.

Start with something fun, experiment freely, and you’ll quickly get a feel for what each tool does best.