The Best Free AI Art Generators - RANKED Worst-Best (Most Are New to You)

AI art generators have evolved significantly, now capable of creating unique and fascinating art pieces. However, the lack of human intent in AI-generated art raises questions about its artistic value, ownership, and originality. Critics argue for more authentic human-made content, while companies like Shutterstock and Adobe focus on using their owned images to train AI, avoiding copyright issues. Despite legal uncertainties, AI art is best enjoyed personally. Various AI art generators offer free trials, but most require payment for extended use or higher quality. The video ranks AI art and video generators from least to most impressive, highlighting their capabilities and limitations. It also touches on the ethical concerns surrounding the emulation of living artists' styles and the potential of AI in creative fields.

Takeaways

• 🎨 AI art generators have advanced to create unique and fascinating art pieces, but they may not hold the same artistic value as human-made art due to the lack of direct human intent.
• 🤔 The ownership and originality of AI-generated art are questioned, leading to criticism from communities advocating for authentic human-made content.
• 🚫 Companies like Shutterstock and Adobe have developed their own AI image generators using their owned images to avoid copyright infringement issues.
• 💼 Getty Images has an AI art generator but is also involved in legal disputes over copyright, highlighting the complex legal landscape of AI art.
• 💰 Most AI art generators offer a few free tokens for initial use but require payment for additional images or higher quality.
• 📹 AI video generators like OpenAI's Sora model and D3 are noteworthy, though access to them may be restricted.
• 📈 Tests for ranking AI art generators were conducted using esoteric prompts, and a picture of a young Greyhound named Skip for systems requiring a photo prompt.
• 📊 The list ranks AI art and video generators from least to most impressive, providing insights into their capabilities and limitations.
• 📈 Model Scope, despite being basic and producing short video clips with distortions, is notable as an early text-to-video AI generation tool.
• 🔍 Deep AI and other older systems are less appealing due to their basic features and the slow, low-resolution outputs they produce.
• 🌟 Leonardo AI stands out for its stunning and highly stylized images, offering extensive creation options, although using more settings incurs costs.
• 📝 The transcript emphasizes the importance of considering the ethical and legal implications when using AI art generators.

Q & A

What has been the advancement in AI art generators?

AI art generators have evolved from simply piecing together images found on the internet to now being able to create unique and fascinating pieces of art due to advancements in AI technology.

Why might AI generated images not hold the same artistic value as human-made art?

AI generated images may lack the same artistic value as human-made art because there isn't a direct human intent behind their creation, which raises questions about ownership and originality.

What are some criticisms faced by the use of AI generated images?

Many communities criticize the use of AI generated images, advocating for more authentic and human-made content instead.

How do companies like Shutterstock and Adobe approach AI image generation to avoid legal issues?

Companies like Shutterstock and Adobe have developed their own AI image generators that use images they own to train their AI, thus avoiding legal issues related to copyright infringement.

What is the current legal situation involving AI generated art?

The legal situation surrounding AI generated art is murky, with companies like Getty Images facing legal action against AI creators like Stability AI for copyright issues.

What is the general recommendation for using AI generated images?

Given the unclear legal status, it's best to use AI generated images for personal enjoyment rather than commercial purposes.

How do most AI art generators operate in terms of cost?

Most AI art generators offer a few free tokens for initial use but soon require users to pay for more images or better quality.

What are some of the AI video generators mentioned in the transcript?

The transcript mentions AI video generators like Model Scope, Zeroscope, and Runway Text to Video, each with varying levels of quality and functionality.

How does the AI art generator Stable Diffusion differ from others?

Stable Diffusion is a free open-source image generator that performs better when emulating specific artists, making it versatile but also facing ethical concerns regarding the emulation of living artists' styles.

What are some of the limitations of the AI art generator NightCafe?

NightCafe offers various styles but quickly prompts users to pay for continued use or higher quality, with the free version being limited in resolution and creativity.

How does the AI art generator Leonardo AI stand out from the rest?

Leonardo AI provides stunning and highly stylized images with extensive options for creation, standing out for its quality and style, although using more settings and upscaling costs tokens.

Why is Midjourney mentioned as a bonus despite not being free?

Midjourney is mentioned as a bonus because of its high-quality outputs and influence in the AI art generator space, making it a top choice for those willing to pay for a subscription.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 AI Art Generation and Its Challenges

The video script discusses the evolution of AI art generators, which have advanced from merely assembling internet images to creating unique and fascinating art pieces. However, the lack of direct human intent in AI-generated art raises questions about its artistic value, ownership, and originality. The script mentions criticism from communities advocating for authentic human-made content and legal issues surrounding copyright infringement with AI art. Companies like Shutterstock and Adobe have developed their own AI image generators, while Getty Images has also entered the market but is facing legal challenges. The script provides a list of various AI art and video generators, ranging from less to more impressive, based on their capabilities and the quality of their outputs. It also touches on the limitations and potential of these technologies.

05:02

📊 Ranking AI Art Generators and User Accessibility

This paragraph continues the discussion by ranking different AI art generators from least to most impressive, considering factors like video quality, resolution, and the ability to handle complex prompts. It highlights the limitations of each generator, such as odd distortions, watermarks, and the need for payment for higher quality or additional uses. The paragraph also notes the ethical concerns with some generators, like the emulation of living artists' styles. Additionally, it mentions the accessibility of these tools, with some offering a limited number of free images or prompts before requiring payment. The script concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their thoughts on the list and whether they are familiar with the mentioned AI art generators.

Keywords

💡AI art generators

AI art generators are tools that use artificial intelligence to create unique pieces of art. They have evolved from simply piecing together images found on the internet to now being able to generate truly unique and fascinating art. In the video, it's mentioned that these tools may not hold the same artistic value as human-made art due to the lack of direct human intent behind their creation.

💡Artistic value

Artistic value refers to the quality or worth of an artwork, often determined by its originality, creativity, and the skill of the artist. The video discusses the debate over whether AI-generated images can possess the same artistic value as those created by humans, given that there's no human behind the AI's creative process.

💡Ownership

Ownership in the context of the video pertains to the legal rights and responsibilities over a piece of art or creative work. It raises questions about who should own AI-generated art since there isn't a human creator directly involved in its creation, which is a significant point of discussion in the video.

💡Originality

Originality is the quality of being new, fresh, or inventive. The video script discusses the issue of originality in AI-generated art, questioning whether such art can be considered original since it is created by algorithms rather than a human artist.

💡Copyright infringement

Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of copyrighted material. The video mentions legal issues related to AI image generators using copyrighted images to train their AI systems, which can lead to copyright infringement lawsuits, as exemplified by Getty Images' legal action against Stability AI.

💡Shutterstock

Shutterstock is a stock image company that has developed its own AI image generator. The video notes that Shutterstock's approach focuses on using images they own to train their AI, which helps them avoid legal issues related to copyright infringement.

💡Adobe

Adobe is a software company known for its creative applications such as Photoshop. The video script mentions Adobe's development of an AI image generator called Adobe Firefly, which uses Adobe stock images for training, aiming for outputs that are basic but suitable for advertising purposes.

💡Getty Images

Getty Images is a well-known provider of visual content and is involved in the creation of AI art generators. The video highlights Getty Images' involvement in legal disputes over AI-generated art, specifically their legal action against Stability AI, creators of stable diffusion, for copyright issues.

💡Stable Diffusion

Stable Diffusion is an open-source image generator developed by Stability AI. It is mentioned in the video as a versatile tool that performs better when emulating specific artists, but it also faces ethical concerns regarding the emulation of living artists' styles.

💡Deep AI

Deep AI is an AI generator mentioned in the video that uses an older generative adversarial network (GAN) algorithm. The video notes that it produces images that are more akin to internet collages and lacks the advanced features found in newer systems, making its outputs less appealing.

💡Generative Adversarial Network (GAN)

A Generative Adversarial Network is a type of AI algorithm used to generate new, synthetic data that is similar to the training data it was fed. In the context of the video, GANs are used by some AI art generators to create images. However, the older GAN algorithms, like the one used by Deep AI, can result in low-resolution and confusing images.

💡Microsoft Designer

Microsoft Designer is an AI-powered design tool that benefits from Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI. The video script highlights it as one of the most capable free tools available, offering 99 free prompts per day with the DALL-E 2 model, despite having a watermark on its outputs.

Highlights

AI art generators have advanced to create unique and fascinating pieces of art.

AI-generated images may lack the same artistic value as human-made art due to the absence of direct human intent.

Ownership and originality of AI art are contentious issues.

Communities criticize AI art for lacking authenticity and advocate for more human-made content.

Companies like Shutterstock and Adobe have developed their own AI image generators using owned images to avoid copyright infringement.

Getty Images has an AI art generator and is involved in legal action against Stability AI for copyright issues.

AI art generators typically offer a few free tokens and then require payment for more images or higher quality.

AI video generators like Open AI Sora model and D3 are notable, but access may be restricted.

Tests were conducted using esoteric prompts from recent reads for systems requiring text or photo prompts.

Model scope is a basic AI video generator with odd distortions and watermarks.

Zeroscope produces higher quality videos with an option to upscale, but generation can be slow.

Runway text to video offers longer video generation capabilities but with basic movements.

Pixr uses an older algorithm resulting in low resolution and slow process.

Deep AI produces basic images similar to internet collages.

Cryon requires payment for high-res images and watermark removal.

Shutterstock AI image generator produces high-quality images but isn't free beyond initial uses.

Hot Pot AI offers basic AI art generation with limited free usage and additional features for a fee.

Runway mm contributed to stable diffusion's development but requires payment after 25 free images.

Dream Studio by Stability AI offers various image creation options but tends to produce derivative images.

VQ Gan plus clip is easy to use and open to all, showing the development process of images.

Wombo, dream switched to a diffusion model making it less interesting with styles often behind a paywall.

Star AI's images have become less interesting and often feel generic despite updates to a diffusion model.

Deep dream generator by Google transforms photos into art but often feels like using advanced filters.

NightCafe offers various styles but quickly prompts users to pay for continued use or higher quality.

Doll E2 is anticipated for its ability to interpret detailed prompts but defaults to an impressionistic style.

Google Image FX allows unlimited creations without a credit system but has somewhat restrictive prompts.

Adobe Firefly provides 25 free credits monthly and uses Adobe stock images for training.

Stable diffusion XL turbo attempts to offer high-quality images but struggles with detail.

Image Creator from Microsoft offers 99 free prompts per day with the D3 model.

Leonardo AI provides stunning and highly stylized images with extensive options for creation.

Mid Journey, while not free anymore, is mentioned for its high-quality outputs and influence in the AI art generator space.