The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best AI Image Generator: MidJourney, DALL-E 3, and Leonardo

AI enthusiast or not, you’ve likely heard about AI image generators being the newest gift of technology.

While you might want to spend a few hours experimenting with one of them, even if only to appreciate what they can do, I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t done so yet.

There are so many of them now that deciding which one to use can overwhelm anybody.

Lucky for you, I tested the top three AI image generators that are making headlines today: MidJourney, DALL-E 3, and Leonardo. They were evaluated based on their responses and renditions to the same prompt.

Before I share my findings, let me give you a bit of context on what text-to-image AI tools are.

What are AI image generators?

AI image generators use sophisticated algorithms and machine learning models to convert text prompts into creative images within seconds. They’re tools designed to turn your imagination into visual content.

Want an image of something so impossible only an artist could create it by drawing or painting it by hand? Type it into an AI image generator, and you’ll get pictures showing what you had in mind, often ready for download in a PNG or JPEG format.

AI image generators can be used for a variety of applications. Artists and designers use these tools to generate ideas, create distinctive artworks, and improve their creative processes. Businesses employ AI-generated images for marketing, advertising, and content production, saving time and resources.

Furthermore, educators and researchers use these technologies to visually represent data and convey knowledge in more appealing ways.

Now for the million-dollar question: which text-to-image tools are better for different tasks?

Continue reading to find out.

What’s the best AI image generator?

MidJourney, DALL-E 3, and Leonardo were asked to generate an image of “A polar bear standing in a jungle during a rain.”

Here’s what I got 👇

DALL-E 3: The best AI image generator for visual assets with the best backgrounds and photo-realistic features.

Developed by the AI powerhouse OpenAI, DALL-E 3 boasts a powerful AI toolset, a trainable AI model, and 100+ image models and styles to choose from.

As you can see, DALL-E 3’s output is the best of both worlds—realism and creativity. DALL-E 3 took the liberty of painting a full picture of the subject and the setting, which is obvious from the background seeming equally artistic as the main subject (if not more).

Overall, DALL-E 3 is quite easy to use. Type in whatever prompt you choose, including as much detail as you need to bring your idea to life, and DALL-E 3 will generate one to two images that are of great quality and quite accurate.

Leonardo: The best AI image generator for visual assets that follow prompts precisely.

Leonardo is a versatile AI image generator that specializes in producing logos, vectors, and illustrations. It is user-friendly and strikes an appropriate balance between creativity and utility. It has customizable AI models, a comprehensive toolkit, and the capability to produce concept art while maintaining a uniform style with precise prompts.

This text-to-image tool is the best at following prompts to a tee, and this is proof.

If we weren’t talking about AI image generators, you might mistake this for an organic photo of a polar bear in a jungle. The subject pops out as the image’s focus, which is something we see being done in most wildlife portraits taken by human photographers.

As ultra-realistic AI images go, I believe Leonardo AI’s output takes the cake.

One of the platform’s standout features is that it enhances the prompt by default to generate dynamic images that wouldn’t be mistaken as anything other than AI-generated (this was turned off for this test). Leonardo also lets you easily change the image ratio by tapping on your choice, compared to DALL-E 3, which requires you to resize the image by manually adjusting the Width and Height pixels.

Midjourney: The best AI image generator for artistic illustrations.

MidJourney is recognized for its creative flair and ingenuity. It excels at creating unusual and innovative visuals, making it a popular choice among artists and designers. The tool also works well with realistic photos, backdrops, and tiling.

It’s noticeable how distinct Midjourney’s rendition is from the outputs of other text-to-image tools featured here.

Its image has a realistic quality, but it can be too perfect, making it obvious as generated by AI. Yes, I’m talking about the polar bear’s fur.

However, I can’t disregard the extra creativity put into the subject’s stance. Unlike the others, this rendition of the polar bear is not just standing there like a deer in headlights but is perched on a log as actual wildlife would.

This added more impact to the image and probably indicates that MidJourney’s AI model is more advanced or intelligent than DALL-E 3 and Leonardo’s.

MidJourney also has the most user-friendly and uncluttered interface, so it’s not intimidating and complicated-looking.

Final Thoughts

I believe there’s not a single AI image generator that can meet all of your expectations and requirements at once. Some are simply better suited for specific purposes. In this case, I found that:

Leonardo is best at prompt adherence, making it the perfect tool for specific text-to-image requests. MidJourney is best at creativity and ease of use, making it the perfect tool for artistic projects.
DALL-E 3 is best at backgrounds and photorealism, making it the perfect tool for images with balanced levels of creativity and realism.

Bonus: I created a chart that ranks DALL-E, MidJourney, and Leonardo across various aspects of text-to-image generation. Each tool is scored from 1 (worst) to 3 (best) for its performance on Prompt Adherence, Creativity, Photo Realism, Text in Image, Logos & Vectors, Backgrounds & Tiling, Illustration, Censorship, Ease of Use, and Price.

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