DALL-E 2: How to turn your ideas into AI-generated art

Introduction:

DALL·E 2 started the whole craze for generating images with AI when it came out last year. It's still one of the best AI image creators around, even though it hasn't had an update since August 2022. This tool allows you to input a text prompt like, 'create an oil painting of a monkey in a spacesuit on the moon,' and then it generates an image based on your description. It's a lot of fun to play with, but sometimes the results can be a bit unpredictable. However, there's a new model in the works, tested earlier this year, and it looks promising with significant improvements expected. I've been writing about AI image generators for almost a decade now (yes, they've been around that long!). I can tell you that DALL·E 2, created by OpenAI, won't replace photographers, Photoshop, or other artists - probably never will. But it's an impressive tool, and it's essential to understand what generative AIs can and cannot do. Here's how to get started.

How to use DALL·E 2: Getting started with DALL·E 2 is easy. Here's a quick overview:

1. Go to DALL·E 2's website and sign up for an account.
2. Click on the three dots in the top-right corner, then select 'Buy Credits.' You can get 115 credits for $15.
3. Type your prompt on the home page and click 'Generate.'
4. Wait a few seconds, and you'll have four AI-generated images to choose from.
5. Click on any of them to download, save to a collection, share publicly, edit, or create more variations.

Now, let's dive a bit deeper.

When you sign up for a free OpenAI account, you'll need to verify your phone number. This added security is necessary to prevent abuse by spammers and scammers.

DALL·E 2 operates using a credit system. One credit covers one prompt and four image variations. If you registered before April 6, 2023, you received 50 image generation credits and an extra 15 free credits each month. Unfortunately, OpenAI has stopped this free trial, so now you'll need to purchase credits. However, at $15 for 115 prompts, each with four image variations, it's roughly around $0.13 per prompt or $0.035 per image.
Once you're set up and loaded with credits, you'll see DALL·E 2's simple homepage. It features a gallery of art created with DALL·E 2 and a text field where you input your prompt.
To generate your first image, type a prompt and click 'Generate.' If you're short on ideas, you can click 'Surprise me' or try one of the provided prompts.
To make the most out of DALL·E 2, you need to learn how to write effective prompts. Here are some tips:

• Be specific and detailed in your prompts for better results.
• Experiment with different descriptors and styles to see what works best.
• Don't expect perfect results on your first try; you might need to tweak your prompts.
• Avoid overly complicated prompts; they can confuse the AI.

If you want more ideas, you can check out the free DALL·E 2 prompt eBook, which offers various suggested prompts and their effects on image generation. It's a handy resource for brainstorming and figuring out how to get the results you want.

DALL·E 2's advanced features: inpainting and outpainting

In addition to generating images using AI, DALL·E 2 can edit them. There are two main techniques:

• Inpaintingis where you erase some aspect of an existing image and use AI to fill in the gap with whatever you want.
• Outpaintingis where you use AI to expand the borders of an existing image. You can combine both techniques to fine-tune your images, and there are a few ways to get started editing.

How to edit images with DALL·E 2

To edit a photograph or other image you have saved on your computer:

1. Go to the DALL·E 2 homepage, click Upload an image, and select the one you want.
2. You'll be prompted to crop it into a square, though you can skip this step.
3. Next, click Generate variations, if you want DALL·E 2 to use your image as a prompt, or Edit image if you want to edit it with some advanced techniques.

Alternatively, you can select any image you've made using DALL·E 2, and click Edit. How to inpaint with DALL·E 2
With an image open in the editor, select the Eraser tool (the keyboard shortcut is E). Paint over the area of your image you want to replace, and then use the pop-up prompt bar to describe what you want the whole image to look like, including what fills in the gap. Then click Generate.

As always, you'll get four options, so hopefully one of those will match what you want. If not, create some more variations, try a new prompt, or try inpainting again.

How to outpaint with DALL·E 2

With an image open in the editor, select Add generation frame (the keyboard shortcut is F). Position it so it expands your image in the direction you want.
Next, use the prompt bar to describe what you want, and then click Generate. I want to give my wolfhound a companion, so I've gone with "a painting in the style of Vermeer of a small short-haired Irish terrier facing left enjoying a pint of dark beer in a traditional pub."
Once again, you'll have four options to choose from. Click through the arrows to see them. If you don't like any, click Cancel. Otherwise, click Accept. Then you can either add more generation frames or click the download button to save your creation.
While image editing is still in beta, the full image won't get saved. Instead, any additional generation frames you create will be saved as their own independent images. If you don't download your edited images as you make them, you'll need to recombine the original image and any generation frames using an app like Photoshop.

Going further with DALL·E 2

At the moment, DALL·E 2 is still one of the most important AI image generators, but its model has fallen behind Stable Diffusion and Midjourney in terms of quality. With that said, it's due for a major update some day very soon, which should make its results a lot more accurate and realistic. And DALL·E 2 still has a lot going for it. In particular, it connects to Bot Writing, so you can create AI-generated images as part of your business workflows. Do things like automatically create images from Google Forms or HubSpot responses—or any other apps you use. You can even make an image generation playground in Discord with Bot Writing.

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