1. Best overall: Adobe Firefly
2. Best photo realism: Midjourney
3. Easiest to use: DALL-E 2
4. Open source: Stable Diffusion
5. Best plugin: Vision FX 2.0
6 . Best for video: Runway
7. Best free: Craiyon
8. Best for craft: CF Spark
9. Best for 3D: Masterpiece X
How to choose
Or one could try a search for:
local artists
online artists
(one does need to add the qualifiers: starving, unemployed, uninsured, part of a class action lawsuit to get paid for the art AI/LLM companies used without my permission).
But hey, you’ll be doing your best to promote Amazon running small nuclear reactors to power the industry, and they won’t be in your back yard most probably, as long as you’re comfortably middle-class. And we all know Amazon and other companies won’t be buying off regulators to allow them to cut corners on the design and safety of the reactors. And if anyone protests too much, don’t worry, Amazon has already said they aren’t adverse to building nat gas or even coal plants if need be for the short term.
As long as that AI industry flourishes, things will be fine. It’s the wave of the future don’t you know. Everyone will be using it:
[Warning: do not enter the search term: “flooding AI with propaganda” so you can continue your blissful existence for as long as possible. Besides, it’s probably your grandkids (or their kids) who will feel the stamp of the boot from cradle to grave.]
- full disclosure: yes, I’m having a bad day. Not meant to pick on @Bmosbacker, a person who generally seems like a pretty good fellow.
** Edited to add the word “coal”.
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@DFoxx, Sorry you’re having a bad day—we’ve all been there. I don’t take your comments personally. I understand and respect your position.
I haven’t yet arrived at a completely satisfactory or coherent stance on the ethics of using AI. I tend to reflect on such matters for a long time, seeking to listen and learn from others with diverse perspectives before forming a conviction. Even then, my stance remains malleable, especially with a rapidly evolving technology like AI.
And even if I eventually develop a firmer understanding and conviction, there is still room for nuance and differences of opinion—so long as they do not violate transcendent absolutes.
So, no worries–I get it! And, for the record, I was only passing along information I thought others might find of interest. 
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Thank you for the understanding response.
And as for:
So was I, my friend.
Take care, and watch out for tech wolves in sheep’s clothing, too.
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watch out for tech wolves in sheep’s clothing, too
That made me smile, even if I did use an AI generated image for that article.
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When I started to read your comment, I thought it was just going to be snarky.
Turned out to be snarky and thought-provoking. Thanks for making me think.
Hope your day gets better.
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I find it frustrating that AI vendors are trying to combine both image and video generation.
Although there is some overlap (seeding video generation with a still image), there is enough difference, IMHO, to rank them separately and not combined?
These are great! The one that I’ve been using the most for really detailed and free AI image generation is the one on SocialSight AI. I like the ones you listed, but SocialSight has the most well-rounded outputs.
This is helpful Barrat! I’ve used ChatGPT and sora a little lately, and they’re so much better than the alternative - which for me is usually either no image, or my poorly drawn Canva gunk.
I do envy people who can afford to hire locally or online artists (as per @DFoxx’s note) but I can’t afford to do that - well, not for casual use, I do hire graphic artists to make my book covers.
Honestly, though, I prefer to spend my money on gold suits and cigars (as per my picture, which ChatGPT made for me - it took a professional headshot I paid a local photographer a lot of money to take, and then turned it into the ghastly self-mocking picture)
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I’d love to see your good day version of this @DFoxx. That said: Rant mode is useful for clarifying one’s thoughts.
That’s awesome! Perfect for a trip to Vegas. 
That suit is something that could “stay in Vegas”
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Not enough Benjamins! 
I’m having a bad day too, but this had me chortling with delight, so thank you.
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I share your concerns. I’m not happy about literally boiling the ocean to generate slop. I’m furious about the industry’s shameless violation of intellectual property rights and its reliance on and exploitation of cheap labor in the global south. I worry that whole swaths of creatives will be driven even further into precarity.
I’m not worried that generative AI will destroy creativity. Serious artists will learn to use it as part of their creative practice, just as artists have used every new technology for millennia. (I’m certainly excited to experiment with it myself.) I believe—perhaps foolishly—that there will be a cadre of professional AI creatives who will be able to use these tools with the kind of skill and taste that individuals and organizations will pay for.
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Great list, @Bmosbacker — very helpful breakdown.
I’ve found LightX useful for quick AI-powered edits like background removal and light photo adjustments. It’s not a full image generator like Midjourney or DALL·E, but it’s a solid tool for small, mobile-friendly tasks.
Would be interested to hear if others have used it or found similar lightweight options that pair well with the bigger platforms.