8 Best AI Art Generator Tools For Writers, Authors & Creators [2023]

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Chioma Ezeh is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more

Writers, creators, and artists know how hard it is to beat the dreaded creative block. Hours of staring at the computer screen without getting a single idea flowing through your mind — It’s frustrating.

The solution? AI art generators. 

These tools use artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to create unique images in a matter of seconds. And as an added bonus, most of these tools will allow you to download the images and use them commercially.

In this article, we will discuss some of the best AI art generators currently available on the market.  We’ll look at their features, quality, accuracy, and functionality to decide which is best for you.

👉 Want to learn about the best AI tools for writers? See our guide on Best AI Content Tools

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What is an AI Art Generator? 

An AI art generator is an advanced software that uses machine learning algorithms to produce digital art.

AI art generators use a set of machine-learning algorithms to generate art. Simpler algorithms only create basic shapes or patterns, whereas more sophisticated algorithms are able to generate complex art like an oil painting or cyber punk-themed art, etc.

There are various AI art tools (discussed below) that you can use for this purpose. All you’ll need to do is give them a prompt explaining the features of your required art. 

The tool will generate a completely unique piece of art for you according to your instructions in a matter of seconds.

What Are The Best AI Art Generator Tools?

There are plenty of great options available on the market, but which is the best AI art generator tool?

Midjourney is the best AI art generator tool available on the market. It can generate AI art in various styles, including AI sketches, Patterns, Drawings, Oil Paintings, etc. The art it creates is unique, photorealistic, high-resolution, and, best of all, royalty-free. However, it has a poor user experience as you’d need to sign up on their discord channel to generate images.

If price is not a concern, Jasper is ultimately one of the best we recommend. Jasper offers virtually high-resolution and hyperrealistic images for almost all categories of art, ranging from pop art to impressionism and oil painting.

Other AI art generators we determined the best in the market include NightCafe, which generates high-quality illustrations, as well as Fotor which is great for anime art.

To determine the best AI art generator, we evaluated each for accuracy, user experience, functionality, and image quality. To find the best, we looked at several tools and ranked the best by their functionality. The top 3 were Midjourney, Jasper, and DALL-E 2.

While we recommend all of these apps, regarding user experience, we like NightCafe and Jasper Art the most. Detailed insight into these AI art-generating tools is found below.

Following are our top picks:

How I Evaluated Each Tool

Here is what I did to evaluate each tool:

  1. First, I categorized each tool based on its functionality (e.g, best pop art, best NFT generator, etc.)
  2. Second, I gave each tool a custom prompt keeping its functionality in mind
  3. Finally, I evaluated the results of each tool based on the art quality, accuracy, and user experience
  4. We evaluated each tool from 1 to 5, with 5 being BEST (positive).

With that aside, let’s get started with the reviews.

#1: Midjourney

BEST OVERALL

Midjourney

Midjourney is one of the best AI image generators in the market. Designers from notable Magazines like The Economist and other big media companies use this tool. No wonder its popularity has grown so rapidly since its release.

Midjourney’s cutting-edge AI technology lets you create high-quality, totally realistic, never-seen-before artwork. From a front cover to a comic book, you can create anything through Midjourney. Give it any prompt you want, and it’ll create an attractive image for you.

  • It creates highly realistic images
  • It gives four images for each prompt
  • The art you create from discord automatically gets saved in your Midjourney account
  • You can generate enough artwork during the free trial to get a good sense of the tool’s quality
  • Midjourney is currently in its beta version, and the developers are improving it with each passing day

My Experience Using Midjourney 

Midjourney’s user interface is anything but friendly. It took me 10 minutes to figure out how it worked. But once I did, I got so hooked up that I ended up experimenting with it for 30 minutes. And when I say it is the most realistic and best art-producing tool, I mean it.

Here is one of the prompts I gave Midjourney:

“An abandoned lake in the jungle with a broken wooden bridge over it. Photorealistic. 8K. 3D Render. Unreal Engine.”

The result? Awesome.

midjourney art, one of the best ai art generator tools

Looks like a shot from a movie. The downloaded art with original resolution looks like this:

Midjourney offers the following price plans including a free Trial, a basic plan at $8/Month, a Standard Plan at $24/Month, and a Pro Plan at $48/Month.

Midjourney ProsMidjourney Cons
High-quality art
Free trial
Four images for each prompt
It’s tricky to use
Poor user experience
Takes 30+ seconds to give the output image

Midjourney is a great tool for anyone looking to create photorealistic art for their business.

#2: NightCafe

Best Illustration Generator

NightCafe

Discover the future of art with NightCafe Studio — the AI platform that has been used to generate 35 Million+ art pieces to date. Artists have been raving about this tool since its release in 2019, and its popularity has skyrocketed ever since.

NightCafe studio allows passionate artists to create personalized and one-of-a-kind art pieces. Its AI-powered image generator provides a wealth of tools for writers, authors, and digital artists. They can create eye-catching pieces of realistic art in minutes, regardless of their skill level. 

  • It works for most prompts, no matter how complex they are
  • It helps you evolve your creation into its best version
  • It works with different styles of art, including portraits, illustrations, etc.
  • It can scan real-life objects through its Image Recognition Tool and turn it into a piece of art
  • It lets you purchase a print copy of your art

My experience Using NightCafe

NightCafe isn’t beginner friendly. The website is hard to navigate, and the features are scattered across the website. But on the positive side, the art it generated was downright incredible. Here is the prompt I used:

“Illustration of a ship in the quiet ocean. Hyper-realistic, hyper-detailed, 8k, 3d Render.”

This is the result I got (after evolving the image one time):

Hyper-detailed, I asked. Hyper-detailed it is. The downloaded art with original resolution looks like this:

NightCafe’s free version gives you 5 credits per day. If you want more, you can purchase any of their pro plans. Their per-credit cost ranges from $0.08/credit to $0.03/credit.

NightCafe ProsNightCafe Cons
Work with complex prompts
Wide variety of art stylesImage recognition tool
It’s pricey
It’s hard to navigate

NightCafe AI is a wonderful tool for anyone interested in complex pieces of digital art. The art generated through it can be used for different purposes, including character illustration, book covers, etc.

#3: RunwayML

Best For Pop Art

RunwayML

The RunwayML AI tool is the industry standard for designing and video editing. Big organizations such as Vox, Google, and Pentagram use RunwayML due to its unique capabilities.

RunwayML is an industry-leading AI video editing software that offers a variety of features. While its main purpose is video editing, you can also use its design features, including the text-to-image generator.

RunwayML uses the latest machine-learning algorithms to produce a wide range of art pieces, with pop art being the best. Just give it a prompt, wait for … well … half a minute, and you’ll get your AI image.

  • RunwayML offers a wide library of AI tools, including AI text-to-image generation
  • It lets you set up a custom resolution for your AI image
  • It lets you set up a custom number of output images
  • It can generate any kind of art style, the best one being the pop art
  • It can work with complex prompts

My Experience Using RunwayML

The RunwayML image generator is pretty easy to use. Yes, I didn’t like how it took half a minute to give the output image, but it was worth it in the end.

Here is the prompt I gave this tool:

“Pop Art of a clown. Colorful, yellow background, 8k.”

Here is the output image I received:

That’s some realistic pop art. But I’m impressed by the result. Even better than I expected. The downloaded art with original resolution looks like this:

RunwayML has a free plan that lets you generate 25 Art pieces a month. If you want more than that, you can sign up for their paid plans which cost;

  • Pro Plan: $15/Month / $144/Year
  • Team: $35/Month / $336/Month
RunwayML ProsRunwayML Cons
Wide range of AI tools
It’s easy to use
Paid plan is expensive and more suitable for video editors

If you’ve got a knack for video editing as well as AI art generation, RunwayML is just the tool you need.

#4:Jasper Art

Best For High-Resolution Images
Source: JasperArt

Jasper Art

Jasper is a leading AI writing and Art generating tool in the market. It is now a company worth a Billion Dollars. Ever since its release, Jasper has been a darling of content marketers, content agencies, and essentially everyone in the digital marketing business.

Jasper Art is the most versatile and all-around AI art generator. It produces unique, high-resolution, and subtle art in almost every art style ranging from line drawing and oil painting to digital modern art.

Jasper gives a five-day free trial that lets users generate 200 images. Inexperienced or experienced, any art lover can use this tool to bring their ideas to life.

  • High-resolution images, even better than the stock ones
  • Jasper lets you evolve your favorite creation into its best version through custom prompts
  • Plenty of art styles available, including impressionism, digital, oil painting, etc.
  • It lets you choose the “mood” of your art. Examples include sad, exciting, gloomy, etc.
  • It gives you options to create your art inspired by famous artists
  • You’ll get four art pieces against each prompt
  • It takes an image as input and turns it into unique art

My Experience With Jasper Art

I’m an early user of Jasper. Loved it then and love it now. It’s truly a value-packed solution to every content marketer’s problem. Using its art generator was also the same experience.

You can create featured images for your blog posts, digital art for eCommerce purposes, and more with Jasper Art. To test its capabilities, I gave it several prompts. The following prompt gave me the best results:

“Chinese Boy, running away from war scene, ragged, dirty, hyperrealistic, high resolution”

Jasper gives you a five-day free trial to test its features. After that, you’ll have to purchase its paid plan, which starts from $59/Month.

Jasper AI ProsJasper AI Cons
High-quality images
Large library of art styles
Easy-to-use interface
Plenty of input options
Supports image-to-image generation
Expensive for beginners
Doesn’t support editing the produced art further

Jasper Art is an all-in-one AI art generator suitable for anyone from a newbie artist to a tech-savvy online marketer. Anyone who can afford it should give it a try.

#5: DALL-E 2

Best For Digital Art
Source: Dall-E 2

DALL-E 2

OpenAI’s ChatGPT and DALL-E 2 took the world by storm. OpenAI literally gained a Million users in five days. With each passing day, OpenAI’s machine-learning tools are soaring to new heights of success.

DALL-E 2 is a product of OpenAI lab’s futuristic vision. It takes a prompt in natural language and turns it into a never-seen-before work of art.

You can use DALL-E 2 to generate all sorts of art for your business. Its interface is quite simple to use. You’ll just give it a prompt (don’t be afraid to try out weird prompts), and it’ll make you a unique art piece.

  • It has a user-friendly interface
  • It welcomes all kinds of prompts
  • Its AI evolves and gives more personalized results as you experiment
  • It creates photorealistic digital art
  • Gives you the ability to edit your artwork

My experience Using DALL-E 2

I love experimenting with DALL-E 2 because of its more personalized results. I’ve given it all sorts of prompts to check its abilities. From oil painting to pencil sketches, I’ve tested it on all fronts. My best results, however, always came from prompts related to digital art.

Check out this prompt and the results I got:

“Digital art of an abandoned underground train station. Hyperdetailed, 3D Render, Unreal Engine.”

Any other digital art tool I tried did not produce photorealistic results of this degree. The downloaded art with original resolution looks like this:

DALL E-2 gives you a free trial, but after you’ve burned through it, you’ll have to pay;

  • $0.020 per 1024 x1024 resolution image
  • $0.018 per 512 x 512 resolution image
  • $0.016 per 256 x 256 resolution image
DALL-E 2 ProsDALL-E 2 Cons
Free trial lets you generate 20+ artworks
User-friendly interface
Ability to evolve the art
Not good with Oil Paintings

DALL-E 2 is a great starting point for anyone dipping their toes in the AI art world. Just let all your creative juices flow and create the best digital art.

#6: Canva Text-to-Image

Best For AI Drawing

Canva Text-to-Image

Canva is the best free all-around graphic designing app in the market. Available on multiple platforms, including iOS and Android, Canva has taken the graphic designing world by storm. From sole freelancers to big businesses, almost 100 Million people around the world use this app.

Famous for its pre-made graphic designing templates, Canva has recently introduced a new text-to-image AI tool for design fanatics.

As it is in its beta phase, Canva’s AI image generator isn’t suitable for complex digital art. But for simple artworks like line drawing, it does an incredible job. And with all the customization and editing tools, you can turn that line drawing into an attractive and unique piece of art.

If you’re new to the graphic designing world, the Canva AI art generator tool is one of the best tools for you to play with.

  • It turns text to image within seconds
  • Works great for simpler art styles like AI drawing
  • It lets you further improve upon your AI image
  • It generates four images per prompt
  • You can save the final image in any format, including PNG, JPG, etc.

My experience Using Canva Text-To-Image

I tried giving Canva a few prompts like “Deadpool with Captain America Shield,” etc. Canva refused to give me any results. Then I tried using a generic prompt, and it worked. Here is the prompt I used:

“Line drawing of an Antelope”

This is the result I got:

Pretty awesome, right? You can use the Canva Text-to-Image generator completely free of cost.

Canva Text-to-Image ProsCanva Text-to-Image Cons
It generates four images for each prompt
It’s free to use
Images are easily downloadable without any watermark
It Doesn’t create images for certain types of texts
You can’t view the large version of images unless you insert them into the document

Canva isn’t only meant for designers to use. Writers, authors, bloggers, or publishers can also use it for their businesses. You can generate book covers, featured images, characters, and whatnot within seconds with Canva Text-to-Image. And it’s free, so go and try it.

#7: Fotor

Best For Anime Images
Source: Fotor

Fotor

100,000+ pre-made templates, latest AI editing tools, advanced AI image generator… Fotor is a top-rated photo editing tool on Google Play Store, jam-packed with the latest and most advanced features and tools.

Fotor is primarily an online photo editor, but with the rise of AI art-generating tools, Fotor also introduced its own AI image generator.  Simply enter your thoughts into the generator and watch as it transforms into artwork. You can select from a broad variety of image styles on Fotor, including random, anime, etc.

  • It lets you generate 10 free pictures each day
  • It lets you customize and edit your AI images
  • It lets you set your desired aspect ratio
  • You can choose from 9 different light effects
  • It gives you several style options including Anime, Painting, etc.

My Experience Using Fotor

While Fotor’s text-to-image generator interface could have been more intuitive and user-friendly, the AI artwork it produced was certainly great.

I loved it most because of its Anime style option. I played around a bit with it, gave it a few prompts, and evaluated the results… I must say it did a satisfactory job.

Here is the prompt I used:

“A fighting scene between Goku and Naruto.”

This is the result I got:

I loved the lightning in the background, even though it wasn’t in my prompt. This shows how well Fotor’s AI understands Anime concepts. The downloaded art with original resolution looks like this:

Fotor has a free plan that lets you generate 10 images per day. If you want more, along with full access to editing tools, you can consider buying Fotor Pro plans:

  • Fotor Pro plan costs $8.99/Month
  • Fotor Pro+ plan costs $19.99/Month.
Fotor ProsFotor Cons
Free 10 images per day
Realistic anime art
Takes almost a minute to generate the art

#8. Starry AI

Best For NFT Art

Starry AI

StarryAI is the best free AI NFT art creator in the market. This industry-leading AI image generator has an avid fan following. Available on multiple platforms, including iOS and Android, StarryAI is going to be the next big thing in the AI space.

StarryAI is an AI art-generating tool. It takes prompts from the users and generates one-of-a-kind art pieces. Its NFT art creator is its most powerful tool that lets you create unique NFTs through its incredible editing features.

The StarryAI app is available on both iOS and Android for users to download and generate AI images right from their phones.

  • User-friendly interface
  • Plenty of styles, including Artstation, Digital Illustration, etc., are available for users to experiment with
  • It lets users evolve their art creations into the best versions possible
  • It lets you keep ownership of the image
  • You can generate 4 images for one credit

My Experience Using StarryAI

NFTs are a different kind of art work. They have to be unique and compelling to be valuable. After experimenting with StarryAI, I’m convinced that its AI understands this fact clearly.

I gave it the following prompt, and I definitely loved the result:

“Lion Roaring On The Top Of Cliff. Stormy Day. Lightning In The Sky.”

I could have evolved it more, but you get the gist, right? The downloaded art with original resolution looks like this:

The best thing is, StarryAI’s NFT generator’s free version gives you 5 credits per day. You can buy more credits on their price plans ranging from $15.99 for 40 credits to $149.99 for 1,000 credits.

Starry AI ProsStarry AI Cons
It is free to use
You can evolve your creation into its best version
It has a simple interface
It can take up to five minutes to generate the art depending on the complexity of your prompt

StarryAI is a great tool not just for NFT art creation but also for generating new art ideas. If you’re an artist and struggle with it, StarryAI is the answer for you.


Comparison of the Best AI Art Generator Tools 

The table below shows how the best AI art generators compare to each other;

Tool NameUser ExperienceFunctionalitySpecial FeaturesDevice CompatibilityPrice
Midjourney5/5All-Kinds ArtPersonal GalleryWeb AppFree Trial: $0
Basic: $8/Month
Standard: $24/Month
Pro: $48/Month
NightCafe5/5Illustration GenerationPrint CopyWeb AppFree Trial: $0
Paid: $0.08/Month
RunwayML4.7/5Pop ArtEditorWeb AppFree Trial: $0
Pro: $15/Month Team: $35/Month
Jasper Art5/5Realistic ImageUpscalingWeb App, iOS, AndroidFree Trial: $0
Paid: $59/Month
DALL-E 24.5/5Digital ArtPersonalized ExperienceWeb AppFree Trial: $0
Paid: $0.020 – $0.016 per credit
Canva4/5AI DrawingEditing Tools & TemplatesWeb App, iOS, AndroidFree
Fotor5/5Anime ArtLight EffectsWeb App, iOS, AndroidFree Trial: $0
Pro: $8.99/Month
Pro+: $19.99/Month
StarryAI5/5NFT ArtImage to Art GeneratorWeb App, iOS, AndroidFree
Paid: $0.15 – $0.40 per credit

How Does an AI Art Generator Tool Work? 

AI art generators work with machine learning algorithms and techniques to create art. Different tools use different techniques — the most common of them are as follows:

  • Generative Algorithms: Tools that use this algorithm create art based on a set of instructions or rules. For example, generative algorithms in their most basic form can generate AI fractal art by repeating geometric shapes over and over.
  • Genetic Algorithms: This algorithm is trained on the Darwinian concept of evolution. It’ll take an image in its simplest form and then start improving it. It’ll keep it improving until it reaches its best form — just like Chimpanzees eventually evolved into their best form, aka humans.
  • Neural Networks: This algorithm is trained just like a human brain. It’s fed thousands of pictures which it analyses. Then, based on its learnings, it creates a completely unique art. Unlike a human brain, neural networks aren’t limited in terms of imagination and creativity
  • Generative Adversarial Network (GAN): This algorithm works with two neural networks. One is called the “generator,” and the other is called the “discriminator.” First, the generator generates an AI image. Then, the discriminator analyses that image and tells the generator how real it appears. The process is repeated until the discriminator concludes that the art is completely unique.

AI image generator tools use these techniques to generate digital art that is completely unique and not limited by human imagination and creativity. 

Should You Use An AI Art Generator?

I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t use an AI art generator.

AI art generators are a big revolution in technology that every online business must adopt. Whether you’re an author, a publisher, an agency, a SaaS business, or something else, you can use AI art generators to design unique images for your business. Some examples can include a book cover, a website’s background image, a business logo, etc.

Artists and graphic designers can take inspiration from AI-generated art before designing a unique piece themselves. As AI is not limited by human creativity or intelligence, the number of ideas you can get from it is literally unlimited.

For writers and authors, you can find the specific use cases of AI image-generating tools below:

How Can You Use AI Art Generator Tools As A Writer Or Author?

AI art generator tools are valuable assets for writers and authors. They can use these tools in a variety of ways to improve their business. Let’s discuss a few use cases below:

  • Generate Book Covers: Authors can create a professional-looking book cover for their self-published work using an AI image generator tool
  • Generate Concept Art: If you need a specific concept art for a scene, prop, or setting for your story, you can use AI tools to generate it.
  • Character Illustration: Authors can use AI art tools to illustrate characters for their books
  • Enhance Creativity: If you’re stuck trying to come up with an idea, it’s probably best to try to visualize it. You can use AI art generators to bring your creative thoughts into words.
  • Generate Featured Images: You can generate unique featured images for your blog posts.
  • Save Time and Money: You may no longer need to look for and hire a designer for the visual part of your book, saving you money and time.

👉 Want to learn about the best AI tools for writers? See our guide on Best AI Content Tools

Video Recommendation for the Best AI Art Generator Tool

Final Notes On Best AI Art Generator Tools

If you’re still not using AI image generators in your business, you’re missing out on a big opportunity here. This technology can boost your business in ways you never imagined.

You’re a creative professional? Use these tools to beat creative block. An author? Create a book cover. A graphic designer? Get ideas. So much can be done if you use AI image generators wisely.

I’d highly recommend Midjourney if you’re looking for a one-stop-shop solution to all your creative needs. But if your need is specific, try any tool whose functionality best describes your need.

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