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What Is Stable Diffusion?

Have you tried Stable Diffusion, the Midjourney alternative? Here is a quick overview of Stable Diffusion, what it is, how it works, and how to use it. Let's have a look at this impressive AI art-generation tool!
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Since the release of AI image generators to the public, generative AI tools have become quite popular, opening fascinating possibilities for all types of creative businesses.

Have you heard of Stable Diffusion, the Midjourney alternative? In this article, we will quickly introduce you to Stable Diffusion and explain how it works and how you can use it. Let's dive in.

What Is Stable Diffusion?

Stable Diffusion is a very impressive AI image-generation model that was developed and launched in 2022 by Stability AI. It is known as a flexible text-to-image model that can create photorealistic images in any chosen artistic style, based on a text prompt.

So basically, Stable Diffusion is a high-performance text-to-image model that generates high-quality images, with detail and precision, in a matter of seconds. 

It is an entirely open-source tool, which means anyone with basic skills can run it on their local computer and freely generate remarkable art on the spot.

Stable Diffusion XL web app tool on Stability.aiStable Diffusion XL web app tool on Stability.aiStable Diffusion XL web app tool on Stability.ai

How Does Stable Diffusion Work?

Apart from understanding that Stable Diffusion is a magnificent AI generation tool, you need to have a simple understanding of how Stable Diffusion works. 

Stable Diffusion's inner mechanism is based on latent diffusion technology, which in itself is a class of advanced deep-learning interfaces. This means that Stable Diffusion is trained on a massive dataset of images and text, and it operates by generating new imagery based on that set of training.

The statistical model's machine-learning qualities help it generate new imagery based on the training data it receives. So it analyzes a large database and uses algorithm simulations to perform a regression analysis in order to create visuals. With Stable Diffusion, you can train your model to transform and translate your text prompts into unique photorealistic images.

How amazing is that?

ai generated image samples made by Stable Diffusionai generated image samples made by Stable Diffusionai generated image samples made by Stable Diffusion
Made using Stable Diffusion

Is Stable Diffusion Free?

The remarkable thing about Stable Diffusion is it's free. Stable Diffusion is open source, making it publicly available and accessible to everyone. It offers free online versions of its software, which don't require a subscription or licensing, and it also offers a paid deployed version.

There are several ways you can run Stable Diffusion, either through the web app Stable Diffusion Web or through Stability AI's other models, the Clipdrop toolkit and the DreamStudio web app.

1.  What Is Stable Diffusion Web?

You can run the Stable Diffusion online web app for free by visiting Stable Diffusion Web. It's an easy-to-use browser interface, and it creates stunning visuals in seconds. 

Preview of free online stable diffusion web AI image generatorPreview of free online stable diffusion web AI image generatorPreview of free online stable diffusion web AI image generator

You can access the latest version of Stable Diffusion through Stability AI's other web platforms, the Clipdrop toolkit and DreamStudio.

Clipdrop is a very quick and user-friendly AI generator that is offered for free. The Pro version starts at $9 a month, and there's an API in the higher-tier plans.

DreamStudio is also easy to use, and it allows you more customization and control over image generation, similar to its competitor DALL-E.

Preview of Stability AI's web tool apps ClipDrop and Dream StudioPreview of Stability AI's web tool apps ClipDrop and Dream StudioPreview of Stability AI's web tool apps ClipDrop and Dream Studio
Clipdrop and DreamStudio platform screenshots

How to Use Stable Diffusion to Generate AI Images

For beginners, I recommend using the free web version of Stable Diffusion.

Step 1

Go to StableDiffusionWeb and click Free AI Image Generator.

free ai image generator for stable diffusion onlinefree ai image generator for stable diffusion onlinefree ai image generator for stable diffusion online

Step 2

In the Prompt, choose the kind of content you'd like to generate by describing your vision using detailed keywords. For this example, the Prompt was 'happy fluffy white Persian cat in full body flying pose with golden angel wings and a golden collar in a heavenly baby blue sky'.

Stable Diffusion XL offers a diverse selection of 106 art styles. Select the desired art model under Styles

Add the text prompt description keywords and select the art style reference on Stable Diffusion web Add the text prompt description keywords and select the art style reference on Stable Diffusion web Add the text prompt description keywords and select the art style reference on Stable Diffusion web

Step 3

tip
To help you generate better-quality AI images, make sure to include negative prompts.

Expand the Advanced Options. Then write in the Negative Prompt area the things you don't wish to see. Examples of negative prompts are duplicates, extra legs, deformed, ugly, mutation, grainy, eerie, dark, etc...

Once you're ready, hit Generate.

Add in Negative Prompts in Advanced Options to generate better-quality AI image in Stable DiffussionAdd in Negative Prompts in Advanced Options to generate better-quality AI image in Stable DiffussionAdd in Negative Prompts in Advanced Options to generate better-quality AI image in Stable Diffussion

Step 4

If the final image doesn't align with the text prompt properly, you can refine it by either altering the text prompt keywords or increasing the Guidance Scale parameters under Advanced Options.

tip
The Guidance Scale sets the importance of the prompt. So a low-scale value will generate random images with no consideration for your prompt, and a high-scale value gives more precise image generation and sticks to the text input provided.

Click Generate to create a new image.

Increasing the Guidance Scale for model to follow text prompt accuratelyIncreasing the Guidance Scale for model to follow text prompt accuratelyIncreasing the Guidance Scale for model to follow text prompt accurately

How to Install Stable Diffusion

You can easily access Stable Diffusion's online version. However, if you wish to install Stable Diffusion locally as a desktop version and skip the queues, then you will need to make sure you run it on a Windows, Mac, or linux operating system with a decent graphics card. Each operating system has its own installation setup, so you will need to download the installer supporting your operating system and the source code.

For a smooth and speedy run, 16 or 24 GB VRAM is recommended for great results and larger images, while 8GB meets the minimum system requirements.

You can find the latest updates on Stability AI.

stability aistability aistability ai

Join the AI Generation!

The field of AI image generation is rapidly growing, and Stable Diffusion works brilliantly as a Midjourney alternative. Now that you know how Stable Diffusion works, the best way to further your knowledge is to explore the possibilities. Just play around, have fun, and see what amazing results can be achieved.

On the other hand, if you wish to dig deeper into the tech, then consider training your own model to generate the features you are looking for.

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