Leonardo AI
Leonardo AI has been gaining attention as a free alternative to Midjourney, one of the leading platforms for AI-generated art. After exploring all the key features of its free plan, I must say I am quite impressed with what Leonardo AI has to offer!
In this article, I’ll guide you through some of the best tips to create stunning artwork using Leonardo AI and explain why it might be a top choice for users, especially when compared to Midjourney.
Key Features of Leonardo AI
- Text-to-Image Generation: You can easily create high-quality art simply by describing your idea with text.
- Explore Diverse Art Styles: Experiment with various artistic styles using Leonardo AI’s fine-tuned models.
- AI-Powered Editing & Refinement: Built-in editing tools allow you to perfect your artwork with professional precision.
- Animate Your Creations: Leonardo AI enables you to bring images to life by creating motion from static pictures (Image to Motion).
- Quick Prompt Creation: Features like prompt generation and negative prompting help you better control the results.
- Image Editing: You can edit, remove backgrounds, upscale images, and draw directly on the canvas in real time.
- Community & Customization: Join Leonardo’s creative community for inspiration, or train your own AI model for a personalized touch.
- Ownership of Your Art: You retain full ownership of the art you create with Leonardo AI.
What is Leonardo AI?
Leonardo AI is an AI-powered art generation platform that turns your text descriptions into visually stunning images across various artistic styles. Powered by stable diffusion, a robust machine learning algorithm, Leonardo AI offers users the ability to create unique works of art and even train custom models to ensure high levels of personalization.
Additionally, the platform has a vibrant creative community where users can share and learn from each other’s works, opening up a vast array of possibilities for both professionals and beginners.
How to Use Leonardo AI
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Free Account
- Visit the Website: Go to www.leonardo.ai.
- Create a Free Account: Click on “Create an account” or “Launch App.”
3. Choose Sign-Up Method: You can sign up via email, Google, or Apple.
4. Verify Your Email: Check your inbox to activate your account.
5. Complete Your Profile: Customize your personal information (optional) and select your interests.
5. Start Exploring and Creating: Begin generating your first art pieces with Leonardo’s powerful tools.
Tips for Using Leonardo AI Effectively
- Crafting Quality Prompts: A well-structured prompt includes details such as subject, style, composition, and lighting. For example: “A cinematic shot of a Tesla SUV at night, illuminated by multi-colored neon lights, on a wet road.”
- Realtime Generation: Leonardo’s real-time generation feature allows you to see your image evolve as you type your prompt.
- Editing and Upscaling Images: The Canvas Editor feature lets you expand, edit, and upscale images without losing quality.
AI Image Generation
Leonardo AI’s Text-to-Image feature is at the heart of its creative power. With just a written prompt, you can generate detailed, high-quality artwork in a matter of seconds. This tool utilizes stable diffusion, allowing it to interpret your descriptions with impressive accuracy across various art styles and themes. Whether you’re looking to create digital paintings, illustrations, or photorealistic images, the platform’s diverse model selection offers users a range of creative possibilities.
For more specific results, Leonardo AI provides built-in features like prompt optimization and negative prompts, helping you refine your descriptions for even more control over the generated images. It’s perfect for artists and designers who want to explore new ideas or create complex visuals without needing advanced technical skills.
Realtime Generation
One of the standout features of Leonardo AI is Realtime Generation, which gives you live feedback as your image develops. Unlike traditional methods where you wait for the full output, Leonardo AI allows you to see the artwork evolve in real-time as it interprets your prompt. This interactive experience enables you to refine your prompt on the fly, making quick adjustments to the subject, style, or composition.
For example, if you don’t like how the lighting or color palette is shaping up, you can modify your input during the generation process. This unique capability not only saves time but also enhances the creative flow, making it an ideal tool for artists who prefer hands-on control over their creative process.
Canvas Editor
The Canvas Editor tool in Leonardo AI takes image editing to the next level by offering advanced, real-time adjustments. With this feature, users can directly modify their generated images by resizing, expanding the canvas (outpainting), or editing specific elements (inpainting). This tool is incredibly powerful for fine-tuning your artwork, allowing you to adjust details like textures, lighting, or object placement without starting from scratch.
Additionally, the Canvas Editor supports upscaling, enabling you to increase the resolution of your images while maintaining quality. Whether you’re tweaking minor details or making major alterations, the Canvas Editor gives artists the flexibility and precision they need to polish their work to perfection.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using Leonardo AI’s Realtime Canvas
Step 1: Access Realtime Canvas
- Start by logging into your Leonardo AI account and navigating to the sidebar on the main dashboard.
- Click on “Realtime Canvas” to launch the tool. You’ll be greeted by a blank canvas ready for your creativity.
Step 2: Set Your Creative Direction
- Begin by entering a prompt that describes the kind of artwork you want to create. You can type anything, from “futuristic cityscape” to “vintage portrait.”
- If you’re unsure, you can leave this blank and begin sketching, letting the AI interpret your strokes.
Step 3: Choose Your Tools
- Select the brush tool from the toolbar. You can adjust the size, opacity, and color to match the type of strokes you want to apply.
- If you prefer, you can upload a base image as a starting point for further refinement.
Step 4: Start Sketching or Uploading
- Use the sketching tool to freely draw on the canvas. As you make your strokes, Leonardo AI will actively process your input and enhance the sketch, turning it into a more polished image in real-time.
- If you uploaded an image, use the tools to enhance or adjust it based on your desired outcome.
Step 5: Watch Realtime AI Updates
- As you draw, Leonardo AI’s engine works simultaneously in the background to interpret your design. It’ll begin creating an artwork based on your strokes and prompt (if provided).
- You’ll notice the image evolve in real-time, and the AI will suggest enhancements, texture adjustments, or additional details.
Step 6: Fine-Tune the AI Guidance
- Adjust the Guidance Level to control how closely the AI sticks to your drawing. A higher guidance level means the AI will stay truer to your input, while a lower level allows it more creative freedom to generate something new.
- You can also control the amount of detail in the artwork by adjusting the detail sliders in the settings.
Step 7: Use the Prompt Assist Tool
- If you’re looking for inspiration or want to improve your prompt, click on the Prompt Assist Tool (represented by a dice icon). It will auto-generate additional details for your artwork, enhancing complexity without extra effort.
Step 8: Apply Instant Refine
- Once your basic image is complete, use the Instant Refine feature to sharpen and improve the artwork’s resolution and clarity.
- This step helps you create a more polished piece, perfect for professional-grade visuals.
Step 9: Save and Export
- When you’re happy with the final result, save your work by clicking “Save and Upscale” to increase the resolution for better quality.
- The upscaled image is automatically saved to your Personal Feed, where you can review and download it anytime.
Step 10: Experiment and Iterate
Don’t hesitate to go back and refine the image further. Use Inpaint Mode to make adjustments directly to parts of the image, add new elements with the Realtime Generation feature, or tweak colors and lighting to perfection.
This is the final output of one of my tests using the Alchemy Upscale refiner:
Pricing and Subscription Plans for Leonardo AI
Leonardo AI offers a variety of subscription plans tailored to different users’ needs:
- Free Plan: 150 free tokens per day, allowing users to explore and experience basic features.
- Apprentice Standard Plan ($10/month): Offers 8,500 tokens per month, ideal for regular users looking to explore more of the platform.
- Artisan Unlimited Plan ($24/month): Unlimited image generation and 25,000 tokens for those who want to create without limits.
- Maestro Unlimited Plan ($48/month): Provides premium features, including video generation, with 60,000 tokens.
Is Leonardo AI Truly a Better Alternative to Midjourney?
Compared to Midjourney, Leonardo AI stands out with:
- User-Friendly Interface: It’s easier to use thanks to its intuitive interface, without the need for complex commands like in Midjourney.
- Free to Explore: Leonardo AI offers a free plan, while Midjourney requires a paid subscription to use.
- Customization Options: Leonardo AI allows for more in-depth customization, with tools like Alchemy and the ability to train your own model.
- Advanced Editing Tools: Features such as outpainting and inpainting make Leonardo AI superior in fine-tuning artwork.
In summary, if you’re a beginner or simply looking for a powerful AI art creation tool without having to pay upfront, Leonardo AI is certainly a must-try!
