Unlocking Creativity with the Best AI Image Generator: A Look at Free Tools

Currently, most AI painting platforms are almost all paid. For instance, Midjourney's monthly subscription costs at least $10, and others charge by points, with similar trends in domestic platforms. Whether through functional limitations or resolution caps, those that offer truly unlimited options generally require payment. Recently, I had a project that needed a large number of promotional images—at least a thousand! Just thinking about the costs associated with using those AI painting platforms stressed me out. While I was worrying about it, a friend recommended two free AI drawing tools, claiming you could generate images without spending any money. Honestly, I was skeptical at first—free lunches are pretty rare these days! However, with a trial-and-error mindset, I spent a week testing these two tools. The results were astonishing! Not only are they completely free, but during that week, I generated over 500 high-quality images easily, with impressive results! Today, I want to share the two free AI drawing tools that I joyfully used for over a month: Raphael AI and SenseTime's Miaohua. These tools not only save money but are also user-friendly, producing quality results that rival paid options.

In-Depth Experience with Raphael AI

Platform Overview
Raphael AI is the world’s first completely free and unlimited AI image generator, powered by the FLUX.1-Dev model. You can use it directly without registration, which is incredibly convenient. By inputting English prompts (though Chinese works too, with a less adept understanding), you can generate high-quality images. It supports various artistic styles, including realism, anime, oil painting, and digital art.

Five Core Advantages

My practical experience with Raphael AI revealed several outstanding features:

1. No Registration Required: There’s no need to create an account or fill in any information; just open the webpage and get started. This is a refreshing change in a time when most websites require registration. You can access it from a phone, tablet, or computer anytime and anywhere.

2. Unlimited Generation: I generated over 100 images in a single day without any restrictions or prompts from the system. Many platforms impose daily limits even if you pay; with Raphael AI, that concern is entirely absent.

3. Versatile Style Adjustments: It supports various styles, allowing you to choose from 17 different options, including realism, anime, and abstract art. You can also tweak color settings and lighting effects to create the desired AI image style. Personally, I find its realism and anime styles particularly impressive, especially for character portraits. Even with Chinese descriptions, the result is quite natural.

4. Fast Production: Each image is generated within an average of 10 seconds, which is quite faster compared to the paid platforms I used previously. I once generated 50 illustrations in under 15 minutes—super efficient!

5. Privacy Focused: Raphael AI doesn’t store user history, enhancing user privacy protection. After refreshing the page, previous records are gone. While it can be a hassle to find previous prompts sometimes, it’s a plus for privacy-conscious users.

6. Free Image Upscaling: Amazingly, they also offer free upscaling features!

Tips for Effective Use

• Using English descriptions yields better results; you can use ChatGPT to translate Chinese into detailed English prompts.
• Use reverse prompts to exclude unwanted elements, which can significantly enhance output quality.
• Remember to save images promptly since refreshing the page will erase history.
• Experiment with various style settings, as the same description can yield vastly different images.

Drawbacks

Of course, Raphael AI isn’t perfect. Here are some of its limitations:

• Image resolution is fixed with only a few preset options and doesn’t support custom adjustments.
• There’s no history saving, so you must recall your previous prompts.
• The understanding of Chinese descriptions is poorer than that of English, sometimes missing out on key details.
• Complex prompts may lead to the omission of some elements.

In-Depth Experience with Miaohua

Platform Overview
Miaohua, developed by SenseTime, is an AI drawing tool based on the 7-billion-parameter Artist model. Users can quickly generate high-quality artworks through text prompts or image uploads. Unlike Raphael, registration is required, but it offers more professional features and better Chinese support.

Five Core Features

1. Strong Chinese Language Support: Miaohua’s interface is designed for Chinese users, requiring no web translation. It comprehends Chinese text content effectively, which is a tremendous advantage among high-efficiency AI products. I found its understanding of Chinese to be better than most platforms, allowing for precise descriptions without needing to be translated into English.

2. Multiple Generation Methods: Miaohua allows image generation through text as well as uploading an image to create new variations in different styles. This feature is incredibly useful when you want to maintain a uniform brand style with slight variations.

3. Precise Control Features: ControlNet offers various options like pose control, line art coloring, and depth detection. This functionality is invaluable for designers; for instance, I could sketch a simple character pose and let the AI generate a complete figure that fits my desired composition and action.

4. Train Personal Models: Miaohua supports personalized LoRA training for specific IPs, digital portraits, and artistic styles. I uploaded multiple previous designs from our brand, and the system automatically created a customized model. The resulting images maintained stylistic consistency with our brand, significantly reducing workload.

5. Inspiration Square: If you’re out of ideas, browse the Inspiration Square, where you can easily replicate works you like, and everyone becomes a creativity master! When struggling to describe something, you can find appealing images and use their prompts with minimal modification.

Tips for Effective Use

• Make use of the platform’s templates and reference images to save time on descriptions.
• When using Chinese descriptions, be as specific as possible, ideally breaking it down by character, environment, lighting, and style.
• Try the ControlNet features, especially pose control and line art coloring, for stunning effects.
• For styles you frequently use, consider investing time in training a personal model, as this will save a lot of work in the future.

Limitations

While Miaohua is powerful, it has some inconvenient aspects:

• It requires registration to use, unlike the immediate availability of Raphael.
• The free version limits daily generation counts; you need to unlock an “Unlimited Card” for infinite generation.
• Some advanced features, such as model training, require additional credits.
• The generation speed is slightly slower than Raphael AI, though image quality remains stable.

Prompt Writing Techniques

1. Subject First: Start with the most critical object, e.g., “a young girl in a red dress.”
2. Describe the Environment: Add context, e.g., “standing on a bustling street with neon lights in the background.”
3. Add Atmosphere: Mention lighting and weather, e.g., “during the evening, with warm sunlight shining.”
4. Specify Style: Clearly state the desired style, e.g., “cinematic” or “cartoonish.”
5. Incorporate Technical Terms: Words like “high-definition” and “rich in detail” can enhance the quality.

Conclusion

After using these two free AI drawing tools, I genuinely believe they are invaluable. For those of us needing numerous images, these tools are a cost-saving boon. There’s no need to fret over package costs anymore; generate as many as you like! Of course, while these tools are currently free, that may not always be the case. I recommend trying them out ASAP to enjoy their benefits while they last.

Though AI drawing tools are impressive, they are merely aids; true creativity comes from us. Master these tools and apply them effectively to truly enhance productivity and produce great works.