How to Use AI Image Generation: A Beginner's Complete Guide

You've seen the AI-generated images everywhere — on social media, in ads, in articles. They range from photorealistic portraits to surreal dreamscapes. And you're wondering: how do I actually make these?

Good news: it's easier than you think. You don't need to understand machine learning. You don't need Photoshop skills. You don't even need to install anything. This guide walks you through everything, from generating your first image to developing a workflow that produces consistent, high-quality results.

What You Need to Get Started

Literally just a browser. That's it.

Modern AI image generators run in the cloud. You type a text description (called a "prompt"), the AI processes it on remote servers, and sends back your image. No GPU required, no software to install.

For this guide, I'll use Myjourney as the example tool because it's free to start (100 credits, no credit card) and has a clean interface. If you want to understand the text-to-image process in more depth, our AI image generator from text guide covers the technical side. But the principles apply to any text-to-image AI tool.

Step 1: Sign Up and Open the Generator

Head to myjourney.so and create a free account. You'll get 100 ARES credits immediately — enough for several image generations.

Once you're in, you'll see a prompt bar. This is where you do the work.

Step 2: Write Your First Prompt

Start simple. Type something like:

A cozy coffee shop interior with warm lighting

Hit Generate. Within seconds, you'll have an AI-generated image of a coffee shop.

It might not be exactly what you imagined. That's normal. AI image generation is a conversation — you describe, the AI interprets, and you refine.

Step 3: Understand the Settings

Most AI image generators offer a few key settings:

Quality Modes

• Draft — Fast and cheap. Great for testing prompt ideas quickly. On Myjourney, this costs about $0.03 per image.
• Standard — The sweet spot. Good quality, reasonable speed. About $0.10 per image.
• Raw — Maximum quality with more artistic interpretation. The AI takes more creative liberty.

Pro tip: Always start with Draft mode when experimenting. Switch to Standard or Raw only when you've nailed the prompt.

Aspect Ratio

This controls the shape of your output image:

• 1:1 — Square. Good for profile pictures and social media posts.
• 4:3 — Classic photo proportions. Versatile for most uses.
• 16:9 — Widescreen. Perfect for landscapes, headers, and cinematic scenes.
• 9:16 — Vertical. Ideal for phone wallpapers, Instagram Stories, and TikTok thumbnails.

Choose your aspect ratio before generating — it affects how the AI composes the scene.

Number of Images

Generate multiple variations at once. This is useful because AI generation has an element of randomness — the same prompt produces different images each time. Generating 2-4 at once gives you options to pick from.

Step 4: Learn Prompt Engineering

"Prompt engineering" sounds fancy, but it's really just learning how to describe what you want effectively. Here are the building blocks:

The Formula

[Subject] + [Setting/Context] + [Style] + [Technical Details]

Example:

A samurai standing on a cliff at sunset, cherry blossoms falling, Studio Ghibli anime style, soft lighting, detailed

This tells the AI:

• What: A samurai
• Where: On a cliff at sunset with cherry blossoms
• Style: Studio Ghibli anime
• Quality: Soft lighting, detailed

Power Words That Transform Results

Add these to dramatically improve output quality:

For photorealism:

• "DSLR photo," "shot on Canon R5," "85mm lens"
• "natural lighting," "golden hour," "studio portrait lighting"
• "shallow depth of field," "bokeh background"

For artistic styles:

• "digital painting," "concept art," "oil on canvas"
• "watercolor wash," "ink illustration," "pixel art"
• "in the style of [artist or studio name]"

For mood and atmosphere:

• "moody," "ethereal," "dramatic," "playful"
• "dark and mysterious," "bright and cheerful"
• "cinematic," "editorial," "documentary"

Step 5: Iterate and Refine

The real skill in AI image generation isn't writing one perfect prompt. It's the iteration cycle:

1. Generate a quick draft
2. Evaluate — what's good, what's off?
3. Adjust — modify one or two keywords
4. Generate again
5. Repeat until it clicks

Each cycle takes 10-30 seconds. In the time it would take to explain your vision to a freelance artist, you can explore 20 different variations.

Step 6: Advanced Techniques

Once you're comfortable with basic prompting, try these:

Image-to-Image Generation

Upload a reference photo and add a text prompt. The AI uses your image as a starting point and transforms it according to your description. Use this for:

• Converting photos to different art styles
• Maintaining consistent composition across variations
• Using rough sketches as a starting point for polished art

Combining Concepts

AI excels at combining things that don't naturally go together:

• "A Victorian library inside a submarine, steampunk, warm candlelight"
• "A city skyline made entirely of books, photorealistic, golden hour"
• "A cat astronaut conducting a symphony on the moon, digital art"

These impossible combinations are where AI image generation gets genuinely interesting.

Building a Style Library

When you find a combination of keywords that produces a style you love, save it. Build a personal library of style recipes:

• My cinematic style: "cinematic lighting, anamorphic lens flare, teal and orange color grade, shallow DOF"
• My illustration style: "clean vector illustration, flat colors, bold outlines, minimal background"
• My portrait style: "studio portrait, Rembrandt lighting, dark background, sharp focus"

Real-World Use Cases

AI image generation isn't just for fun (though it is fun). Here's how people are using it professionally:

• Marketing teams — Generate dozens of ad creative variations in minutes
• Content creators — Blog headers, social media posts, YouTube thumbnails
• Product designers — Rapid concept visualization and mood boards
• Game developers — Concept art, texture references, character designs
• Educators — Custom illustrations for lessons and presentations
• E-commerce — Product lifestyle imagery and backgrounds

How Much Does It Cost?

The range is wide:

• Free: Myjourney gives 100 free credits to start — see our complete guide to free AI image generators for all the options. Stable Diffusion is free if you run it locally.
• Pay-per-use: Myjourney's ARES credits let you pay only for what you generate. A Draft image is ~$0.03, Standard is ~$0.10.
• Subscription: MidJourney starts at $30/month. DALL-E is bundled with ChatGPT Plus at $20/month. Not sure which is worth it? Our MidJourney alternatives comparison breaks down the real costs.

If you're just starting out, pay-per-use is the smartest bet. You learn without financial pressure, and you only spend money when you're actually creating.

Start Creating

The barrier to entry for AI image generation in 2026 is essentially zero. A browser, a free account, and a few keywords are all you need.

The best way to learn isn't reading guides (though I hope this one helps). It's generating images. Lots of them. Experiment with different styles, different subjects, different moods. Within an hour, you'll develop an intuition for what works.

Start for free on Myjourney — no credit card, no subscription, no downloads. Just type and create. Need inspiration? Browse the community gallery.