Your First AI Image

You've already created text and music with AI. Now the visual dimension: an image that never existed before, born from your description. Just seconds from idea to image.

Why You Should Try This

You already know the principles: AI predicts — the next token in text, the next audio segment in music. Images work the same way: AI recognizes patterns in images and generates pixel by pixel a new image that reflects these patterns.

But the feeling is different. When you write a text prompt and ChatGPT responds, it happens in text form — you read an answer. When you translate text into an image, the result is immediate, visible, tangible. Imagine: you describe a picture in words — and seconds later it exists. Not a stock photo, not a template — an image that never existed before.

AI image generation is perhaps the most visually striking AI capability available today.

Your Tool

There are many free tools. Here are three proven ones:

ChatGPT with DALL-E 3 (chat.openai.com) The simplest entry point. You describe the image in natural English, ChatGPT refines your prompt and DALL-E 3 generates. Free after a certain quota. Best for: photorealistic images, illustrations, concepts.

Ideogram (ideogram.ai) Especially strong at text in images — logos, posters, graphics with readable text. Daily free generations. Best for: graphics with readable text, visual design concepts.

Leonardo.ai (leonardo.ai) More control over style and parameters. Free credits daily. Best for: artistic styles, game art, specific aesthetics.

If unsure: Start with ChatGPT. It's the most conversational and forgiving.

The Task

Create an image. Write a description (1-3 sentences). Two examples:

Detailed: "A watercolor painting of a small bookshop on a rainy evening. Warm light spills from the windows onto wet cobblestones. An orange cat sits in the window."

Simple: "An astronaut drinking coffee on the moon."

Both work. The first gives more guidance; the second lets AI be more creative. Choose what feels right.

What to Pay Attention To

Observe with three eyes:

1. First Impression Wow or meh? The emotional reaction matters. AI images often have an immediate wow effect that fades on closer inspection. That's completely normal.

2. Details Zoom in. Count fingers. Try to read any text. Check if shadows are consistent. The devil is in the detail — literally. This is a good opportunity to understand where AI is strong and where it's weak.

3. Interpretation Did AI understand what you meant, or what it thought you meant? Where did it take creative liberties? Would you call it "your" image?

There Is No Right or Wrong

Like in K01 and K02: every reaction is valid. Some find the generated image better than expected, others are disappointed. Both are learning moments. In the next lesson, we'll look at the patterns together.