Stable Diffusion Versus DALL-E Mini

DALL-E Mini is identical to the original DALL-E AI text-to-image tool; aside from that, it is open source and doesn't have the restrictions or filters that you'll find on DALL-E2.

Stable Diffusion is the newest, most advanced competitor, but both AI tools have respective strengths and weaknesses, including realism, facial features, and interpreting the text input prompts provided.

You can try Stable Diffusion online for yourself, free of charge, through NightCafe, or read on for a side-by-side comparison!

What Is DALL-E Mini?

As we’ve touched on, DALL-E Mini is simply a different version of DALL-E2, although restrictions on DALL-E2 have since been removed. 

We’re often asked how Stable Diffusion compares to Dream Studio and DALL-E, as these are the best-known and most accessible text prompt AI tools. In short, you can create unique graphics, imagery or characters using any words or phrases you wish–although the outcomes are often a little unexpected. Now, there is even a Stable Diffusion GIMP plugin and an emerging number of broader applications, from NFTs to gaming development.

DALL-E2 was first launched in 2021 by OpenAI and uses a version of the transformer model GPT-3 to understand and interpret phraseology and words, attempting to generate lifelike images based on the text you enter.

What Is Stable Diffusion?

Stable Diffusion is a more recent tool, released a year later, and uses an encoder to translate text prompts, similar to Imagen by Google, but separating images into different diffusion processes. It peels away layers of ‘noise’ until the final graphic is ready, with many images showing a greater depth of detail, context, and realism than pre-existing AI graphic creation tools.

That isn't to say that either DALL-E Mini or Stable Diffusion doesn't get it wrong from time to time, and it can be a case of adjusting your text prompt to achieve an image that is closer to what you are looking for. However, this is part of using text-to-image AI algorithms!

DALL-E Mini Versus Stable Diffusion: Which Is Better?

Both programmes have impressive capabilities, but Stable Diffusion tends to produce more aesthetic, art-like imagery, whereas DALL-E Mini can appear more simplistic.

A lot depends on the type of graphic you are producing because results vary between landscapes, people, artworks, animals, and other text prompts such as robotics or futuristic vehicles. One of the best ways to refine your graphic is to pay attention to the instructional text, such as 'highly-detailed', 'smooth’ or an indication of the texture you’d like your image to have.

We think each of these AI tools is an exciting opportunity to play with image design and creation, although Stable Diffusion is a winner when it comes to higher-resolution graphics. The programme can generate images with a resolution of up to 1024 x 1024, compared to 512 x 512 on DALL-E Mini, making it an easy choice if you need crisp graphics for use in marketing, gaming, or other fields.

However, DALL-E Mini can be more capable in terms of producing images of real people (such as celebrities or historical figures) because it has a greater breadth of range and allows you to create graphics of real humans.