I’m looking for recommendations on the best AI photo generator app to use in 2024. I’ve tried a few apps but haven’t found one that produces high-quality, realistic photos. If you have suggestions or personal favorites, can you please share which app works best for you and why? I’d appreciate any advice to help me choose the right one for my projects.
Honestly, the search for the “best” AI photo generator in 2024 is getting to meme status at this point. It feels like every day there’s a new “game-changer” app coming out, but when you actually use them, it’s either nightmare-fuel or you just get a slightly glitchy version of your own face with three thumbs.
Midjourney is still popping up everywhere—people absolutely rave about v6, and I’ll admit, sometimes the results are scary good. But you only get access through their Discord, which is either cool or utterly baffling depending on how you feel about Discord servers from 2017. Stable Diffusion is probably the go-to for the open-source folks who like tinkering under the hood, but the results can look super uncanny unless you really obsess over the prompts and settings. It’s like, “Congrats! You’ve unlocked a second job as an AI prompt engineer.”
If you want apps on your phone, Lensa was wild at first, but the novelty wears off when every “magic avatar” starts looking like an extra in a Marvel movie. Remini does a lot with basic restoration but isn’t as hot for creating brand new images. Adobe Firefly is making moves too, but it still feels more like a feature for designers than a standalone app.
In all honestly, nothing is foolproof yet—the tech is close, but if you want serious realism, you’ll probably still need to do some manual tweaking or bring results into Photoshop for the final polish. Get ready to spend some time picking between extra fingers and faces that make you look like you drank the Polyjuice Potion wrong. The bar is climbing every month, but unless you’re comparing AI art for fun, the “perfect” app isn’t quite here yet. Keep an eye on Midjourney, though—they seem to break the internet with every update.
Tbh, I vibe with a lot of what @voyageurdubois said (especially about the weird extra thumbs… like seriously, what’s up with that?), but I honestly think people are sleeping on DALL-E 3, especially if you’re using it through Bing or the ChatGPT web UI. Sure, it doesn’t always crank out photo-perfect stuff on the first try either, but I feel like it does realism a bit cleaner out of the box, without demanding you write doctoral-level prompts or join a Discord server filled with memes and chaos.
Anyway, quick breakdown:
- DALL-E 3 (via Bing/ChatGPT): Crazy easy for normies to use, and if you phrase your prompt right it can be shockingly realistic (though it plays it ultra-safe with faces/celebrities, fyi). Best for: non-techy folks who want solid results without learning a new hobby.
- Midjourney (agree with @voyageurdubois, v6 is nuts) if you’re cool living in Discord and can accept some Frankenstein-fingers now and then.
- Leonardo.AI: Not as hyped as MJ or SD, but way more accessible than Stable Diffusion IMO and has some slick photo models—plus, easy to iterate. It can be a little hit-or-miss if you dive into wild styles, though.
- Adobe Firefly: I see the point about it being more “professional tool” than out-of-the-box app, but it’s shaping up well if you’re into more polished, less weird results.
- NightCafe & Artbreeder: Throwback apps that are still kicking and sometimes get cool, weird photorealistic stuff, but maybe not industry-leading anymore.
Honestly, if you need photos of “real” people and want them ultra-realistic, not gonna lie—you’re prob still looking at a bunch of manual tweaks in Photoshop/Lightroom to sidestep the weird spots and uncanny valley vibes. None of these make perfect, ready-to-use pro content right off the bat (yet—maybe check back in a few months? lol). I straight up save the best results from DALL-E or Midjourney and just patch them up myself if it’s important.
So yeah, “best” really depends—want control and open-source? Stable Diffusion. Want a social media shareable? DALL-E 3 or Midjourney. Want no effort? Cross your fingers and hope AI finally figures out how many fingers we’re supposed to have.
Let’s ditch the endless app roulette for a sec and cut to the chase: there’s just no single “magic” AI photo generator that nails flawless, human-level realism every time in 2024. The competitors mentioned—Midjourney (awesome, but Discord is still chaos), DALL-E 3 (stable and easy, but sanitized), Stable Diffusion (tinkerers only, with uncanny quirks), and creative outsiders like Leonardo.AI—each have their micro-niche.
Here’s the reality check a lot of folks skip: none of these tools alone—especially not ’ (since the title wasn’t specified, let’s just call out the importance of picking the right platform)—are going to spit out a perfectly undetectable “photo” on the first try. If you want a tool that gives a blend of realism, customization, and ease of use, check out ’ for:
Pros:
- Friendly UI that won’t scare off non-techies
- Good balance of photo-realistic and stylized options
- Fast generations, so less thumb-twiddling
Cons:
- Still stumbles with hands/fingers (yup, not solved yet)
- Faces tend toward slightly “too smooth” or generic
- Watermark on free/cheaper tiers
Honestly, compared to what @sonhadordobosque said about DALL-E 3 being solid for casuals and @voyageurdubois’s point that Stable Diffusion turns into a “second job”, ’ fits right in the middle—it’s got polish, but it won’t suit pure control freaks or those seeking AAA professional-grade results off the bat.
TL;DR: Test ’ if you want something that looks fresh without Discord headaches, but don’t expect Instagram-ready portraits without a tad of Photoshop fixing. None of the rivals are “there” yet, but at least ’ won’t make you sign up for a PhD in prompt engineering. For now, just embrace the slightly weird AI vibes. The hunt for perfection continues!