Text-to-image
Text-to-image is the AI workflow where you type a written prompt and the model generates a brand-new image from it - no source image required.
Text-to-image (sometimes written "txt2img") is the most common way to use an AI image generator. You describe what you want in words and the model paints a fresh image that matches your description. Nothing is traced or copied from an existing picture - the result is synthesized from scratch.
How it works
Under the hood, a diffusion model starts from pure random noise and removes it step by step. A text encoder turns your prompt into numbers (an embedding) that steer each denoising step toward an image that fits your words. After a fixed number of steps, the noise has become a coherent picture.
How closely the result follows your wording is controlled by the CFG scale. The exact image you get for a given prompt depends on the random starting point, which is set by the seed - reuse a seed and you can reproduce the same image.
Why it matters
Text-to-image is what makes AI generators feel like magic: you go from an idea to a usable visual in seconds, with no drawing skill required. Writing clear, specific prompts - subject, style, lighting, composition - is the single biggest lever on quality.
A descriptive prompt that names the subject, style, lighting and framing gives the model far more to work with than a single word.
Example prompt
A cozy Scandinavian reading nook by a rain-streaked window, warm morning light, soft film grain, photorealistic, 35mm, shallow depth of fieldTry it in the generator
Put text-to-image to work right now - free daily generations, commercial license included.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between text-to-image and img2img?
Text-to-image starts from random noise and builds a brand-new picture from your words alone. Img2img starts from an existing image and transforms it according to your prompt, keeping some of the original structure.
Related terms
- img2imgimg2img is shorthand for "image-to-image" - the AI workflow that transforms an existing picture using a prompt, keeping some of the original structure instead of generating from scratch.
- Diffusion modelA diffusion model is the type of AI that powers most modern image generators. It learns to turn random noise into a coherent image by reversing a step-by-step noising process.
- CFG scaleCFG scale (classifier-free guidance scale) controls how strongly the image follows your prompt. Low values are loose and creative; high values stick closely to the prompt but can look over-processed.
- SeedA seed is the number used to initialize the random noise an image is built from. The same seed plus the same prompt and settings produces the same image every time, which makes results reproducible.