Oct 184 min read

AI Art Generator - AI Art Cheatsheet for Graphic Designers and Illustrators

AI Tools for Graphic Designers & Illustrators Cheat Sheet

MidJourney:Best for generating artistic, highly creative images from text prompts. Known for its painterly, abstract, and surreal style.
- Use it for: Concept art, digital illustrations, mood boards, and experimental designs.
- Pro tip: Try combining unusual elements in your prompts (e.g., "dreamy forest with futuristic robots") to spark creativity.
DALL-E 3:Powerful tool for creating realistic images from text prompts, with a wide range of applications in design. If you have ChatGPT, you automatically have this.
- Use it for: Generating product mockups, visual assets, and photorealistic imagery.
- Pro tip: Be as specific as possible with prompts to get detailed, refined results (e.g., "modern kitchen interior, minimalist style, natural lighting").
Artbreeder:Allows you to create new art by mixing and evolving images with AI.
- Use it for: Character design, creating faces, and combining multiple concepts into one.
- Pro tip: Start with an image and use sliders to adjust facial features, style, and color schemes for customized results.
RunwayML:A suite of AI tools that helps with video editing, image generation, and creating animations from prompts.
- Use it for: Motion graphics, adding effects, or animating static illustrations.
- Pro tip: Use it to transform your static designs into dynamic visuals by applying AI-driven animations.

Be Specific:Clear, detailed descriptions result in more precise artwork. Include details like style, color, lighting, and subject.
- Example: "Vintage poster of a woman riding a bicycle through a Paris street, soft sunlight, warm colors, Art Deco style."
Experiment with Styles:Reference specific art movements, artists, or genres to achieve desired aesthetics.
- Example: "Cyberpunk city skyline, neon lights, Blade Runner-inspired, futuristic."
Use Descriptive Adjectives:Help the AI understand the emotion or vibe of your design.
- Example: "Whimsical, playful, pastel colors, surreal landscape with floating islands."
Test Variations:Run the same prompt multiple times to explore slight changes in the output. Tweak keywords for alternative results.
- Example: Swap "bright daylight" with "golden hour" to see different lighting effects.

Incorporate Human Touch:After generating AI art, always refine the result manually in design software like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to maintain a human element in your work.
- Pro tip: Use AI for ideation and as a starting point, then add textures, clean lines, and branding details manually.
Customize Outputs with AI Settings:Use advanced settings or features in AI tools to fine-tune results.
- MidJourney: Adjust settings like "Chaos" to control how abstract or refined the output is.
- DALL-E 3: Specify exact aspects such as color palette, depth of field, and angles for more control.
Blend AI-Generated Art with Original Designs:Mix your hand-drawn illustrations with AI-generated backgrounds or elements.
- Pro tip: Import AI-generated assets into your design software, then overlay hand-drawn elements or typography to create a unique combination of AI and manual artistry.

Start with a Concept:Define what you want to create. For graphic designers, this might be a mood board, logo concept, or visual theme for a project.
- Example: "Concept art for a fantasy-themed website banner."
Generate Base Art with AI:Use AI to create initial images or elements that fit the style and theme you need.
- Example: Use MidJourney to generate a fantasy cityscape for the website header background.
Refine and Customize:Import the AI-generated assets into Photoshop, Illustrator, or your preferred design software. Add details, layer elements, and incorporate hand-drawn components.
- Example: Enhance colors, add icons, typography, and adjust the layout to fit the design specs.
Post-Process:Apply finishing touches such as sharpening, texture overlays, or adjustments to brightness, contrast, and color balance.
- Example: Use Photoshop filters or layer effects to integrate AI assets seamlessly into your design.

Sell Prints or Digital Downloads:Turn your AI-enhanced designs into high-quality prints or sell digital files on platforms like Etsy, Gumroad, or Creative Market.
Create NFTs:Mint your AI-generated artwork as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and sell them on marketplaces like OpenSea or Rarible.
Offer AI-Assisted Design Services:Advertise custom AI-generated design services for clients, offering quick concept art, logo design, or social media graphics using AI tools.
Build a Portfolio with AI Art:Use AI tools to quickly generate diverse styles and concepts to enrich your design portfolio, showcasing your ability to combine technology with traditional design skills.

Attribution & Ownership:Always verify the licensing terms of the AI tool you are using to understand the ownership of the generated images. Some AI tools may retain ownership of outputs or require attribution.
Maintain Creative Integrity:While AI is a powerful tool, always ensure that your work maintains a level of originality and doesn’t rely solely on automated systems. Use AI as a collaborator, not a replacement.

Prompt:The text input or instruction given to the AI to generate an image.
Chaos Level:A setting in MidJourney that controls the amount of randomness in the image generation process.
Latent Space:The AI’s abstract space where it interprets and creates new images based on learned data.
Post-Processing:Editing and enhancing an image after the AI has generated it, usually done in programs like Photoshop.