Intro to AI Image Generation Tools: From Text-to-Image to Post-processing
Published 2026-10-23
Understand the workflow first
AI imaging is not one tool for everything — it's a pipeline: text-to-image → image-to-image refinement → upscaling/restoration → cutout/compression for delivery. Different stages call for different tools.
Text-to-image: platform or model
- Domestic platforms: Tongyi Wanxiang, WHEE, SeaArt — Chinese-prompt friendly, stable access, daily free credits for practice.
- Self-hosted/open source: the Stable Diffusion ecosystem (WebUI, ComfyUI) offers maximum control over composition and consistency, at the cost of a GPU.
- Design-oriented: Recraft excels at vector styles and icons.
The post-processing trio
- Upscale/restore: online with Bigjpg or PicWish; for local quality, see Topaz Labs.
- Cutout/background: remove.bg removes backgrounds in one click; free credits cover standard-resolution downloads.
- Compress for delivery: shrink files with TinyPNG or Squoosh — the latter processes locally for privacy.
A free starting stack
Zero-cost combo: Tongyi Wanxiang/WHEE for generation → Bigjpg for upscaling → remove.bg for cutout → Squoosh for compression. All have free tiers; upgrade only after the pipeline proves itself.
Tips and red lines
- Write prompts in this order: subject, style, composition, lighting, then details — change one variable at a time.
- Check each platform's commercial-use terms before client work; they differ.
- Be careful generating real-person likenesses or famous IPs; follow platform rules.
More image tools in our AI Image & Design category; online utilities in the Online Tools directory.