September 29, 2024 | by Muaz ibn M.
Leonardo.Ai isn’t a Renaissance master or a Hollywood star, but it stands out in the digital art world. Originally designed to generate gaming assets, it has now evolved into a comprehensive AI content creation tool. It offers video creation, editing services, and advanced image generation.
Leonardo.Ai is a strong contender in the realm of AI-powered image generators, standing up well against industry giants like Adobe Firefly. While it might not offer the editing capabilities of Midjourney, it surpasses competitors such as Google’s ImageFX and Canva by delivering more accurate responses to user prompts.
For those looking for the best AI image generator, OpenAI’s Dall-E 3 is the current top pick by CNET, though it comes with a $20 subscription for ChatGPT Plus. In contrast, Leonardo.Ai offers a comprehensive free plan, making it an appealing choice for budget-conscious users.
In an experiment, I used Leonardo.Ai to recreate Da Vinci’s famous painting “The Last Supper.” While the result was decent, there were some important details missing—most notably, only eight disciples appeared in the image. Despite this, the overall quality was impressive. I generated over 90 images, including stock photos, sci-fi scenes, and fantasy art, and Leonardo.Ai performed remarkably well across various styles.
At CNET, we rigorously test AI image generators by simulating real-world use cases. Our evaluation focuses on the generator’s ability to replicate specific artistic styles, blend visual elements cohesively, and follow detailed prompts accurately. Each AI tool is rated on a 10-point scale, assessing prompt accuracy, creative output, and generation speed.
For a detailed breakdown of our testing methods, visit our full evaluation process.
Leonardo.Ai includes a noteworthy feature in its terms of service: it can use your generated content to “improve its services” through machine learning. This means that your images might be used to train the platform. If privacy is a concern, upgrading to a paid plan allows you to keep your creations private.
New users start with a free plan, which provides 150 tokens every eight hours, equating to about 13-15 image batches. For advanced editing tools, a premium subscription is necessary, with some features requiring additional tokens to use.
While Da Vinci might have dismissed the idea of AI-generated art, I was generally impressed with the results Leonardo.Ai delivered. The clarity and level of detail in its images stood out compared to other generators. In many instances, the AI nailed complex elements like hands, which are notoriously tricky for image generators, producing results with the correct number of fingers. Occasionally, certain aspects of the image would appear disproportionate, but these inconsistencies often added a whimsical touch rather than rendering the image unusable.
However, when it comes to highly specific prompts, Leonardo.Ai tends to capture the overall vibe rather than precise details. For example, I requested an image of a large black dragon and a smaller golden one hovering above a castle with four turrets and a red flag. The result delivered the dragons and castle, but not exactly as described.
Leonardo.Ai excels at creating visually engaging images. The vibrant colors and intricate details make the generated images fun to both create and examine. However, some of Leonardo.Ai’s additional tools, like the Canvas Editor and Realtime Generation, fall short. These tools are less user-friendly and often produce lower-quality images with blurry edges or awkward compositions. If you’re looking for advanced editing capabilities, there are better options available. Meta AI’s “Imagine” tool is a more reliable real-time image generation alternative.
Without a premium plan, Leonardo.Ai doesn’t offer post-generation editing tools. If you’re using the free version, your only option is to modify the prompt and generate a new image. To avoid this, it’s important to take full advantage of Leonardo.Ai’s customization options before generating an image. These options include preset styles, contrast levels, and dimensions, which can be selected from the sidebar.
For more advanced image creation, features like Image Guidance and Elements can be useful. Image Guidance allows you to use one of your previous images as a reference for style or color. Elements let you add specific visual effects, such as “glassy” or “soft pastel anime.” These extras can help direct the AI toward a more refined outcome.
Leonardo.Ai also offers a premium feature called Alchemy Refiner, which promises to enhance and upscale images—especially those of faces and hands, which are notoriously difficult for AI to perfect. Since I tested the free plan, I couldn’t access this tool. However, I was impressed by the quality of hands and teeth in the images I generated, which were much better than those from other AI platforms.
Leonardo.Ai includes helpful tools for crafting prompts. The random prompt generator and the prompt improvement tool are particularly useful if you’re stuck or need some creative inspiration. The “Improve Prompt” feature expands a basic prompt into a more detailed paragraph, which can help guide the AI toward a clearer result. The random prompt generator is also great for brainstorming and exploring new ideas.
One of Leonardo.Ai’s key strengths is its speed. Most images are generated within 10 to 20 seconds, making it one of the faster AI image generators available. The model you choose can affect generation time—Leonardo.Ai’s new Phoenix model takes slightly longer—but even then, the wait is brief. Compared to other generators that leave you twiddling your thumbs, Leonardo.Ai keeps things moving quickly.
Leonardo.Ai ticks many important boxes for an AI image generator: it’s fast, offers a free plan, and produces quality images. However, a few drawbacks hold it back from being a must-have tool for everyone. Locking post-generation editing tools behind a paywall is inconvenient, and it can lead to quickly running through your tokens as you try to get the image just right. Additionally, the privacy policy could be clearer—key details are buried in the terms of service. Finally, while the images were good, they didn’t leave me awestruck. Leonardo.Ai feels competent but not groundbreaking.
For hobbyists or casual creators, Leonardo.Ai is a great tool for generating quick, usable AI images. Just don’t expect it to surpass the top-tier options in the market.
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