What is Craiyon (FKA DALL-E Mini)

Craiyon is a generative AI tool to create images based on text prompts. Founded by Boris Dayma, Craiyon aims to be a lighter version of DALL-E without any limitations. The software was launched as DALL-E Mini. However, the company later changed its name to Craiyon at the request of Open AI and to avoid confusion with DALL-E models.

If you are looking for an AI image generator tool, Craiyon is worth giving a shot. Like other AI tools, Craiyon is available on the web. You can try it out on your Windows, Mac, or Chromebook. Here’s everything you need to know about Craiyon, including features, price, tips to write the best text prompts, and more.

Craiyon AI defined

The latest advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning have unlocked dozens of generative AI tools. Craiyon is one such tool for creating realistic images based on text descriptions. Basically, you don’t need to hire a professional or spend hours in Photoshop to create imaginative media files. You can simply fire up Craiyon, enter a detailed description of an image, and hit Draw.

The Craiyon model is developed on millions of images and their captions. The AI engine learned these captions to generate images based on added text prompts. Like other AI tools, Craiyon is still a work in progress. It receives frequent internal improvements and contributions from the open-source community.

How does Craiyon work?

If you have used a text-to-image generator tool before, you will find yourself right at home with Craiyon. Simply visit the company’s official website, enter a text description of an image and bring your ideas to life in no time.

Craiyon also comes with a handy Expert mode. You can enter negative words to exclude them from the final image. For instance, if you want to see less Red color in the final image output, enter the same in Expert mode. You need to be creative and as detailed as possible with your text prompts, though. Craiyon relies entirely on your input to create color schemes, textures, patterns, and faces.

Craiyon AI has lots of features, but mobile apps aren’t one of them

Here are some of the noteworthy features of the Craiyon AI engine.

• The ability to add negative prompts to exclude specific elements from an image.
• Background remover tool.
• An option to select different styles for an image.
• Rich library of existing photos and design elements.
• Printing option to buy t-shirts with your generated designs.
• Easy media sharing by generating links.
• Upscaled image files.

While Craiyon comes with a long list of features, it does miss out on two important add-ons. The company doesn’t offer mobile apps on iOS and Android. It’s a major omission in our books. Craiyon doesn’t support any photo editing features, too. You need to download the image and use third-party software to make any tweaks.

You may come across Craiyon AI drawing apps on Google Play Store or the App Store. These are copycats and not the official offering from Craiyon. Avoid these apps at all costs.

Use Craiyon to generate images

Now that you are familiar with Craiyon and its capabilities, use the steps below to generate images using text prompts.

1. Visit Craiyon on the official website. You don’t need to create an account to get started.

2. Enter text description, select art style, use expert mode if you want to exclude specific colors or patterns, and select Draw.

3. It generates nine images based on your text prompts. Select an image.

4. Check other suggestions from the bottom menu. You can remove the background and even upscale an image.

5. Glance over image details such as resolution and aspect ratio, and hit the download button.

You can also screenshot all images and save them on your desktop.

Craiyon is free, but you’ll get the most out of it with a paid subscription

Craiyon is an ad-supported platform. It’s completely free to generate and download images. That said, if you want to speed up the image generator process, subscribe to one of the paid plans. There are three paid tiers to choose from.

• Supporter ($5 per month): Generates nine images in 45 seconds (compared to 60 seconds in the free plan), removes background in 15 seconds, eliminates ads and watermarks, and gives high priority.
• Professional ($20 per month): Delivers results in only 15 seconds, removes background in five seconds, and other perks.
• Enterprise (Custom): Specific plan for enterprise users for custom models, integrations, dedicated support, and private servers.

Bonus: Get the best pics by writing detailed prompts for Craiyon

You need to be creative and specific with your text prompts to get the best out of Craiyon. You can check one of the default images on Craiyon to glance over their prompts. For example, instead of writing A cat wearing glasses and reading a book on a beach, enter A quirky cat in glasses sits on a sandy beach and reads a large book to get better results.

Show your creativity

There is no shortage of AI image generator tools out there. If Craiyon doesn’t give you satisfactory results, you can always switch to the likes of Microsoft Designer, Adobe Firefly, Google ImageFX, and more. Among them, Microsoft Designer is an interesting tool based on Open AI’s DALL-E model. You can check our dedicated guide to learn more about Microsoft’s newest graphic design tool.