AI image generators have reached the point where they are serious working tools, not curiosities. For a brand that produces visual content regularly, integrating them into the workflow is one of the decisions with the greatest return. The question is which to use for what.
The main models and their strengths
FLUX (Black Forest Labs): the best current model for photorealism and the ability to follow precise instructions. For product photography, lifestyle, portraits and complex compositions with multiple elements, FLUX produces results that in many cases are indistinguishable from professional photography. Access via Replicate, fal.ai or Together AI.
Midjourney: the most widely used in advertising creativity and branding. Highly recognisable aesthetic, excellent for abstract concepts, illustrations, artistic settings. The default aesthetic quality is the highest on the market. Access only via Discord or its website, ~10€/month.
DALL-E 3: integrated into ChatGPT Plus. The easiest way to use image generation for non-technical users. Very good quality, particularly good at understanding natural-language prompts. For teams already using ChatGPT, it is the simplest entry point.
Stable Diffusion: open source, free, installable on your own server. Requires a GPU to run well. For companies with high volume and a need for control over models, it is the right option. Lower quality than FLUX in base versions but customisable with LoRAs and fine-tuning.
Which to use for each task
Product photography: FLUX. The quality and consistency in product photography is the highest.
Branding and advertising creatives: Midjourney. The default aesthetic suits most creative projects.
Iconography and illustrations: Midjourney or DALL-E 3.Both handle illustrative styles well.
Content at scale (descriptions, banners, social posts): Stable Diffusion with a model trained on the brand. The zero marginal cost offsets the technical learning curve.
Mockups and quick visualisations: DALL-E 3 via ChatGPT. The fastest workflow for iterations.
The factor that matters most: the prompt
The quality of the output with any model is limited by the quality of the prompt. A vague prompt produces generic results. A specific prompt — with style, framing, lighting, colour palette, mood — produces high-quality results. The skill of prompt engineering applied to imagery is what separates useful outputs from curiosities.
For branded image generation implementations, at BAI Marketing we offer the AI Images service, which includes model training with each client’s specific aesthetic.