How to Build an AI Image Generation Tool and Embed It in Your Website: A Step-by-Step Guide

With the growing popularity of AI-generated art, more developers and creators are looking for ways to harness this technology for their own projects. Whether you’re looking to create unique art for your website, build a fun tool for users, or even sell AI-generated art, building an AI image generation tool is easier than you might think. This guide will walk you through how to create a tool that generates images using artificial intelligence (AI) and how to integrate it into your website. We’ll also provide some examples of APIs you can use, along with their pricing.

What is AI Image Generation?

AI image generation uses machine learning models that can generate visual art based on text descriptions, images, or other inputs. One of the most popular models for this is Stable Diffusion, a deep learning model capable of generating detailed images from simple text prompts.

For instance, if you input “A futuristic cityscape at sunset,” the AI will attempt to generate an image that fits this description. By integrating this type of technology into your website, you can offer users the ability to generate custom images on-demand, all powered by AI.

Choosing an AI API for Image Generation

To avoid building a complex AI model from scratch (which requires high computing power, massive datasets, and expertise in machine learning), you can use APIs that offer AI image generation capabilities.

A. Replicate API (Stable Diffusion)

Replicate is one of the most user-friendly platforms for integrating Stable Diffusion. It allows developers to easily call the API and receive AI-generated images in response.

Free Tier: Yes, limited free credits.
Pricing: Approximately $0.002 per second of compute time (each image takes 5-10 seconds on average).
Advantages: Very easy to integrate, supports various AI models, great for developers.

B. DeepAI API

DeepAI provides a simple-to-use API for generating images with deep learning models, including DALL-E and other text-to-image generators.

Free Tier: 100 free API calls per month.
Pricing: Starts at $5 per 500 API calls after the free limit.
Advantages: Budget-friendly, easy to implement, suitable for various AI tasks (text-to-image, image enhancement, etc.).

C. OpenAI (DALL-E API)

OpenAI’s DALL-E model is another option for AI image generation. It’s known for generating high-quality, creative images from text descriptions.

Free Tier: Limited usage per month.
Pricing: $0.02 per image for 1024×1024 resolution.
Advantages: Known for high-quality outputs, versatile for various creative needs.

How to Build the AI Image Generator Tool

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Before you start coding, you’ll need to register for an account on the chosen platform and get your API key. For this example, let’s use Replicate.

Sign up for Replicate at replicate.com.
Navigate to your account settings and copy your API key.

Step 2: Build a Simple Frontend

The frontend of your tool will allow users to input their text prompts and see the generated image. A simple HTML page can do the job.

Create a file called index.html:


<!DOCTYPE html>

<html lang="en">

<head>

<meta charset="UTF-8">

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

<title>AI Image Generator</title>

</head>

<body>

<h1>AI Image Generator</h1>

<input type="text" id="prompt" placeholder="Enter a description for the image">

<button onclick="generateImage()">Generate</button>

<div id="image-container"></div>

&nbsp;

<script src="app.js"></script>

</body>

</html>

Step 3: Write JavaScript to Call the API

Now, create the file app.js where we will use JavaScript to send the user’s prompt to the Replicate API and display the image.

</span>

async function generateImage() {
const prompt = document.getElementById('prompt').value;
const apiKey = 'YOUR_REPLICATE_API_KEY'; // Replace with your actual API key

const response = await fetch('https://api.replicate.com/v1/predictions', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': `Token ${apiKey}`,
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
version: 'stable-diffusion', // Select the version you're using
input: { prompt: prompt }
})
});

const result = await response.json();

if (result && result.urls && result.urls.get) {
const imageUrl = result.urls.get;
document.getElementById('image-container').innerHTML = `<img src="${imageUrl}" alt="Generated Image">`;
} else {
document.getElementById('image-container').innerHTML = "Failed to generate image.";
}
}

<span data-h-fragment="JTVCJTdCJTIydHlwZSUyMiUzQSUyMnBhcmFncmFwaCUyMiUyQyUyMmNoaWxkcmVuJTIyJTNBJTVCJTdCJTIydGV4dCUyMiUzQSUyMiU1QiUyRmNvZGUlNUQlMjIlMkMlMjJmb250U2l6ZSUyMiUzQTE2JTdEJTVEJTdEJTVE">

In this code:

We send the user’s input (prompt) to the Replicate API using a POST request.
The API responds with a URL of the generated image.
We display the image in the image-container on the page.

Step 4: Host the Tool on Your Website

To make the tool available to users, you’ll need to host it on your website. Here’s how:

Upload the Files: Upload index.html and app.js to your website’s server using FTP or your website’s file manager.
Test the Tool: Visit your website’s URL and test the tool by entering a text description and generating an image.

Pricing Overview for AI Image Generation APIs

Here’s a breakdown of the pricing for the most popular APIs:

Advanced Features and Enhancements

Once your AI image generator is up and running, you can enhance it by adding the following features:

Image Customization: Allow users to specify image size, style, or other attributes.
Download Button: Add a button for users to download the generated image.
User Accounts: Implement user accounts for tracking usage and offering premium features.
Image Galleries: Create a gallery of previously generated images for inspiration.

Conclusion

Building an AI image generator and embedding it into your website is a relatively simple process, thanks to modern APIs like Replicate, DeepAI, and OpenAI’s DALL-E. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can provide a powerful and creative tool for your users without needing deep expertise in machine learning. With affordable API options and flexible pricing, this is a project within reach for developers of all levels.

Build and Embed an AI Image Generator on Your Website