Stability AI
Note: The Stability image model is free for all users while it is in beta - so give it a try and give us some feedback
Overview
Machined can generate featured images using Stability AI - we currently use the Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large model.
You can configure automatic image generation for articles in clusters or manually create images for each article.
Machined provides 70+ pre-defined styles and let's you define the hue and tone of your images.
Usage
Automatic
You can enable automatic Stability image generation for featured images, simply select Stability in the Featured Images dropdown on your cluster, then select the settings you wish to use.
Each time an article is written in this cluster, a featured image will be created with Stable Diffusion using the settings you have selected.
Note: Auto-generation of featured images only runs on articles that don't already have a featured image.
Manual
You can also generate featured images manually using Stability, open the featured image popup for the article in question and navigate the the Stability tab.
From here you can generate images in two ways:
- Using the Style and Hue approach
- Define your very own custom prompt
Note: When using a custom prompt, you are expected to define the entirety of the prompt and we will not add any keywords, style or overlay to the image - so make sure you are as explicit as you need to be to generate the perfect image.
Storage
Machined does not remove existing images when you generate new ones, so you can always go back to a previously generated image. You can see all images for an article by opening the Featured Images popup as described above.
Note: Machined will store images for up to 3 months, at which point they will be permanently deleted, so please make sure you export or download all the images that you want to keep.
Pricing
Using Stability to create images is free while it is in beta. Long term pricing will be announced soon but will likely require Replicate api keys
Settings
Machined allows you to use styles and hues when generating images, to help you keep consistency between images in your clusters.
Image size
Machined generates images that are 1366x768 in size
Styles
The image style lets you define which artistic style the image will be created in. Some styles are more suitable that others depending on your niche, topic and keyword.
Below are examples of the available styles, generated for the keyword "how long do swans live".
| Name | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Abstract Art | This 20th-century movement does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of visual reality. Instead, it uses shapes, colors, forms, and gestural marks to achieve its effect. Think of artists like Wassily Kandinsky and Jackson Pollock. The artwork can be both spontaneous and deliberative, often leaving interpretation up to the viewer. | abstract-art.jpeg |
| Abstract Geometry | Using geometric shapes, lines, and vibrant colors, this style creates compositions that can be both minimalistic and complex, often evoking emotions or concepts without a clear representational subject. | abstract-gemetry-2.jpeg |
| Art Deco | A visual arts design style from the 1920s and 1930s, known for its bold geometric forms and bright colors. It was influenced by the bold geometric works of Cubism; the bright colors of Fauvism and of the Ballets Russes; and the updated craftsmanship of the furniture. | art-deco.jpeg |
| Art Nouveau | This style emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It's characterized by intricate, flowing designs often inspired by natural forms. Think of plants, flowers, and curved lines. Alphonse Mucha is a notable figure from this movement. Art Nouveau also has a decorative aspect, often seen in architecture, jewelry, and furniture. | art-nouveau.jpeg |
| Bauhaus | A revolutionary school of art, architecture, and design established in 1919 in Weimar, Germany. Bauhaus combined crafts and the fine arts and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. | bauhaus.jpeg |
| Bokeh Art | Derived from the Japanese word "boke" meaning "blur", this style emphasizes on soft, out-of-focus backgrounds with luminous spots. It creates a dreamy and ethereal atmosphere. | bokeh-art.jpeg |
| Brutalism in design | A style characterized by raw, unrefined surfaces, unusual shapes, and materials like concrete. It's more commonly seen in architecture, where it describes a type of building that's large, stark, and blocky. | brutalism.jpeg |
| Byzantine Art | Originating in the Eastern Roman Empire, this style is known for its distinctive icon painting which was used to convey religious themes. It's characterized by its lack of depth, bright color, and gold backgrounds. | byzantine-art.jpeg |
| Celtic Art | Indigenous to the British Isles, it's characterized by its intricate patterns, spirals, and knotwork. Often seen in metalwork and manuscripts from the early medieval period. | celtic-art.jpeg |
| Charcoal | Emulating traditional charcoal drawings, this style captures the rawness and texture of charcoal but with the flexibility of digital tools, allowing for both bold strokes and fine details. | charcoal.jpeg |
| Chinese Brush Painting | An ancient Chinese art form that uses ink and brush to create depictions of nature and wildlife. It's more than just a representation but aims to capture the spirit of the subject. | chinese-brush-painting.jpeg |
| Chiptune Visuals | Inspired by the chiptune music genre, this style uses pixelated graphics and 8-bit visuals that harken back to early video game consoles. | chiptune-visuals.jpeg |
| Concept Art | Often used in the film and video game industry, this style provides visual representations of ideas, often portraying characters, scenes, or objects that might be included in the final product. | concept-art.jpeg |
| Constructivism | Originated in Russia in the early 20th century, it focused on art as a practice for social purposes. Artworks often used geometric shapes and were made from everyday materials to convey messages. | constructivism.jpeg |
| Cyber Folk | A blend of traditional folk elements with futuristic cyber aesthetics. Imagine folk patterns and symbols merged with digital textures and holographic effects. | cyber-folk.jpeg |
| Cybernetic Art | This style integrates elements of machinery and the human form, blending the boundaries between man and machine. It often portrays cyborgs, humanoid robots, and futuristic interfaces. | cybernetic-art.jpeg |
| Cyberpunk | This style is heavily influenced by futuristic, dystopian themes. It often combines neon colors, urban landscapes, and advanced technology with a sense of decay or rebellion. | cyberpunk.jpeg |
| Dadaism | An early 20th-century art movement that rejected logic and reason, embracing nonsense and irrationality. It arose in response to World War I and is characterized by its use of collage, photomontage, and absurdity. | dadaism.jpeg |
| Data Art | A fusion of art and information, this style visually represents data or algorithms, transforming numbers and code into compelling visuals. | data-art.jpeg |
| Digital Collage | This style involves combining various digital images into a single piece. Artists use different photos, textures, and digital brushwork to create a cohesive and intriguing composition. | digital-collage.jpeg |
| Digital Cubism | Inspired by the Cubist art movement pioneered by Picasso and Braque, this style deconstructs objects and scenes into geometric shapes, offering multiple perspectives within a single composition. | digital-cubism.jpeg |
| Digital Impressionism | Inspired by the Impressionist art movement, this style captures the essence of a scene using digital brushstrokes that focus on light and mood rather than detail. | digital-impressionism.jpeg |
| Digital Painting | This style emulates traditional painting techniques but is created using digital tools. Artists use graphic tablets and software to mimic the effects of brush strokes, blending, and layering, just like in traditional painting. | digital-painting.jpeg |
| Double Exposure | This style blends two different images into a single frame, creating a surreal or abstract representation. Digital tools allow artists to achieve this effect with precision. | double-exposure.jpeg |
| Dreamy Fantasy | Characterized by its enchanting imagery, which includes mythical creatures, enchanted forests, and celestial bodies. The style creates a sense of wonder, escapism, and otherworldly beauty. The color palette often uses pastel colors, iridescent hues, and glowing effects. Details may incorporate floating elements, stars, or shimmering particles to enhance the dreamy atmosphere, transporting viewers to a magical realm. | dreamy-fantasy.jpeg |
| Dystopian Art | This style portrays post-apocalyptic, bleak, and often decaying worlds, highlighting the contrast between remnants of advanced technology and a regressed society. | dystopian-art.jpeg |
| Etching | This style emulates traditional etching techniques where lines are carved onto a surface. Digitally, it captures the intricate line work and cross-hatching details. | etching.jpeg |
| Expressionism | Originating in Germany in the early 20th century, this movement sought to present the world from a subjective perspective, distorting it for emotional effect. Think of artists like Edvard Munch. | epressionism.jpeg |
| Fauvism | An early 20th-century movement led by artists like Henri Matisse. Known for its bold, undulating colors and simplified forms. The name 'Fauvism' comes from the French word 'fauve', meaning 'wild beast'. | fauvism.jpeg |
| Flat Design | Characterized by simplicity, this style uses flat colors without gradients, minimalistic illustrations, and simple typography. It's modern and often seen in web and mobile design. | flat-design.jpeg |
| Fractal Art | Generated mathematically, this style creates patterns that are self-replicating, either exactly or approximately. The patterns can be infinitely intricate, often resembling natural phenomena like clouds, trees, and coastlines. | fractal-art.jpeg |
| Futurism | An early 20th-century Italian movement that emphasized and glorified themes associated with the future, including speed, technology, youth, and violence. It aimed to capture the dynamism and energy of the modern world. | futurism.jpeg |
| Glitch Art | This style embraces the aesthetics of digital error. By intentionally corrupting digital data or manipulating it in unconventional ways, artists create unique visual distortions and artifacts. | glitch-art.jpeg |
| Gothic Art | Originated in the 12th century, it's known for its intricate details, use of light, and pointed arches. Common in architecture, painting, and sculpture, especially in European cathedrals. | gothic-art.jpeg |
| Gouache | Digital Gouache mimics the creamy consistency of gouache paint, often appearing flat and matte. The art style allows for both opaque and transparent layers, often with visible brush strokes. Commonly used for illustrations in children's books, editorial illustrations, and concept art, the technique is suitable for both detailed works and bolder, simplistic designs. The versatility of Digital Gouache makes it a favorite among illustrators and artists alike. | gouache.jpeg |
| Greco-Roman Art | Artistic traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. Known for its emphasis on proportion, balance, and the depiction of the human body. | greco-roman-style.jpeg |
| Impressionism | Originating in the 19th century, this style was characterized by small, thin, yet visible brush strokes. The primary focus was on depicting the varying qualities of light. Artists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir are well-known impressionists. The paintings often depict outdoor scenes with shifting light and shadows. | impressionism.jpeg |
| Ink Wash | Drawing inspiration from traditional East Asian ink wash painting, this digital version captures the essence of brush strokes, gradations, and the harmony between nature and emptiness. | ink-wash.jpeg |
| Isometric Art | This style provides a 3D view without perspective. It uses parallel projection and fixed angles to create depth, often used in video games to provide an overhead view of the environment. | isometric-art.jpeg |
| Japanese Ukiyo-e | A genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. It's woodblock print art that often depicts kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, and landscapes. | japanese-ukiyo-e.jpeg |
| Kinetic Typography | This style involves the animation of text. Words or phrases can move, change, or animate in ways that visually represent their meaning. | kinetic-typography.jpeg |
| Lithography | A printing method in which the image to be printed is rendered on a flat surface, traditionally a limestone, treated to repel the ink except where it's required for printing. | lithography.jpeg |
| Low Poly | This style uses a minimal number of polygons to represent shapes and forms. It's a deliberate simplification, creating a stylized and abstract look, often seen in early 3D video games. | low-poly.jpeg |
| Macabre Art | Art that's fascinated by the dark, gruesome, and morbid side of life. It often explores themes of death, decay, and the grotesque. | macabre-art.jpeg |
| Magic Realism | A style where magical elements appear in an otherwise realistic environment. It's been widely used in literature (like Gabriel García Márquez's works), but also has a presence in visual arts. | magic-realism.jpeg |
| Minimalism | Originated in post–World War II Western art, it emphasizes simplicity through the use of limited colors, shapes, and materials. It seeks to expose the essence, essentials, or identity of a subject. | minimalism.jpeg |
| Modernism | A broad movement that developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It's characterized by a deliberate rejection of traditional styles and exploration of new narrative forms. | modernism.jpeg |
| Monogram | The monogram style is characterized by its Art Deco influence, featuring clean lines, geometric shapes, and a sophisticated, modern elegance. | monogram.jpeg |
| Mosaic | Inspired by traditional mosaics made of tiny tiles, this digital version uses small pixel-like squares to create larger images, often with a shimmering or kaleidoscopic effect. | mosaic.jpeg |
| Neon Graffiti | This style combines street art aesthetics with vibrant neon colors. It often feels rebellious, energetic, and urban. | neon-graffiti.jpeg |
| Neon Noir | Drawing inspiration from film noir aesthetics, this style combines dark and moody atmospheres with vibrant neon colors, often depicting rainy cityscapes, shadowy figures, and dramatic lighting. | neon-noir.jpeg |
| Origami | Inspired by the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, this digital version portrays objects and creatures as if they were folded from virtual paper, with sharp creases and geometric facets. | origami.jpeg |
| Papercut | This style mimics the look of cut-out pieces of paper. It often has layered 2D elements that move, creating a sense of depth and dynamic storytelling. | papercut.jpeg |
| Parallax Art | Involves background images moving slower than foreground images, creating an illusion of depth in 2D scenes. This style is often seen in modern web designs and video games. | parallax-art.jpeg |
| Pastel Drawing | Pastel Drawing often has a soft, grainy texture that mimics the chalky quality of real pastels. The style evokes calm, peaceful, and sometimes nostalgic feelings. Common subjects include landscapes, portraits, and still life. The technique typically employs layering and blending to achieve depth and tonality, creating a serene atmosphere in the artwork. | pastel-drawing.jpeg |
| Photorealism | A movement that emerged in the US in the late 1960s, where scenes are painted in a style closely resembling photographs. Artists like Chuck Close are notable in this genre. | photorealism.jpeg |
| Pixel Art | This style uses tiny square pixels to craft detailed landscapes or scenes, reminiscent of older video game graphics but with a modern twist. | pixel-art.jpeg |
| Pointillism | Drawing inspiration from the pointillism art movement, this style uses distinct dots of color to form an image. The digital rendition allows for more vibrant color combinations and precision. | pointilism.jpeg |
| Polyart | Made up of geometric shapes, especially polygons, to create figures or scenes. The simplicity of the shapes contrasts with the complexity of the overall image. | poly-art.jpeg |
| Pop Art | Derived from popular and mass culture, Pop Art draws inspiration from advertising, comic books, and mundane cultural objects. The style is distinctive for its use of repetition and patterns, sometimes with variations in color or content. The color palette features bold, vibrant colors and high contrast. Other notable details can include halftone dots, thick outlines, and speech bubbles, reminiscent of comic strips, adding a touch of satire and commentary on popular culture. | pop-art.jpeg |
| Psychedelic Art | Emerged from the 1960s counterculture. It's characterized by bright colors, swirling patterns, and distorted visuals that mimic the effects of hallucinogenic drugs. | physhedelic-art.jpeg |
| Rennaissance/Baroque | This period was known for its focus on realism and emphasis on depicting the human form. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were prominent figures of this era. The artwork often contained religious as well as mythological themes, accompanied by deep, rich colors. | reneissance-baroque.jpeg |
| Retro Wave | A nostalgic throwback to the '80s, this style is characterized by neon grids, sunsets, chrome, and synthwave music vibes. | retro-wave.jpeg |
| Romanticism | An 18th-century movement emphasizing emotion and individualism. It glorified nature, preferring the medieval rather than the classical. It was a reaction against the Industrial Revolution and the scientific rationalization of nature. | romanticism.jpeg |
| Sci-Fi Fantasy | This genre fuses elements from both science fiction and fantasy, resulting in landscapes with floating islands, advanced civilizations, mythical creatures, and futuristic technology. | sci-fi-fantasy.jpeg |
| Scratchboard | Drawing from the traditional scratchboard technique, this style involves scratching away a top layer to reveal a contrasting layer beneath. The digital version offers more flexibility and color variations. | scratchboard.jpeg |
| Steampunk | This style fuses Victorian-era aesthetics with retro-futuristic technology. Think brass, gears, goggles, and steam-powered machines set in an alternate history. | steampunk.jpeg |
| Stippling | This style emulates the technique of stippling, where images are created using small dots. The density and arrangement of the dots determine the tones and details, but with the precision of digital tools. | stippling.jpeg |
| Surrealism | Merging dreamlike scenarios with digital techniques, this style creates fantastical and often illogical scenes, echoing the surrealist movement of the 20th century. | surrealism.jpeg |
| Symbolism | Late 19th-century movement rejecting the direct representation of reality. Instead, artists expressed emotions through symbols. | symbolism.jpeg |
| Trompe-l'œil | A technique that uses realistic imagery to create an optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions. The name is French for "deceive the eye". | tompei-loeil.jpeg |
| Vaporwave | A modern digital art style that's a visual manifestation of the vaporwave music genre. It incorporates nostalgic images from the '80s and '90s, pastel colors, and often features Greek statues, old computer graphics, and glitch effects. | vaporware.jpeg |
| Vector Art | This is a clean and precise style made up of points, lines, and shapes based on mathematical expressions. Unlike raster graphics (like photographs), vector art doesn't pixelate when scaled up. It's often used for logos and illustrations. | vector-art.jpeg |
| Voxel Art | Think of it as 3D pixel art. This style uses three-dimensional cubes (voxels) to build scenes and characters, reminiscent of games like Minecraft. | voxel-art.jpeg |
| Watercolor | Mimicking the fluidity and spontaneity of traditional watercolor painting, this style uses digital tools to create soft washes, delicate blends, and luminous hues. | watercolor.jpeg |
| Woodblock Printing | A technique involving carving an image on wood, applying ink, and pressing it onto paper. Especially prominent in East Asia, it's been used for centuries for both art and literature. | woodblock-printing.jpeg |
| Zen Doodle | A form of artistic meditation that delivers clarity, relaxation, and satisfaction. It involves creating repetitive patterns and designs, often resulting in intricate artworks. | zen-doodle.jpeg |
Hue
The image hue can be used to define a color overtone to the images. This can help you follow a color scheme or a common tone.
Below is an example of a cluster using Teal as the hue:
Troubleshooting
General information and advice
DALL-E 3 is a relatively new model from OpenAI and may still be a bit unstable. We think it will improve over time, especially as OpenAI adds more resources to run the service and perfects the platform but we have noticed a number of issues to be aware of.
I was charged for an image that was not generated
Machined makes use of timeouts and other mechanisms to ensure service stability. This can sometimes lead to us cancelling API requests before we've received a response from OpenAI (when they take too long to respond to us). This can sometimes lead to occasions when an image has not been generated but you have been charged for it on the API.
I used the same style but the image came out different
To ensure images are unique we provide a unique seed ot each image generation and as such, the output can be very non-deterministic. We strive to perfect our prompts to ensure as much consistency as possible but this may not always be possible. If you are unhappy with an image, you can always generate a new one.