There’s really no shortage of AI image generators these days, but here’s one worth mentioning.
Pikaso, by Freepik, a free image downloading site, offers several unique features. This tool provides three main functionalities: it allows users to create images using prompts, reimagine an existing image, and generate an AI image from doodles. Additionally, an image upscaling feature is in development and will be available soon.
We have thoroughly tested all its features and in this post, we’re going to share our insights.
Pikaso, In a Nutshell
Pikaso starts off as an AI image generator, similar to popular tool like Midjourney and DALL-E. Users provide a prompt, and Pikaso delivers an image based on that input.
Additionally, the Reimagine feature allows users to upload an image and see several variations of it, much like selecting from different versions (V1, V2, etc.) in Midjourney. The Sketch to Image feature converts basic sketches or doodles into more complete and realistic images.
Now, let’s go through these features one by one.
AI Image Generator
First off, let’s talk about the AI image generator feature. If you’ve played with any AI-based image generating tools before, you’ll find the process familiar. You start by entering a prompt, and voila, you get your image.
What makes Pikaso stand out is its easy-to-use UI, which lets you tweak several settings before creating your image, such as:
- Choosing the number of image variations, up to four for free accounts
- Selecting your image dimensions (1:1, 2:3, 9:16, etc.)
- Adjusting style, color, framing, and lighting
Here’s an example using the prompt “capybara on top of a turtle“, with the following settings:
- Style: Cartoon
- Color: Pastel
- Framing: Close Up
- Lighting: Studio
And hovering over any of the created images, you have the options to:
- Download them
- Save them to a creation, or
- Reimagine them, which we’ll dive into more detail in the following section
Reimagine
Next, the Reimagine feature. This allows you to reimagine images you’ve created with the “AI Image Generator” feature, or you can upload your own images via drag and drop.
Right after you upload an image, it automatically generates 15 different variations of your image.
Looking at the sidebar under “Custom“, you’ll find it tries to suggest a prompt based on the uploaded image.
This sidebar also offers you the ability to adjust the Style and Imagination settings. After making your selections, clicking “Reimagine” generates new variations of your images based on these preferences.
To test its capabilities, we set the Style to “Digital Art” and selected ‘Wild’ for Imagination.
Here’s what we got.
Sketch to Image
Last but not least, the Sketch to Image feature, as its name suggests, turns your sketch or doodle into a realistic photo.
First, describe your idea in the prompt bar at the top of the page.
Then start sketching by using the brush, or add icons and images, and watch as your image slowly comes to life.
Once you’re done, you can choose to either enhance the image, create multiple variations of the image, or copy the created image back to the sketching side to further refine your drawing.
Pricing Details
Pikaso offers its services for free, but there are certain conditions.
To access the platform, you need to create an account. Even with a free account, your usage is capped daily.
For instance, free account holders can download up to 10 images, perform 20 AI text-to-image conversions, and have limited access to the Sketch to Image feature each day.
It’s also noteworthy that during our free trial, we received an additional 20 images as a bonus for signing up on the first day.
Upgrading to a Premium account lifts all the limitations mentioned. It also allows unlimited access to Freepik’s image library, ad-free browsing, and access to Flaticon.com.
Premium subscription rates begin at $24 USD per month or $144 USD annually.
Final Thoughts
So, what do we think? On first impression, as an AI image generator, it performs great, delivering quick image generation. It offers more variation of AI generated images compared to Midjourney or DALL-E, allowing one (or us in this case) to swiftly select styles and other settings before generating an image.
The Reimagine feature is also quite handy, offering generous variation of re-imagined images.
However, the Sketch to Image feature wasn’t much to our liking, mainly because we are not inclined towards drawing and doodling, but we believe this feature could be handy and useful for those who are.
Regarding its price, let’s compare it with Midjourney and DALL-E.
Midjourney’s most affordable plan costs $10 a month, or $96 a year, providing about 3.3 hours/month of fast GPU time. Pikaso is slightly more expensive, but as mentioned above, it is capable of providing more variations, with options to pre-determine styles, colors, and others before creating an image, and much more.
DALL-E is included with the ChatGPT subscription, which costs $20/month, definitely on the higher side in terms of cost. However, to be fair, DALL-E is just part of what you can do with ChatGPT.
So, what does it come down to?
In our opinion, if you are in need of constantly editing and creating AI images, yes, it’s worth it and it may even replace Midjourney if you are already using one. If you’re creating AI images for leisure and entertainment, no, at least not until you find a legitimate reason, else a free account with daily limits will work just fine for now.
