Article

A beginner's guide to minting NFTs with Stable Diffusion

Published on May 10, 2023

Updated on Apr 25, 2024

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come a long way over the last few years. In late 2022 and early 2023, ChatGPT took the world by storm, as it impressed the world with its capabilities. AI also saw major breakthroughs when it came to generating images. While this could potentially disrupt numerous industries, it’s turning out to be a game-changer for non-fungible tokens (NFTs). With a single AI image generator, artists can create new art creations and turn them into NFTs. Entire NFT collections can now be made in a day thanks to machine learning algorithms.

This guide will explore one of the most popular AI image generator and art creator apps, which is called Stable Diffusion. The main benefit of Stable Diffusion is that you can get new, unique, AI-generated art for free. Once the images are created, all you have to do is mint the NFT.

What is Stable Diffusion?

Stable Diffusion is a deep learning model that’s used as an AI art generator. The platform can process and produce high-quality images based on text prompts. Stable Diffusion allows users to create pieces that are photo realistic, anime-inspired, or surrealist. It can mimic the styles of the greatest painters in history, or create completely unique artwork. With stunning results and endless possibilities, this art creation tool can revolutionize the creation of NFT artwork.

Stable Diffusion is easy to use, GPU-enabled, and offers fast art creation. The platform also doesn’t collect or use any personal information on its users, nor does it store your text or generated images. It also claims to not set limits on what users can enter. All you need to do is head to the platform, enter your text prompt, and click the 'Generate Image' button. Now, let’s take a look at the steps you need to take to generate artwork on the platform.

Step 1: Go to Stable Diffusion

The first step in creating your NFTs is to go to Stable Diffusion. This is the platform where you'll generate images. The platform is open to all and free to use. It should be noted that Stable Diffusion is only available in code format, and isn’t a ready-to-use platform. This is why there are multiple platforms hosting Stable Diffusion, where users can engage with it.

Step 2: Generate images

Once on the platform, click the 'Get Started for Free' button. This will lead you to a text field where you can enter your text prompt. It will look like this:

Once you enter your prompt, click the 'Generate Image' button next to the text field. You can also click on the 'Advanced Options' button, which allows you to change certain settings, like the number of images, steps, and more.

Step 3: Select the image

After a few seconds, the AI algorithm will generate up to 4 images. For example, we used one of the suggested prompts. The image generator produced the following:

If you don’t like the images the AI has generated, simply click 'Generate Image' again. The AI will generate a new set of images for you to choose from. If you're satisfied with any of the images you received, you can click on the image to enlarge it. Here, you’ll be able to save the image to your device and use it later for minting NFTs.

Step 4: Select an NFT creator app

Since Stable Diffusion only lets you generate images on its website, you cannot mint NFTs there. Instead, you must download the images you like and select a minting platform. For example, we opted to use OpenSea.

OpenSea is the world’s largest NFT marketplace. It comes highly recommended due to its user-friendly interface, and is a well-established platform. Since OpenSea is a marketplace, there's no need to move your NFTs after you generate them. You can simply offer them on the same platform and sell to interested parties.

Step 5: How to get started on OpenSea

As mentioned, OpenSea is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. All you need to do to create an account is link your wallet. You can use a number of different wallets, such as OKX Wallet, MetaMask, Ledger Live, or Coinbase Wallet. Your account will be created as soon as you connect your wallet.

Step 6: Create a new NFT

Once your account has been created, hover over your profile photo in the upper-right corner. A new menu will appear, featuring multiple options. The fourth option will be ''Create''. Click it, and you'll enter a new screen for NFT creation. It will look like this:

Here, you’ll be able to upload the image generated by Stable Diffusion’s AI. This is also the section where you'll be required to enter your NFT’s name, but you can also add a description and an external link if you wish. You can assign it to a specific collection and add properties, levels, and stats. You may also add unblockable content and mark it as ''Explicit & Sensitive Content'' if needed.

Lastly, you'll also have to enter the size of the supply and select a blockchain for the NFT. You can also choose to freeze metadata.

Once you finish specifying these details, all that's left is to click the ''Create'' button. With that, your new NFT will be created, and you can place it on the market for sale.

What are the benefits of using AI to create art?

Creating high quality pieces of art traditionally requires talent, hard work, and years of practice. However, AI is changing that with solutions like Stable Diffusion. With this and similar platforms, anyone can create art in mere seconds and turn them into NFTs.

You can select any art style, and even imitate the hand of history’s greatest artists. This opens up endless new possibilities. Art is no longer limited only to those who are naturally talented. With the ability to generate art, anyone can get involved in the industry. They can experiment with different styles and techniques, and create something new and unique. The process is quick, easy, and free.

AI is getting deeply rooted in art

Stable Diffusion is only one AI algorithm used as an AI art generator. There are multiple platforms used for generating images, which become NFT creations. This close connection between AI, art, and NFTs is setting the stage for the future, not only regarding new uses for AI algorithms, but also how future art will be created. The technology could become the norm in the art sector, where AI art might become a new branch.

Alternatively, it could simply be a passing trend. It’s impossible to know for sure what trends may disappear or remain. For now, if you're interested in generating NFT collections, AI is the easiest and fastest way to do so. As a result, similar services will likely continue to emerge, evolve, and become better in time.

FAQs

What is Stable Diffusion for NFTs?

Stable Diffusion is a latent text-to-image diffusion model that can generate photo-realistic images from text input. These images can then be used for generating NFT creations. Stable Diffusion is not an NFT creator app, but images that it produces can be used to make NFTs.

Is Stable Diffusion free?

Yes, at the time of writing, Stable Diffusion is free for anyone to use. However, like with other AI art generator services, this might change in time if demand grows.

Is Stable Diffusion unlimited?

Yes, Stable Diffusion has no limit on generating images at this time. Its AI system will let you enter as many prompts as you wish.

How does Stable Diffusion generate artworks?

Stable Diffusion was trained on a massive number of images. It uses GPUs to generate art and is guided by Diffusion Models. These are generative models, which are a class of machine learning models that generate new data based on training data.