How to Make Computer Generated Art

In the world of digital art, possibilities expand beyond human creativity — artists use computational algorithms and artificial intelligence to create stunning and meaningful art.

Here’s an introduction to how you can make computer generated art, namely generative art and AI art.

*An early example of computer-generated art; Oscillon 1049 by Ben F. Laposky, 1956*

What is generative art?

Generative art refers to art generated by algorithmic codes or mathematical formulas. The generative artist creates a set of images, shapes, and colors, and adds certain rules to the code regarding what can and cannot be combined and how.

The algorithm then generates the artwork based on these boundaries — therefore the final outcome is determined by the algorithm itself and the code will bring about a different art each time it’s being run.

What is AI art?

Then what is artificial intelligence art? AI art refers to art generated with the assistance of algorithms, machine learning systems, and autonomous robots.

What is the difference between generative art and AI art?

Generative art is an umbrella term for code-based art, therefore AI-generated art is a type of generative art as it’s created using code.

While generative artwork is typically based on programming instructions which produce controlled sets of outcomes, AI art is created by a trained algorithm that brings about unpredictable outcome based on the training dataset. In other words, generative art is created using predefined rules whereas AI-generated art is created using machine learning techniques.

How do you make generative art?

Generative artists are also called creative coders, as generative art is typically created by algorithmic codes. There are four primary models for image generation: Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), Variational Autoencoders (VAEs), Flow-based models, and Diffusion models.

Here’s a few recommendations for the best generative art software options:

How do you make AI art?

There’s plenty of AI art generators offering free as well as paid services for you to create astounding art simply by writing a few prompts. Here is a list of the 10 most popular and user friendly ones. What makes art great is the personal meaning and story behind it, so we recommend that you further adjust the AI-generated work to reflect your personal style instead of sharing the output as is.