Asking someone to describe their perfect day out is a great icebreaker when you want to get to known them better. The response can tell you a lot about their personality, hopes and ideals, without becoming overly personal or intrusive.
With artificial intelligence coming on in leaps and bounds around reasoning, creativity and its knowledge of the world — I decided to put that same question to the leading AI image generators to see what they came up with and how they understand the idea an ideal situation.
I needed to come up with a prompt that was complex enough to ensure consistency but simple enough not to prescribe the ideal day — pushing the AI to interpret what it means.
Surprisingly they all depicted scenes of the natural world, either with friends or depicting scenes of solitude and calm. All but two also feature water, either as a lake or an ocean.
How does AI see the perfect day
I’ve tried the same prompt — with no additional settings — on Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, Leonardo, DALL-E 3, Ideogram, Meta Imagine and Google ImageFX.
The prompt: “Create an image that captures the essence of a perfect day out. The image should evoke feelings of happiness, relaxation, and enjoyment. Consider the setting, activities, and atmosphere that would make this day truly memorable.”
Where possible I’ve asked it to make the image landscape and in every case I’ve selected the first image of a set, even if it generates multiple images.
Ideogram
While Ideogram might be best known for its text on image capabilities, it is also a powerful AI image model capable of producing photorealistic depictions of a false reality.
Ideogram understood a “perfect day out” to be one spent with friends on a sunny day getting back to nature. All four images it generated were of people smiling as a group.
The image is evocative and makes you smile. I’d enjoy that day out. I like a walk in the woods with friends on a sunny day — especially if there is a nice BBQ at the end.
Midjourney
Midjourney is also able to generate stunning photorealistic depictions of the world, such as this hammock dangling over the edge of a lake as the sun begins to set in the background.
It is interesting that Midjourney depicted the perfect day out as one of isolation and peace. The other three images it generated in the set of four were all of a similar concept — alone time.
While I’m a fan of the peace and isolation depicted in the image, I wouldn’t want to sit in that hammock as I’d likely fall off and spend the rest of the evening drying off.
Leonardo
Leonardo seems to have taken inspiration from a commercial for a couples' retreat. The image shows a couple sharing a sun lounger sitting by a beautiful blue ocean on a sunny day.
All four images depicted the same environment although one was a woman sitting alone, another a man alone on the chair with a drink and the fourth was just the sun lounger on its own by the sea.
While I don’t enjoy the beach, there is no beach in this image. It seems to be an ocean pool coming right up to a paved platform. I would enjoy this day out, especially with a nice cold drink.
Adobe Firefly
Not every depiction of a perfect day has to be photorealistic. One thing Adobe Firefly is particularly good at is creating artistic scenes. This shows a crystal-clear river in a lush valley with snow-capped mountains in the distance.
The other images were along the same lines and the fourth image depicted a man reading a paper in a chair, sat next to a pet dog while watching people play in the lake.
This to me seems like an amazing day out. A peaceful environment, watching the fish swim in the clear lake and sipping on an ice cold drink reading a book.
DALL-E 3
DALL-E also went down the artistic route with its interpretation of the perfect day out. It captured children playing around a tree, again with a lake and sunshine.
Only two images were created by DALL-E for this prompt and both were interpretations on the same concept — people enjoying time out in nature as a group.
I’ve had many days like this with my children over the years, sometimes with and sometimes without a kite. The picnic on the grass, throwing a ball and laughing together would surely be a perfect day out for many.
Meta Imagine
Meta Imagine only generates square images but we still get the same sense from it as those in widescreen. Here we have a family on a beach enjoying food, sun and music together.
Meta generated the most variety in its images. The other inlcuded boating on a lake, an elderly couple sitting by a creek and a serene view of a river running by a forest.
I’m not personally a big fan of the beach and while I do play guitar I’d never be comfortable playing it on a public space like that. This is anxiety-inducing for me but they look to be having a lot of fun together.
Google ImageFX
The image generated by Google ImageFX has no people in it and no indication people were every anywhere near it. For Google, the perfect day out seems to be one of nature and emptiness.
ImageFX generated three images and the other two were just versions of the first with a few style tweaks. I don’t think it understood or followed the prompt assignment that well.
While the environment looks like an interesting one to visit, it doesn’t really show a day out as such, more a place to go for a day out — but it does look stunning.
Which AI image generator won?
Ideogram was my winner in this test. It not only understood the idea of a perfect day out but generated a sense of bliss on the face of the people in the picture.
It went beyond a literal interpretation taken by some of the other AI tools and instead focused on the happiness of the people enjoying the day.
That said, Adobe Firefly captured the closest to my perfect day out. A calm day by the lake with loved ones and a good book.
