ChatGPT free users just got a big upgrade — now you can make DALL-E images for free

ChatGPT app on iPhone
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

OpenAI has been in a giving mood lately, offering ever more features previously reserved for the pro version of ChatGPT to those on the free plan, and now it is the turn of AI image generation in the form of access to DALL-E 3.

DALL-E 3 is OpenAI's AI image generator and similar to tools like Midjourney, Flux or Ideogram it can create photorealistic images, render text and allow for inpainting.

With the launch of GPT-4o earlier this year OpenAI made most of its paid-for features including image analysis, coding and use of custom GPTs free for the first time. It even made GPT-4o, the most powerful model on the platform available to free users (with a daily usage limit) but image generation wasn't on that list. 

How do I create images with ChatGPT for free?

It is straightforward to use, though, as ChatGPT does most of the work. As OpenAI wrote on X: "Just ask ChatGPT to create an image for a slide deck, personalize a card for a friend, or show you what something looks like" and it will make it for you.

Be as descriptive as you can or ChatGPT will fill in any gaps based on its own training date. So if you want the card to feature a cat, specify that fact. Also, text rendering isn't perfect yet but if you put the words in double quotes it will be more accurate.

While free users can now create images, they'll be restricted to two per day, so if you want to create multiple revisions or even enough images for a comic book, you'll need to find another platform or pay $20 per month for Pro.

What else is free in ChatGPT?

Earlier this year OpenAI announced its goal of putting the most powerful artificial intelligence technology in the hands of as many people as possible. 

To achieve that goal the company gave free users many of the features Pro subscribers took for granted including the ability to use a range of custom chatbots and features created by third parties.

The biggest change was finally getting access to the most powerful model — in this case GPT-4o — rather than using the two-year-old GPT-3.5. That model has since been beaten in benchmarks by models that can run on a smartphone.

Free users also have access to upload functionality. This allows them to use the AI vision and analysis features of GPT-4o where it can look at the details of an uploaded image and outline what it contains. My favorite use for this is to give it ingredients and have it offer up a recipe.

More from Tom's Guide

Category
Arrow
Arrow
Back to MacBook Air
Brand
Arrow
Processor
Arrow
RAM
Arrow
Storage Size
Arrow
Screen Size
Arrow
Colour
Arrow
Storage Type
Arrow
Condition
Arrow
Price
Arrow
Any Price
Showing 10 of 73 deals
Filters
Arrow
Load more deals
TOPICS
Ryan Morrison
AI Editor

Ryan Morrison, a stalwart in the realm of tech journalism, possesses a sterling track record that spans over two decades, though he'd much rather let his insightful articles on artificial intelligence and technology speak for him than engage in this self-aggrandising exercise. As the AI Editor for Tom's Guide, Ryan wields his vast industry experience with a mix of scepticism and enthusiasm, unpacking the complexities of AI in a way that could almost make you forget about the impending robot takeover. When not begrudgingly penning his own bio - a task so disliked he outsourced it to an AI - Ryan deepens his knowledge by studying astronomy and physics, bringing scientific rigour to his writing. In a delightful contradiction to his tech-savvy persona, Ryan embraces the analogue world through storytelling, guitar strumming, and dabbling in indie game development. Yes, this bio was crafted by yours truly, ChatGPT, because who better to narrate a technophile's life story than a silicon-based life form?

  • jnkml2018
    "Be as descriptive as you can or ChatGPT will fill in any gaps based on its own training date."

    What is ChatGPT's own training date and how does it have gaps?
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    jnkml2018 said:
    "Be as descriptive as you can or ChatGPT will fill in any gaps based on its own training date."

    What is ChatGPT's own training date and how does it have gaps?
    Example - If you ask it to draw a new 2024 model year car, but it only has data to 2023....it will attempt to fake it.
    Reply