The first time typing twelve words and seeing a full-fledged forest scene appear is truly surreal. As if your keyboard was a paintbrush overnight. They are tools that do not imagine. They simply predict. That is a fundamental difference. All outputs are statistical averages derived from massive image datasets - textures, lighting, composition, and color relationships. When you ask for a melancholic lighthouse more hints at dusk, the model generates something that statistically matches that idea. It is pattern retrieval disguised as creativity. 
Prompts are everything. In earnest--do as thou wouldst to a workman, not to a genie. Unclear prompts produce unclear results. The generic postcards are created by "Beautiful landscape. Mist rolling over terraced rice fields, late afternoon light, dulled greens and golds, documentary photography style gives you something that you would actually use. The whole game is about specificity. Things get interesting with style transfer. Many tools allow switching styles like photorealism, watercolor, anime, architecture, or 1970s sci-fi art in a single session. One of the product photographers that I know found that she could prototype shoot ideas in a few minutes instead of renting studios. She continues doing actual shoots. Now she wastes no time on bad ideas. But hands are another story. Inquire of an ordinary user. Hands generated by AI are notoriously bad. Excessive fingers, incorrect joints, structural impossibilities. It is getting better quickly, but fingers are still the canary in the coal mine to detect generated images. The commercial aspect is important. Certain tools grant full usage rights. Some retain licenses. Some of them do not allow any commercial usage, except on a paid plan. When using it for business, always check the terms thoroughly. Resolution and aspect ratios have matured. Older systems generated low-quality, mushy visuals. Existing outputs are capable of being print-ready. This is a major topic for publishing and product design. It is not hard to learn. It is more of a bizarre incline, flat at first, and then suddenly steep as you discover the extent to which granular prompt control can be. Negative prompts add another layer of control that many beginners miss. Visual ideation has never been cheaper or faster. It shifts who has the power to build visual ideas.
Prompts are everything. In earnest--do as thou wouldst to a workman, not to a genie. Unclear prompts produce unclear results. The generic postcards are created by "Beautiful landscape. Mist rolling over terraced rice fields, late afternoon light, dulled greens and golds, documentary photography style gives you something that you would actually use. The whole game is about specificity. Things get interesting with style transfer. Many tools allow switching styles like photorealism, watercolor, anime, architecture, or 1970s sci-fi art in a single session. One of the product photographers that I know found that she could prototype shoot ideas in a few minutes instead of renting studios. She continues doing actual shoots. Now she wastes no time on bad ideas. But hands are another story. Inquire of an ordinary user. Hands generated by AI are notoriously bad. Excessive fingers, incorrect joints, structural impossibilities. It is getting better quickly, but fingers are still the canary in the coal mine to detect generated images. The commercial aspect is important. Certain tools grant full usage rights. Some retain licenses. Some of them do not allow any commercial usage, except on a paid plan. When using it for business, always check the terms thoroughly. Resolution and aspect ratios have matured. Older systems generated low-quality, mushy visuals. Existing outputs are capable of being print-ready. This is a major topic for publishing and product design. It is not hard to learn. It is more of a bizarre incline, flat at first, and then suddenly steep as you discover the extent to which granular prompt control can be. Negative prompts add another layer of control that many beginners miss. Visual ideation has never been cheaper or faster. It shifts who has the power to build visual ideas.