Stable Diffusion is an emerging text-to-image generation model that uses deep learning techniques to create high-quality images from text descriptions. The model has quickly become popular due to its powerful ability - even if the input text prompts are very blurry, it can generate realistic visual content.

Staying ahead is crucial in today’s fast-paced era, and mastering the ultimate potential of Stable Diffusion is one of the effective ways to achieve this. Explore the true power of Stable Diffusion: Learn about its strengths, how to enhance your personal or business creativity, and how to get started for free.

This article will give you a comprehensive introduction to how to run Stable Diffusion locally or in the cloud for free, helping you start your AI creation journey smoothly.

Table of contents

1. What is Stable Diffusion?
2. Stable Diffusion application scenarios
3. How to get started with Stable Diffusion
4. Local, online or cloud? How to choose
5. How to run Stable Diffusion for free
6. Web interface using Automatc1111
7. Using Google Colab
8. Using Midjourney
9. Using Leonardo AI
10. Using RunDiffusion
11. FAQ

What is Stable Diffusion?

Stable Diffusion is a deep learning-based model that uses the "diffusion process" technology to convert text descriptions into images. Simply put, when you type a prompt word (such as "beautiful sunset"), the model generates a highly matched realistic image based on the description.

The core of the diffusion process is to first add noise to the image, then gradually remove the noise, and finally restore a clear picture. This mechanism makes the generated images more delicate and realistic than traditional models.

Compared with the early text-generating image models, Stable Diffusion has achieved a major breakthrough and is able to handle complex and even abstract language descriptions. This is thanks to the new “stable training” approach it adopts, making the image output from the model highly consistent with the text and excellent quality.

Stable Diffusion application scenarios

Stable Diffusion has a wide range of application fields, covering e-commerce, advertising design, game development, etc. For example, e-commerce platforms can use it to generate pictures based on product descriptions to solve the problem that some products lack real photos.

Advertising companies can use this model to create unique and eye-catching visual materials for marketing activities; game developers can quickly generate game resources such as characters and scenes, greatly improving development efficiency.

Stability AI, the development company behind it, released the model with an open attitude and adopted a loose licensing agreement. Users can use the generated images freely for commercial or non-commercial purposes as long as they comply with Stability AI's commercial use policy. You can use Stable Diffusion to create amazing visual works at any time!

How to get started with Stable Diffusion

There are many ways to run Stable Diffusion, mainly depending on your needs and hardware conditions. The two most common ways are: running on local devices, or running through cloud services.

Run Stable Diffusion locally

Local operation requires the installation of relevant dependency libraries and configuration environment. For beginners, it is recommended to install a version with a graphical interface (GUI), which can significantly simplify the setup process and facilitate management and operation experiments.

It is recommended to have a minimum of 4GB of video memory (VRAM), but it may run slowly in this configuration. If your device has more than 4GB of video memory, local running is usually a better choice—not only saves costs, but also has complete control over the image generation process.

When you deploy Stable Diffusion on your local computer, it will become extremely convenient to load new models, extension plugins, hypernetworks, and even train your own models.

However, the main disadvantage of the low-end configuration is speed. Even if it can run, generating an image can take several minutes. If you pursue efficient map production and lack of hardware, cloud services may be a better alternative.

Run Stable Diffusion in the cloud

Cloud services provide a convenient way to use Stable Diffusion without high-end hardware. Platforms like Google Colab, Runpod, and RunDiffusion provide users with an interactive environment that can directly run models and generate images.

With the cloud platform, you can use powerful computing resources such as NVIDIA Tesla GPU, NVIDIA 3090, or AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors to significantly reduce image generation time and be much more efficient than local operation.

However, cloud services are often accompanied by certain fees and restrictions. For example, most platforms do not support uploading custom models, especially advanced fine-tuning models such as LoRa and VAE. If you rely heavily on personalized training results, some cloud service providers may not be able to meet the needs.

Use Stable Diffusion online

Websites such as Clipdrop, HappyAccidents, Leonardo.ai provide a simple and easy-to-use text-generating image platform. In order to make it easy for more people to get started, some services also provide "Run now" function and support multiple models.

These platforms are suitable for users who do not have the time or energy to configure themselves. However, its generation effect is usually not as good as running locally or in the cloud, and it often uses outdated models, and customization options are very limited.

Most online services offer a small amount of free credits or generations, and then subscribe or purchase points. This method allows you to quickly experience the charm of AI drawing without the need for early investment.

Local, online or cloud? How to choose

Either way, the stronger the hardware performance, the faster the generation speed, and the richer the image details. At the same time, we should also pay attention to the terms and restrictions of different cloud services, and they have a large difference.

The most direct way to determine whether it is running locally is to check your hardware configuration. At least 4GB of video memory is recommended, as a configuration below this may result in a poor experience.

In summary, cloud services are ideal if you want to get started quickly; and if you are willing to invest in hardware, local operation can bring greater control and higher degrees of freedom.

How to run Stable Diffusion for free

Once you have determined how to run, you may want to know how to get started for free. Fortunately, there are several zero-cost paths. Here are several practical solutions for beginners:

1. Use Automatc1111's web interface

Preparations required

• Windows operating system
• 4GB or higher video memory (recommended)
• At least 20GB hard drive space

For beginners, Stable Diffusion without a graphical interface is difficult to operate. Despite the presence of multiple interfaces, the Web UI developed by Automatc1111 is the first choice for its rich features, stability and ease of use, supporting image generation, model management, and even custom training.

Here are the steps to install and get started locally:

1. Open the browser and enter the Python official website download page. Scroll to the " Files " area at the bottom, find " Windows Installer (64-bit) " and click Download.
   
2. After the download is completed, run the installer. In the pop-up window, be sure to check " Add Python 3.10 to PATH " and then click " Install Now ".
   
3. Open your browser again and visit the Git for Windows download page. Under the " Standalone Installer " category, click " 64-bit Git for Windows Setup " to start the download.
   
4. After the download is completed, run the installer, and administrator permissions may be required.
5. Follow the prompts to install Git. When you reach the Select Components page, make sure to check all components and click Next .
6. On the " Choosing the default editor used by Git " page, select " Use Notepad as Git's default editor " from the drop-down menu.
   
7. Keep the default settings later, click " Next ", and finally click " Install " to start the installation.
8. Create a new folder on your computer to store Stable Diffusion. It is recommended to choose a disk with sufficient storage space, and the model requires at least 20GB.
9. Open the folder, enter " cmd " in the address bar and press Enter, and a command prompt window will pop up.
   
10. Enter the following command and press Enter to execute:
    git clone http://ipnx.cn/link/1e868c65150dfeeed59bece39216bfe9
    
11. After the download is completed, enter the " stable-diffusion-webui " folder and double-click to run the " webui-user.bat " file.
    ![run auto11111 web ui](/uploads/20250723

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