Apple’s Picture Playground is a free app for iPhone and different Apple units that allows you to generate limitless AI photos at no cost. You possibly can generate photos based mostly in your buddies, from a textual content immediate or completely from scratch, in all kinds of themes and types.
It’s a part of Apple Intelligence, the rising set of AI options that work on the most recent iPhones, Macs and iPads. Right here’s tips on how to use Picture Playground.
Generate AI photos in your iPhone with Picture Playground
The power to create imagery from easy textual content prompts rocketed merchandise like Midjourney and OpenAI’s Dall-E to reputation, for higher or worse. With the free Picture Playground app, Apple desires to horn in on that motion. And because the app runs on appropriate iPhones, at no cost, it places the ability of AI artwork within the palms of thousands and thousands of customers who won’t in any other case dabble in such endeavors.
As with all issues Apple, Picture Playground is simple to make use of and (largely) sanitized. To assist keep away from deepfakes and misinformation, Apple restricted the picture device to 3 cartoonish types: Animation, Illustration and Sketch. The corporate additionally makes an attempt to cease individuals from producing offensive or copyright-protected photos.
Desk of contents: Generate AI photos in your iPhone with Picture Playground
Set up iOS 18.2 and allow Apple Intelligence
Launch Picture Playground and choose a beginning picture
Edit your picture and add extra particulars
How good do Picture Playground photos look?
Extra Apple Intelligence options
Set up iOS 18.2 and allow Apple Intelligence
Picture Playground is a part of the second spherical of Apple’s AI options, accessible in iOS 18.2. As with all Apple Intelligence options, you’ll want an iPhone, Mac or iPad with an M-series chip, an A17 Professional chip or better to make use of the app.
Should you don’t have already got iOS 18.2, you possibly can set up it by going to Settings > Common > Software program Replace. After you replace, head to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri to allow Apple Intelligence.
Launch Picture Playground and choose a beginning picture
You possibly can create a picture of a brand-new individual or choose one thing out of your photograph library.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
After you replace, you’ll see the Playground app in your iPhone’s House Display screen that may allow you to generate AI photos from scratch. To get began, open the Playground app and faucet the massive + button on the backside proper of the display screen. (Picture Playground can also be accessible inside Apple’s Messages app, from the app menu.)
There are 4 methods to create AI photos in Picture Playground:
Describe an Picture: Faucet this feature to sort a textual content immediate, and Picture Playground will generate a picture based mostly in your description.
Select a Individual: Faucet the Select Individual button on the backside to pick out a photograph of somebody in your Photographs library. The app pulls photos out of your Photographs library’s “Folks and Pets” part, so be sure that to tag individuals and pets first. Alternatively, faucet the Look button within the higher left and choose Edit to generate an individual from scratch.
Select Model or Photograph: Faucet the + icon on the backside proper and choose Select Photograph to choose a picture out of your library as a place to begin. Should you can’t discover the photograph you’re in search of, faucet All on the high of the photograph picker. You too can swap between Animation, Illustration and Sketch types from the + menu.
Suggestion Bubbles: Faucet any of the suggestion bubbles on the backside of the display screen. These can be utilized as inspiration or to refine your picture in progress.
Edit your AI picture and add extra particulars
You possibly can tweak your AI picture by getting into a textual content immediate.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
When you select a beginning immediate, Picture Playground will generate 4 choices at a time. You possibly can swipe to see extra variations.
Should you’re not pleased with the outcomes, you possibly can modify the picture additional. Faucet the sq. picture preview to return and edit the prompts. You possibly can add preset tags from Apple, similar to themes, costumes, equipment, and locations, or sort in extra descriptions within the textual content field. To take away a immediate, merely faucet on any of the floating bubbles.
If you’re happy, faucet Finished within the higher proper to avoid wasting your picture. You possibly can share it, delete it, or return to edit it anytime. Moreover, you possibly can present suggestions by giving it a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, as it is a beta characteristic and should produce surprising outcomes.
Are Picture Playground photos any good?
They appear higher the extra you squint your eyes.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Personally, I’m not impressed by this much-hyped Apple Intelligence characteristic. The photographs created by Picture Playground are disappointing. When in comparison with superior AI picture turbines like Midjourneythe outcomes from Picture Playground look outdated by at the least two years.
It struggles with fundamental duties like drawing straight strains, and plenty of components of the pictures are inclined to mix collectively. Whereas it’s fascinating that every part occurs on-device with no limitations, the novelty doesn’t make up for the truth that it produces subpar outcomes.
Regardless of Apple’s makes an attempt to implement safeguards in opposition to dangerous or specific prompts, I discover it regarding which you could generate photos utilizing something out of your photograph library. In reality, I used to be simply capable of obtain a picture on-line and use it to create a picture of Adolf Hitler standing on the White Home garden. If I had been a malicious middle-schooler, I might simply create embarrassing or dangerous photos to bully or harass classmates.
In my view, Apple ought to rethink releasing the Picture Playground characteristic. It appears destined to develop into a continuing battle to forestall misuse, providing little worth in return. Even the perfect photos it creates aren’t significantly spectacular.
Extra Apple Intelligence options
This text on Picture Playground was initially revealed on November 21, 2024. We up to date it with new info on December 11, 2024 and April 22, 2025.
