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Leonardo AI — Full Review of the Versatile Image Generator for Designers, Creators, and Game Artists

Updated on: 27.07.2025

AInstain robot artist with a single long cyan dash eye gestures to a holographic interface showing Canvas, Upscale, Remover, Prompt Templates, Training, and Tokens icons in cinematic lighting.
Feature Details
Core Function
AI-powered image generation
Platform Type
Web-based (no Discord required)
Specialization
Artistic styles, game assets, consistent character design
Custom Models
Yes — train and reuse personal styles
Editing Tools
Canvas, background remover, image-to-image
Free Plan
Yes — includes 150 daily tokens
Paid Plans
From $10/month (up to $48/mo for 8,500 tokens)
Integrations
Extremely high — on par with Midjourney & Firefly
Launched
2022
Try Leonardo AI

Introduction

Leonardo AI has quickly earned a reputation as one of the most artist-friendly AI image generators on the market. Built for both hobbyists and professional creators, it emphasizes customization, visual consistency, and post-generation control — things many platforms like DALL·E or Playground AI struggle with.

Whether you’re a digital painter, game asset designer, or social media brand builder, Leonardo gives you tools to not only create amazing images — but also refine them, re-run styles, and stay on-theme.

And best of all? It’s not Discord-based, unlike Midjourney. That means clean UI, batch editing, live previews, and a workflow you can actually manage.

In this review, we’ll walk you through how Leonardo works, its real-world use cases, pricing, pros and cons, and how it compares to other big-name AI art platforms.

Quick Recap

  • Web-based AI image generator with high artistic control
  • Offers fine-tuned models and style presets for consistent outputs
  • Built-in canvas editor, upscaler, background remover, and prompt templates
  • Supports model training and personal styles
  • Free plan with daily tokens
  • Loved by concept artists, game developers, and illustrators

🎨 Best For: Creators who want Midjourney-level quality with more prompt precision and custom models

❌ Avoid If: You need fast mobile generation or ultra-minimal interfaces

How Leonardo AI Works

Leonardo AI runs directly from your browser — with no setup, no Discord, and no coding required.

Here’s the typical user workflow:

  1. Choose or train a model — Use one of Leonardo’s default style models, or train your own custom model using a small dataset of reference images.

  2. Enter your prompt — Include style keywords (e.g., “pixel art dungeon,” “anime portrait,” “steampunk robot”).

  3. Set parameters — Choose dimensions, style strength, guidance scale, and image count.

  4. Generate — Leonardo returns 2–8 high-res image options per batch.

  5. Refine or Remix — Use the canvas editor, background remover, or upscale and re-roll similar versions.

It supports image-to-image prompting, negative prompt weighting, control over composition, and even style-to-style transformation.

💡 Fun Fact: Leonardo AI is especially popular among game devs creating pixel art, card game art, and turn-based RPG assets.

Key Features

🎨 Fine-Tuned Artistic Models

Leonardo has dozens of base models (e.g., DreamShaper, Deliberate, RPG 4.0) and lets users train their own for stylistic consistency.

🧠 Prompt Magic v2

Leonardo’s proprietary prompt enhancer helps turn vague ideas into polished prompt formulas — with focus, depth, and style guidance.

🖼️ Canvas Editor

After generation, you can enter a Canva-like visual editor to tweak, erase, paint, and reimagine specific portions of the image.

🔄 Image-to-Image

Upload an image and modify it with new styles, or generate variations while keeping the base structure.

🚀 Fast Rendering

Images usually generate in under 15 seconds — even for high-res.

🛠️ Tools Galore

Includes upscaling, background remover, overlay tools, token burn preview, and batch prompt duplication.

💡 Fun Fact: Leonardo has over 5 million registered users and its community Discord showcases thousands of user-trained models available to remix.

Real-World Use Cases

🕹️ Game Asset Design

Create pixel-style icons, characters, maps, weapons, or card art that remains consistent across multiple scenes.

📚 Book Cover Illustration

Generate dramatic, stylized covers for fiction novels, poetry books, or graphic novels.

🖌️ Character Design

Use style-locked models to create consistent characters for storyboarding, animation, or game production.

📱 Social Content & Ads

Quickly produce polished, high-contrast images for Instagram, ads, thumbnails, or web banners.

Pricing & Plans

🎁 Free Plan

  • 150 tokens/day (~15–25 images depending on settings)

  • Access to all features (limited usage)

  • Watermarked output on some tools

💎 Paid Plans

PlanPriceMonthly TokensIdeal For
Apprentice$10/mo1,500 tokensBeginners, hobbyists
Artisan$24/mo4,500 tokensRegular creators
Maestro$48/mo8,500 tokensHeavy users, professionals

Custom enterprise pricing also available.

Leonardo AI vs Midjourney vs DALL·E

Feature Leonardo AI Midjourney DALL·E 3 (OpenAI)
Interface Type
Web app
Discord only
ChatGPT or API
Custom Models
✅ Yes
❌ No
❌ No
Canvas & Editing
✅ Built-in
❌ None
✅ Limited in Paint mode
Image-to-Image
✅ Yes
✅ Limited
✅ Yes
Prompt Assistance
✅ Prompt Magic
⚠️ Community only
✅ Chat-enhanced
Output Speed
⚡ Very fast
⚡ Fast
⚠️ Slower on web
Ideal For
Artists, game devs
Experimental artists
General users
AInstain robot with a single long cyan dash eye stands behind a desk holding glowing cyan “Pros” and orange “Cons” panels showing Models & Styles, Canvas Editor, Tokens vs. Limited Tokens, Web-only, Performance Issues in cinematic lighting.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

  • Clean, intuitive UI (no Discord)

  • Extremely flexible prompt system

  • Built-in editing tools and remixing

  • High quality outputs and fast renders

  • Style-locking and model training options

❌ Cons

  • Token-based system may limit casual users

  • Paid plans needed for consistent daily use

  • Some outputs can feel generic without tuning

⭐ Ratings

CategoryScore
Ease of Use★★★★★ (5.0)
Output Quality★★★★☆ (4.8)
Customization★★★★★ (5.0)
Speed & Tools★★★★★ (5.0)
Value for Money★★★★☆ (4.6)

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (4.9/5)

Final Verdict: Should You Use Leonardo AI?

If you’re a designer, illustrator, or digital creator who wants creative control and consistent visual identity, Leonardo AI is hard to beat. It brings together powerful AI models, intuitive editing, and highly customizable workflows — without the messiness of Discord or clunky APIs.

It’s not as beginner-proof as DALL·E or as stylistically avant-garde as Midjourney — but it finds a perfect sweet spot between quality, control, and speed.

For serious creators, Leonardo AI belongs in your toolbox.

💡 More Fun Facts About Leonardo AI

      • Named after Leonardo da Vinci — blending art + AI

      • Used by teams at game studios, NFT projects, and comic publishers

      • Offers a community feed with remixes and style model sharing

      • Built by Leonardo Interactive, based in Sydney, Australia

Try Leonardo AI for Free 👉

Click here

FAQ

Is Leonardo AI free?

Yes — the free tier includes 150 tokens/day, though usage is limited.

Yes — you can upload reference images and create reusable models for style consistency.

Leonardo is more customizable, with built-in editing and no Discord dependency.

Yes — it’s browser-based and mobile-friendly, though not app-optimized yet.

Yes — many pros use it for asset creation, branding, and consistent illustration.