How to train the perfect ai model in four simple steps

If you’re a newcomer to AI, the idea of training your own model might feel like a reach. Which is frustrating, because AI is one thing in principle but the ability to make it work specifically for your needs unlocks a whole new dimension of its creative power.

New tools often feel daunting – understood by experts but incomprehensible to the rest of us, especially if you don’t come from a tech background. But with generative AI, this really doesn’t have to be the case. There’s no need to learn code, or spend hours pulling data together. With exactly.ai you have the tools at your disposal to train a model in less than a couple of hours.

If you’re an artist, that could mean training a model to authentically replicate your exact style. If you’re a business, it opens up the possibility of a model that knows your brand’s visual identity, and can produce assets for you on demand.

So, how easy is easy? With exactly.ai it’s possible in just four simple steps.

Upload your images

To train a model to generate images in your style, you first need to feed it a dataset of artwork it can learn from. And for a model to work effectively, you’ll need to consider a few things when selecting these images.

Quality is important. It’s best to upload large, high resolution images – making sure not to include anything you don’t want the AI to learn from, like finger smudges or frames. Next, think about quantity. The more images you upload, the more information you’re giving your AI. We’d recommend at least five images, but the more the merrier, so try and get closer to ten if you can.

It’s important to also think about diversity and consistency. You want a diverse range of subjects in your artwork you upload – if you only upload images of toasters, your model will be good at generating toasters but not much else – but in a consistent style. Ideally the images you upload will feel like they belong to a series, so your model can use them as a set of guidelines.

Check your captions

The next step on the road to training your model is to caption your images. This stage is very important, as it teaches your AI how to interpret your images – vital for when you start prompting later down the line.

When writing captions, there are a few things to bear in mind. Keep your text simple and succinct. Use straightforward language, nouns and present tense verbs. For example: “a monkey climbing”.

There are a few things to avoid as well. Unless you’re deliberately experimenting, don’t include the artwork’s medium in the caption – painting or sculpture, for instance. You’re already providing that information in the images. Likewise, avoid adjectives where possible. Don’t write “a charcoal sketch of a spooky crow” – just caption the image “a crow”.

Train your model

This step is the easiest of the four. Sit back and relax: exactly.ai will train your model using the information you’ve provided and let you know when it’s ready to use.

Prompt your model

Once your model is trained, you’re ready to start experimenting with prompts. This is where the fun starts – it’s time to get creative and experiment with different prompts to see how your model responds. That said, your model will probably generate better results if you format your prompts in a similar way to your captions.

And that, in four simple steps, is how to train your very own AI model using exactly.ai. Once your model is trained, you’re ready to start generating high-quality artwork in your own style. Better still, you have complete control over your model. You can sell commercial licences s brands and businesses can use your model, or if you’d rather, keep it completely private. The choice is yours.