Image Generation

Overview

Generate images from text prompts using OpenAI's image generation API.

Prerequisites

• OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable set

Usage via API

Generate with curl

curl -s https://api.openai.com/v1/images/generations \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENAI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "dall-e-3",
    "prompt": "A futuristic city at sunset, cyberpunk style",
    "n": 1,
    "size": "1024x1024",
    "quality": "hd"
  }' | jq -r '.data[0].url'

Download the image

url=$(curl -s https://api.openai.com/v1/images/generations \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENAI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model":"dall-e-3","prompt":"...","n":1,"size":"1024x1024"}' \
  | jq -r '.data[0].url')
curl -s "$url" -o /tmp/generated.png

Models & Options

Model	Sizes	Quality	Notes
dall-e-3	1024x1024, 1792x1024, 1024x1792	standard, hd	Best quality, prompt rewriting
dall-e-2	256x256, 512x512, 1024x1024	standard	Faster, cheaper

Tips

• DALL-E 3 rewrites your prompt for better results — check revised_prompt in response
• Use hd quality for detailed images, standard for quick drafts
• For landscape: 1792x1024, for portrait: 1024x1792
• Save to /tmp/ for temporary images, project assets/ for permanent ones
• To share: use the returned URL (expires after ~1 hour) or download first

Batch Generation

for i in 1 2 3 4; do
  curl -s https://api.openai.com/v1/images/generations \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENAI_API_KEY" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d "{\"model\":\"dall-e-3\",\"prompt\":\"Variation $i of abstract art\",\"n\":1,\"size\":\"1024x1024\"}" \
    | jq -r '.data[0].url' | xargs -I{} curl -s {} -o "/tmp/gen-$i.png"
done