The Best AI Tools for Generative Art & Image Books

Freepik now sells its plans under the Magnific name (“formerly Freepik”, as its pricing page puts it). Every paid plan combines a credit-based AI suite (image, video and audio models, including third-party models such as Google’s Nano Banana and Kling) with a library of more than 250 million photos, vectors and PSDs, plus upscalers. Paid plans list a commercial AI licence, and credits are valid for a year rather than resetting monthly.

For a zine or image book where you want volume and variety plus ready-made supporting assets, that combination is the draw. The catch is the ladder of plans and credits: Premium starts at €12 a month billed annually from France, Premium+ adds unlimited generations on some models, and model costs differ, so check what your plan’s credits buy before planning a whole book around it.

Recraft generates both images and vectors, which matters for covers, icons and flat illustration: a vector file has no resolution limit at print. Its terms are unusually plain. Images made on the free plan are owned by Recraft, shown publicly in its community gallery and not licensed for commercial use, so do not build a book on the free plan. Paid plans grant you full ownership and commercial rights for everything generated while subscribed, images stay private, and you keep those rights after you cancel.

The credit system is the thing to watch: subscription credits reset each billing cycle and do not roll over, while top-up credits, bought separately, never expire. That punishes bursty workflows unless you plan around it. For a generative image book that needs a coherent look across many pages, the vector output and the clear ownership terms are its case.

Kittl treats AI as one ingredient in a design tool rather than the whole meal, which suits book work better than it sounds. Alongside an image generator, an AI vector generator, a vectorizer, an upscaler and background removal, it has text effects, templates and fonts, so it works for covers, title spreads and the merch that often rides alongside a zine.

The licence line is drawn clearly on its pricing page: the free plan is for trying things out and passion projects, while paid plans unlock high-resolution and vector exports, the full template library and commercial licensing. If you sell what you make, you need a paid plan. If your book leans graphic and typographic rather than photographic, Kittl is the most design-oriented tool here.

Firefly’s case is what Adobe says about its own models: they are trained on licensed content from Adobe Stock and on public-domain content whose copyright has expired, and Adobe does not train them on Creative Cloud subscribers’ content. Adobe calls its Firefly models “commercially safe”. Firefly also gives access to partner models from Google, OpenAI, Runway and others; that training statement is about Adobe’s own models, so check which model made an image before relying on it.

Generative credits work across Firefly and the Creative Cloud apps, so generation can sit next to Photoshop and InDesign, where print prep happens. A free plan gives limited daily generations; the paid Standard, Pro and Pro Plus plans are priced by country on Adobe’s page. For a print run with a client attached, the stated training data is the strongest answer here to the question “where did these pictures come from?”

Canva is where many self-publishers start: templates, a large content library and AI tools in the same place you lay out a basic zine. Canva says its free plan stays free for individuals, and Canva Pro adds premium templates and content, brand tools and a larger AI allowance. For mood boards, promotional graphics and quick booklets, it is efficient.

Its print story runs mainly through Canva’s own print service, which checks text size, elements near the bleed and image resolution before printing. If you send files elsewhere, ask your printer what it needs and proof a copy. Read the terms for AI-generated content before you sell a book built on it. Treat Canva as a drafting and promotion hub, and finish a press-ready interior in a layout app.

Picsart is a photo and video editor that has added AI generation, background and object removal, stock images and templates, with mobile apps alongside the web version. For punchy single images, stickers and social assets, it is quick, and the Pro plan, at €9.16 a month billed yearly from France, includes unlimited image generations on one model plus credits for others.

As a foundation for a print image book it is the weakest fit here: exports on its comparison table are PNG and PDF, with no print preparation such as CMYK or bleed listed, and the product is built around screens. Read its terms for commercial use of AI output before you print. For a 300 dpi interior, use it for accents and finish the book elsewhere.