Google Cloud announces Imagen 2 text-to-image generator

Google Cloud has introduced Imagen 2, the latest upgrade to its text-to-image capabilities.

Available for Vertex AI customers on the allowlist, Imagen 2 enables users to craft and deploy photorealistic images using intuitive tooling and fully-managed infrastructure. 

Developed with Google DeepMind technology, Imagen 2 offers improved image quality and a range of functionalities tailored for specific use cases.

Key features of Imagen 2 include:

• Diverse image generation: Imagen 2 excels in creating high-resolution images from natural language prompts that cater to various user requirements.

• Text rendering in multiple languages: Overcoming common challenges, Imagen 2 supports accurate text rendering in multiple languages.

• Logo generation: Businesses can leverage Imagen 2 to create a variety of creative and realistic logos—with the option to overlay them on products, clothing, business cards, and more.

• Captions and question-answering: Imagen 2’s advanced image understanding capabilities facilitate the creation of descriptive captions and provide detailed answers to questions about image elements.

• Multi-language support: Imagen 2 introduces support for six additional languages in preview, with plans for more in early 2024. This includes the ability to translate between prompt and output.

• Safety measures: Imagen 2 incorporates built-in safety precautions, aligning with Google’s Responsible AI principles. It features safety filters and integrates with a digital watermarking service to ensure responsible use.

Enterprise-ready capabilities

Imagen 2 on Vertex AI is designed to meet enterprise standards, offering reliability and governance akin to its predecessor. With new features such as high-quality image rendering, improved text rendering, logo generation, and safety measures, Imagen 2 aims to provide organisations with a comprehensive tool for creative image generation.

Leading companies like Snap, Shutterstock, and Canva have already embraced Imagen for creative purposes.

Chris Loy, Director of AI Services at Shutterstock, commented: “We exist to empower the world to tell their stories by bridging the gap between idea and execution.

“Variety is critical for the creative process, which is why we continue to integrate the latest and greatest technology into our image generator and editing features—as long as it is built on responsibly sourced data,”

Danny Wu, Head of AI at Canva, added: “We’re continuing to use generative AI to innovate the design process and augment imagination.

“With Imagen, our 170M+ monthly users can benefit from the image quality improvements to uplevel their content creation at scale.”

As Imagen 2 makes waves in the creative industry, organisations are encouraged to explore its potential. Google Cloud anticipates users will harness the new features to elevate their creative endeavours and build on the success achieved with Imagen.