Section 1.1: A Personal Journey

As someone with a passion for art but no professional background in it, I approach this topic as an enthusiastic learner rather than an expert. My formal training has shaped my understanding, but my true interest lies in paleoart. My neurodivergent nature drives my pursuit of accuracy, prioritizing factual representation over mere aesthetics—though ideally, both should coexist.

While I may not be a paleontologist, the intersection of art, paleontology, and AI seems underexplored. The field is dynamic and contentious, resembling an untamed jungle. Consider this series a guided exploration through this uncharted territory, where I, a jack-of-all-trades, will help illuminate the paths that have yet to be carved.

Section 1.2: Understanding Dimetrodon

When I first experimented with AI art generators to create images of Dimetrodon, platforms like Midjourney 3 and DALL-E 2 produced results resembling horned toads or bearded dragons. However, both have received updates since then, making it an opportune moment to reassess their capabilities. I decided to keep my prompts simple and input "Dimetrodon by a lake."

Section 1.3: Results from DALL-E 2

The outcome from DALL-E 2 was less than satisfactory. The generated creature looked more like a mutant stegosaurus than a Dimetrodon, with only one image showing a head that resembled a prehistoric rhinoceros more than the intended subject.

The video titled Dimetrodon: YDAW Archive (Re-upload + Corrections) offers a deeper look into this fascinating creature and the methods of AI in paleoart.

Section 1.4: Midjourney's Attempt

Next, I turned to Midjourney V4, known for its artistic prowess. However, the results were disappointing again. While Midjourney excels in creating striking human portraits, its interpretation of Dimetrodon was far from accurate. The two-legged creature in the bottom left corner was particularly perplexing, and the overall appearance was more reminiscent of heavily armored lizards rather than the actual Dimetrodon.

Section 1.5: Exploring Stable Diffusion

Hoping for better results, I tried Stable Diffusion using Playground AI. Despite multiple attempts, I was left unimpressed. The generated images lacked the iconic sail characteristic of Dimetrodon, resembling poorly designed plastic toys instead.

Section 1.6: The Craiyon Surprise

Finally, I tested Craiyon, a free and older generator. Surprisingly, it produced images that accurately captured the essential anatomy of Dimetrodon. Despite the low resolution, the recognizable sail appeared consistently across the outputs.

While Craiyon's images were not polished, they managed to correctly depict the key features of the prehistoric creature, outperforming the more advanced AI models in basic accuracy. This unexpected outcome leads me to declare Craiyon the winner of this round.