How to Effectively Solve Text Problems in AI-Generated Images: A Complete Guide

Why AI Tools Struggle with Text Generation

Generating text within AI-created images presents one of the biggest challenges for current generative models. While these tools can create breathtaking visuals with stunning detail, their ability to produce legible and meaningful text remains limited. Illegible or garbled text can significantly reduce the quality of an otherwise impressive image, especially when creating professional materials like posters, book covers, or marketing visuals.

In this guide, we will focus on understanding the causes of these limitations and, more importantly, on practical strategies and techniques that will help you overcome these problems and achieve professional results.

AI Limitations in Text Generation: Why the Problem Arises

To effectively address text issues in AI-generated images, it's helpful to understand why these limitations exist. The reasons are complex and rooted in how AI models function:

Inconsistent Understanding of Fonts

AI image models are trained on millions of images that often contain text in various languages, fonts, and styles. This diversity makes it difficult for models to gain a consistent understanding of what specific letters or words should look like. As a result, AI understands the visual appearance of the font, but not always the linguistic structure or grammatical rules.

Difficulty Translating Abstract Concepts

Text represents an abstract system of symbols, where each character carries meaning that must be correctly arranged. AI tries to mimic the visual appearance of text, but often fails to reproduce the actual rules of language, leading to nonsensical combinations of characters that look like text but actually mean nothing.

Prioritizing Visual Coherence Over Text Accuracy

Generative models are primarily optimized for the visual coherence of the entire image, not for linguistic accuracy. This means they prioritize making the text visually fit into the composition (look like text) rather than ensuring it is actually meaningful or legible.

Typical Text Problems in AI Images

Users of AI image generation tools commonly encounter these specific problems:

Meaningless Character Sequences

AI often creates text that looks real at first glance, but upon closer inspection, consists of random combinations of characters that do not form any real words. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as the "lorem ipsum effect" – the text looks plausible from a distance, but makes no sense up close.

Inconsistent Font Style

Even if the AI manages to create some readable words, there are often changes in style, size, or font type within the same text, which disrupts visual consistency.

Deformed Characters

Letters are often deformed, incomplete, or incorrectly connected, especially with more complex fonts or stylized lettering.

Text Layout Problems

AI models struggle to maintain consistent alignment, line spacing, or organization of text into logical blocks.

Missing or Extra Characters

Words may be incomplete or contain superfluous characters, further complicating readability.

Practical Strategies to Overcome Text Problems

Despite these challenges, there are several practical approaches that allow you to create professional visuals with text. Let's look at the most effective strategies:

Two-Step Approach: Separate Image and Text Creation

The most reliable method is to separate the image generation process from adding text. This approach involves:

1. First, generate the desired visual without any text
2. Then, use a graphics editor (like Photoshop, GIMP, or Canva) to manually add the text in the desired style and formatting

The advantage of this approach is complete control over the text – its content, formatting, and placement. This procedure is ideal for professional projects where text accuracy is crucial.

Creating Space for Text

If you plan to add text later, you can explicitly instruct the AI to create a suitable space for text placement:

• Include phrases in the prompt like "with empty space for text" or "with a blank area at the top for a headline"
• Specify particular areas where the text will be placed, for example, "with a blank banner in the middle"
• Request the creation of a minimalist design with ample negative space

This approach ensures that the resulting image is compositionally prepared for adding text at a later stage.

Inpainting Techniques to Replace Problematic Text

Inpainting is a technique that allows you to replace or modify specific parts of an image. If the AI generated an image with damaged text, you can:

1. Mark the area with the problematic text for replacement
2. Use an inpainting tool to remove the original text
3. Either let the AI generate a new version of this area without text, or manually add text later

This method is useful when the image is otherwise satisfactory and you don't want to generate a completely new version.

Minimizing the Amount of Required Text

The less text you request, the higher the chance of a satisfactory result. Practical tips include:

• Use single words or short phrases instead of full sentences
• Prefer simple words over complex ones
• Request a larger font size, which tends to be more legible

This approach is suitable for simple signs, logos, or headlines where only a minimal amount of text is needed.

Stylizing Text as Part of the Image

An interesting alternative is to ask the AI to integrate text as a visual element of the image itself:

• Text as part of graffiti on a wall
• Inscriptions carved into tree bark or stones
• Words formed from natural elements like clouds, branches, or flowing water
• Letters formed by figures or objects

This creative approach often yields better results because the AI doesn't need to generate conventional text, but rather a visual representation that is part of the overall composition.

Optimizing Prompts for Better Text Results

The way you formulate your prompts can significantly affect the quality of the generated text. Here are techniques that can help:

Using Character References

Instead of just requesting "with text," try specifying the visual characteristics of the font:

• "with large, bold, black text"
• "with elegant, thin, calligraphic script"
• "with playful, colorful, handwritten text"

These visual descriptions help the AI better understand the type of font you expect.

Specifying Text Placement

Clearly define exactly where the text should be placed:

• "with the book title in the center of the front cover"
• "with text aligned along the bottom edge of the poster"
• "with the inscription integrated into the top part of the design"

Specific instructions regarding placement can help the AI better plan the composition and allocate appropriate space for the text.

Explicit Mention of Readability

Emphasize the importance of readability in your prompt:

• "with clearly readable text"
• "with well-defined, sharp letters"
• "with text that is easily recognizable and legible"

These explicit instructions signal to the AI that readability is a priority.

Advanced Techniques for Special Cases

For certain specific situations, these advanced approaches may be useful:

Imitating Existing Fonts and Styles

Sometimes you need the text in an AI-generated image to match an existing visual style:

1. Find a reference image with a text style similar to what you require
2. Use this image as a reference in your prompt
3. Specify that the text should look similar to the text in the reference image

This approach works better with distinct, characteristic font styles than with subtle details.

Segmenting Complex Text Elements

For more complex text compositions, such as posters or book covers with multiple text elements:

1. Divide the project into smaller parts (e.g., headline, subtitle, supplementary text)
2. Create each part separately, either using AI or a graphics editor
3. Combine the parts together in post-production

This modular approach provides greater control over individual text components.

Using 'Text Placeholders'

An interesting technique is to use distinct placeholders in the AI-generated image:

1. Ask the AI to create an image with a visible "text box" or "label banner"
2. Specify that the placeholder should have a certain shape or color to be easily identifiable
3. Replace the placeholder with the actual text in post-production

This approach is useful for creating visually integrated spaces for text that will be added later.

Tools and Software for Post-Production Text Editing

To work effectively with text after generating the image, it's useful to have the right tools available. More detailed information about post-processing AI-generated images can be found in our comprehensive guide to post-processing techniques.

Professional Graphics Editors

• Advanced text manipulation options including various fonts, styles, and effects
• Layers for non-destructive editing
• Advanced selection and masking tools for precise text placement

Online Image Editing Tools

• User-friendly interface with intuitive text tools
• Preset templates and text styles
• Options for quick edits without needing to install software

Specialized Typography Tools

• Extensive font libraries for various styles and purposes
• Advanced options for adjusting character spacing, line spacing, and other typographic parameters
• Tools for creating effects like 3D text, shadows, or glows

Practical Examples and Case Studies

Let's look at a few specific scenarios and their solutions:

Example 1: Creating a Poster with a Prominent Headline

Problem: You need to create a movie poster with a prominent, easily readable film title.

Solution: Generate a dramatic image without text, featuring a darker area at the top. Then, in a graphics editor, add the film title using a contrasting font. For an authentic look, you can apply effects like glows or textures that integrate the text into the overall design.

Example 2: Logo with Integrated Text

Problem: You need to create a logo where the text is an integral part of the design.

Solution: Instead of generating actual text, ask for a "stylized symbol representing [name/concept]". Then, in a graphics editor, add the actual name using a font that stylistically matches the generated symbol.

Example 3: Book with Text Elements on the Cover

Problem: You need to create a book cover with the title, author's name, and a short description.

Solution: Generate a visually appealing cover with clearly defined empty spaces. In the prompt, specify "with blank space at the top for the title, smaller space for the author's name below it, and a blank area on the back for the description". Then, in a graphics editor, add all text elements with appropriate hierarchy and style.

When to Accept Limitations and Use Alternative Approaches

It's important to recognize when it's better to choose a different approach:

Extensive Text Passages

If your project requires long paragraphs of text, such as articles or detailed descriptions, it is almost always better to use traditional text typesetting methods than relying on AI generation.

Legal or Critical Information

For text where accuracy is absolutely crucial (legal disclaimers, safety information, contact details), always use manual text addition after generating the image.

Specific Typographic Requirements

When your project requires adherence to precise typographic rules or corporate identity, it's better to work with the text separately from the image generation.

Conclusion

Text problems in AI-generated images represent a significant challenge, but with the help of the strategies and techniques described in this guide, it is possible to achieve professional results. The key to success often lies in a combination of appropriate prompts, realistic expectations, and effective post-production editing.

Remember that every project is unique and may require different approaches. Experimenting with various techniques will help you find the workflow that best suits your specific needs and requirements.

As you gradually improve your skills in working with text in AI images, you will be able to create increasingly impressive visuals that combine the power of generative AI with the precision of professional typography and design.