GPT-4o vs Gemini Image Generation: Ultimate Comparison Guide 2025

🔥 Tested in March 2025: This comprehensive analysis compares the image generation capabilities of two leading AI models, revealing the strengths and limitations of GPT-4o and Gemini, and showing how to access premium image generation through laozhang.ai API proxy at significantly reduced costs!

With the explosive development of multimodal AI technology, image generation has become a standard capability of large language models. This article provides an in-depth comparison of the two most representative AI image generation models on the market today: OpenAI's GPT-4o and Google's Gemini.

Through 5 typical scenario tests and detailed analysis, we'll reveal the performance differences between these two premium AI models in image generation, help you choose the model that best suits your needs, and share how to access these powerful image generation capabilities at a lower cost through API proxy services.

Technical Overview: Basic Information and Technical Characteristics

Before diving into the comparison, let's understand the basic information about these two AI models:

GPT-4o: OpenAI's Multimodal Flagship

GPT-4o is a multimodal model released by OpenAI in May 2024, with "o" representing "omni." As the successor to GPT-4, it retains powerful text understanding capabilities while adding real-time visual understanding and high-quality image generation features.

Core Features:

• Built-in improved DALL-E 3 technology for image generation
• Powerful context understanding to accurately capture user intent
• Fine detail control and high reproduction fidelity
• Outstanding text rendering and typography capabilities
• Extremely strong instruction-following ability

Gemini: Google's Powerful Competitor

Gemini is a multimodal AI model launched and continuously updated by Google in 2024, representing Google's latest technological achievements in the field of image generation. The model emphasizes speed and innovation, with significant improvements in image generation capabilities in the latest version released in March 2025.

Core Features:

• Image generation capabilities integrated with Imagen technology
• Industry-leading generation speed, supporting rapid iteration
• Strong creative expansion capabilities with diverse styles
• Deep integration with the Google ecosystem
• More open content policies

Hands-on Comparison: Detailed Evaluation Across Five Dimensions

To ensure fairness and comprehensiveness in our evaluation, we designed testing standards across 5 key dimensions and conducted actual scenario tests under each dimension. All tests used identical or very similar prompts to ensure comparability of results.

1. Image Quality and Realism

Testing Method: Generate photo-realistic scenes with identical themes (portraits, landscapes, product displays)

GPT-4o:

• Image quality score: 9.2/10
• Advantages: Extremely high detail reproduction, very strong realism, especially outstanding in portrait photography
• Limitations: Occasional slight unnaturalness under extreme lighting conditions

Gemini:

• Image quality score: 8.5/10
• Advantages: Good overall quality, excellent performance in landscape and architectural scenes
• Limitations: Slightly insufficient in portrait details and textures

💡 Expert Opinion: GPT-4o leads in image quality, especially in application scenarios requiring high realism.

2. Generation Speed and Response Efficiency

Testing Method: Timing the generation of images with similar complexity (averaged over 20 attempts)

Gemini:

• Average generation time: 7.5 seconds
• Advantages: Significantly faster, suitable for workflows requiring rapid iteration
• Limitations: Speed advantage diminishes when pursuing extremely high quality

GPT-4o:

• Average generation time: 12.8 seconds
• Advantages: Quality remains consistent even in complex scenes
• Limitations: Relatively slow generation speed due to pursuit of high quality

💡 Expert Opinion: If speed is your primary consideration, Gemini is clearly the better choice, particularly suitable for scenarios requiring extensive creative exploration.

3. Text Processing and Typography

Testing Method: Generate posters, advertisements, and infographics containing complex text

GPT-4o:

• Text processing score: 9.5/10
• Advantages: Near-perfect text integration, especially outstanding in mixed English and non-Latin scripts, special characters, and complex typography
• Limitations: Minor errors in extremely rare cases

Gemini:

• Text processing score: 7.8/10
• Advantages: Complete basic text functionality, good English processing
• Limitations: Occasional errors in complex typography and weaker support for special characters

💡 Expert Opinion: GPT-4o has an overwhelming advantage in scenarios requiring complex text processing, especially for multilingual content.

4. Creative Expression and Style Diversity

Testing Method: Generate creative works in different artistic styles (illustrations, anime, watercolor, cyberpunk, etc.)

Gemini:

• Creativity score: 9.0/10
• Advantages: Diverse styles, strong creative expression, especially suitable for anime and digital art styles
• Limitations: Sometimes difficult to balance artistic expression with precise control

GPT-4o:

• Creativity score: 8.8/10
• Advantages: Excellent in style mimicry and consistency, suitable for series creations requiring fixed styles
• Limitations: Relatively conservative in extreme creative exploration

💡 Expert Opinion: Both have their strengths in creative expression, with Gemini having a slight edge, especially in anime and digital art styles.

5. Instruction Understanding and Precise Control

Testing Method: Test complex, multi-step image generation instructions with rich details

GPT-4o:

• Instruction understanding score: 9.7/10
• Advantages: Extremely strong instruction understanding and execution capability, accurately executing even complex multi-layered requirements
• Limitations: Occasionally overlooking subtle details in extremely long complex instructions

Gemini:

• Instruction understanding score: 8.3/10
• Advantages: Good basic instruction following, strong reasoning ability
• Limitations: Lower precision in controlling complex details, sometimes creatively "misinterpreting" instructions

💡 Expert Opinion: GPT-4o is clearly more suitable for professional image generation tasks requiring precise control, almost perfectly executing various complex instructions.

Case Studies: Generation Effect Comparison Across Five Typical Scenarios

To visually demonstrate the differences between the two models, we conducted detailed comparison tests across 5 typical application scenarios:

Scenario 1: Product Display Image Generation

Test Prompt:

A futuristic smartwatch placed on a minimalist white display stand, shot from a 45-degree angle from the side, with blue holographic projections emerging from the screen, in high-definition product photography style.

GPT-4o Result: Generated an extremely realistic product image with rich details of the smartwatch, authentic material representation, well-balanced holographic effects, and overall photographic quality.

Gemini Result: Innovative watch design but some details are blurry, holographic effects are vibrant but slightly exaggerated, overall leaning towards concept art rather than product photography.

Best Choice: GPT-4o clearly outperforms in product display scenarios, particularly suitable for e-commerce and product marketing.

Scenario 2: Social Media Content Creation

Test Prompt:

An Instagram-worthy food photo showing an elegant matcha tiramisu dessert with a latte coffee on the side, bright natural lighting, shallow depth of field effect, with attractive textures and details.

Gemini Result: Vibrant colors with social media aesthetics, lively and creative composition, fast generation speed, very suitable for daily content posting.

GPT-4o Result: Photographic level of realism and detail, professional quality and lighting, but longer generation time and relatively traditional style.

Best Choice: Gemini has the advantage for daily social media content creation, especially considering its speed and stylistic diversity.

Scenario 3: Brand Promotional Poster Design

Test Prompt:

A high-end cosmetic brand promotional poster with the theme "Renew Your Skin," including a product image (an elegant white lotion bottle), minimalist elegant layout, brand logo "LUMINE" in the upper right corner, and the tagline "Redefining Beauty" at the bottom.

GPT-4o Result: Professional design with excellent commercial feel, perfect typography, precise placement of brand elements, overall reaching professional design standards.

Gemini Result: Attractive design but with text errors, correct logo placement but lacking in detail handling, overall effect suitable for concept presentation but requiring modifications.

Best Choice: GPT-4o is clearly the choice for brand promotional materials, especially for formal commercial content containing text and brand elements.

Scenario 4: Concept Art and Creative Illustrations

Test Prompt:

An anime-style illustration of a future city with flying cars traveling between skyscrapers illuminated by neon lights, cyberpunk style, with purple and cyan as the main color palette, featuring strong light and shadow contrasts.

Gemini Result: Distinctive cyberpunk effect with strong creativity, bold color usage matching requirements, overall with great visual impact.

GPT-4o Result: Technically precise but somewhat conservative in creative expression, rich in details but lacking distinctive style, high overall quality but lacking character.

Best Choice: Gemini performs better in creative art and stylized illustrations, especially suitable for scenarios requiring visual impact.

Scenario 5: Educational Content and Infographics

Test Prompt:

An educational infographic about the process of photosynthesis, including plant cell structure diagrams, labels for major components, arrows showing energy flow, with concise explanatory text, suitable for middle school students.

GPT-4o Result: Clear infographic structure, high scientific accuracy, perfect labeling, excellent educational value, overall professional and easy to understand.

Gemini Result: Essential elements are complete but some labels have errors, clear scientific process visualization but details could be more accurate.

Best Choice: GPT-4o is undoubtedly the best choice for educational content and professional infographics, especially in contexts requiring accuracy and educational value.

Practical Guide: How to Use Premium AI Image Generation via laozhang.ai API Proxy at Lower Cost

From the comparison above, we can see that GPT-4o has advantages in image quality, detail control, and professional applications, while Gemini performs better in speed and creative exploration. However, the high price of using OpenAI's official API often limits many users' choices.

Core Advantages of laozhang.ai API Proxy

1. Significantly Lower Costs: Save over 75% compared to official API fees
2. Complete Feature Support: Support for all GPT-4o image generation capabilities
3. Stable and Reliable Access: Solve regional restrictions and network connection issues
4. Simplified Call Process: Unified interface, easy to integrate
5. Flexible Billing Method: Pay-as-you-go, no subscription pressure

Detailed Steps for Using laozhang.ai to Call GPT-4o for Image Generation

1. Registration and API Key Acquisition

1. Visit laozhang.ai registration page to create an account
2. After logging in, obtain an API key from the console
3. Top up points according to your needs (new users get free credits)

2. Call Image Generation Function via API

curl Request Example

hljs bash
curl https://api.laozhang.ai/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "model": "gpt-4o-all",
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "system", 
        "content": "You are a professional image generation assistant, skilled at creating high-quality images."
      },
      {
        "role": "user", 
        "content": "Generate an image of a futuristic city with flying cars between skyscrapers, realistic style, bluish color scheme."
      }
    ]
  }'

Python Implementation

hljs python
import requests
import json
import base64
from PIL import Image
from io import BytesIO

# API Configuration
API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"  # Get from laozhang.ai
API_URL = "https://api.laozhang.ai/v1/chat/completions"

# Construct Request
headers = {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"
}

payload = {
    "model": "gpt-4o-all",
    "messages": [
        {
            "role": "system",
            "content": "You are a professional image generation assistant, skilled at creating high-quality images."
        },
        {
            "role": "user",
            "content": "Generate an image of a futuristic city with flying cars between skyscrapers, realistic style, bluish color scheme."
        }
    ]
}

# Send Request
response = requests.post(API_URL, headers=headers, json=payload)
response_data = response.json()

# Extract and Save Generated Image
if "choices" in response_data and len(response_data["choices"]) > 0:
    message = response_data["choices"][0]["message"]
    if "content" in message and message["content"] is None and "tool_calls" in message:
        for tool_call in message["tool_calls"]:
            if tool_call["type"] == "image":
                image_url = tool_call["image"]["url"]
                # Download Image
                image_response = requests.get(image_url)
                img = Image.open(BytesIO(image_response.content))
                # Save Image
                img.save("future_city.png")
                print("Image saved as future_city.png")

3. How to Achieve the Best Generation Results

The following prompting techniques can significantly improve the quality of GPT-4o image generation:

1. Detailed Scene Description: Provide specific information about the subject, background, and environment
2. Clear Style Specification: Specify particular artistic styles, photographic styles, or reference works
3. Technical Detail Supplements: Add photography parameters, lighting conditions, composition requirements, etc.
4. Batch Generation Strategy: Try multiple generations for key images and select the best results

Professional Techniques: 8 Tips to Improve AI Image Generation Quality

Regardless of which model you choose, mastering the following techniques can significantly improve the quality of AI image generation:

1. Structured Prompts

Use the following template to consistently achieve good results:

[Subject/Theme] + [Environment/Background] + [Style/Reference] + [Lighting/Atmosphere] + [Composition/Angle] + [Technical Parameters]

Example:

An orange cat + sitting next to a bookshelf in a classical library + in the illustration style of Norman Rockwell + warm reading lamp light + slightly overhead angle + high resolution with attention to fur texture

2. Precise References and Style Specifications

Clearly specifying reference styles can greatly improve generation quality:

City night scene, neon lights reflecting on rain-soaked streets, style similar to the visual aesthetics of the movie "Blade Runner 2049" by cinematographer Roger Deakins

3. Using Professional Terminology to Enhance Precision

Adding industry professional terminology makes images more professional:

Portrait, using an 85mm portrait lens, f/1.4 aperture, butterfly lighting position, short side lighting, Rembrandt lighting effect, shallow depth of field

4. Effective Use of Negative Prompts

Specify elements you don't want to appear:

Interior architectural scene, modern minimalist style. Avoid excessive decoration, unreasonable spatial structure, and strange perspective relationships

5. Multiple Generations and Selection

For important images:

1. Try 3-5 generations with the same prompt
2. Save the best result
3. Optimize based on the best result

6. Iterative Improvement

The most effective method is to provide specific feedback based on initial results:

Based on the previous image, please maintain the overall composition and color scheme, but enhance the details of the character's facial expression, slightly blur the background, and strengthen the directionality of the main light source

7. GPT-4o Specific Techniques

GPT-4o is particularly responsive to the following prompts:

• Photography styles and technical parameters (such as lens, lighting ratio, exposure)
• Film and director visual style references
• Clear composition requirements (such as golden ratio, rule of thirds)

8. Gemini Specific Techniques

Gemini responds best to the following prompts:

• Anime and game style references
• Bold creative combinations and concept fusions
• Color mood descriptions (such as "vibrant", "dreamy")

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Are there copyright issues with images generated by GPT-4o and Gemini?

A1: The two models have different copyright policies. OpenAI grants users full commercial use rights for images generated by GPT-4o, while Gemini's policy is slightly different. We recommend checking the latest terms of service before commercial use. Images generated through laozhang.ai follow the copyright policies of the original models.

Q2: Will using laozhang.ai API proxy affect image quality?

A2: No. laozhang.ai only serves as an API call proxy and does not modify or compress the original output. Images generated through the proxy API are identical to those generated directly using the official API, with no quality loss whatsoever.

Q3: Is there a difference in how the two models understand prompts in different languages?

A3: There is a noticeable difference. GPT-4o's understanding of multilingual prompts is nearly perfect, accurately capturing semantic details, while Gemini's understanding of complex instructions in non-English languages is more basic and can lead to comprehension deviations. For non-English users, GPT-4o has a clear advantage in prompt understanding.

Q4: How do I choose the AI image generation model that's best for me?

A4: You can refer to the following simple selection guide:

• If pursuing the highest image quality and precise control: Choose GPT-4o
• If requiring quick creative exploration and iteration: Choose Gemini
• If needing professional content with text for commercial use: Choose GPT-4o
• If on a limited budget but needing high quality: Choose GPT-4o through laozhang.ai API proxy

Q5: How will AI image generation technology develop in the future?

A5: Based on current development trends, future AI image generation is expected to develop in the following directions:

1. More refined style and detail control
2. More natural multi-round interactive editing
3. Integration of image and video generation
4. Specialization in professional domains (such as medical, architectural, fashion)
5. Lower usage barriers and computational costs

Summary: 2025 AI Image Generation Selection Guide

Through the detailed comparison in this article, we find that GPT-4o and Gemini each have their strengths, suitable for different application scenarios. For scenarios requiring high quality and precise control, GPT-4o is the better choice; for quick creative exploration and stylized creation, Gemini has clear advantages.

Considering cost factors, using GPT-4o through API proxy services like laozhang.ai may be the best choice for many users, obtaining top-tier image quality while significantly reducing costs.

Regardless of which model you choose, mastering the professional prompting techniques shared in this article will help you achieve better image generation results and fully unleash the potential of AI drawing!

🌟 Expert Advice: Establish a hybrid workflow, using Gemini for quick creative exploration, then using GPT-4o (through laozhang.ai API proxy) to create final high-quality products, balancing creativity, quality, and cost-effectiveness.

Update Log

hljs plaintext
┌─ Update Record ─────────────────────┐
│ 2025-03-30: First published        │
│ 2025-03-25: Completed all tests    │
│ 2025-03-20: Started data collection│
└───────────────────────────────────── ┘

🔔 Special Note: This article will be updated regularly as the models evolve. Bookmark this page to get the latest evaluation results!