💻 As a full-stack web developer, I’m always curious about new tools and technologies. Recently, I found myself diving into Leonardo AI — and wow, what an interesting journey of trial and error!

What started as a simple experiment quickly became a lesson in AI image generation. My first attempt to create an anime-style image of myself was hilariously off-target. Pro tip: AI needs very specific instructions!

Initially, I used the prompt “transform my picture to look like anime” — and surprise! The AI generated images of a female character. Not exactly what I was going for.

🐜 Refining the Prompt: A Developer’s Debugging ProcessJust like debugging code, creating the perfect AI-generated image is all about iteration. My next attempts got progressively more specific:

• First try: Completely wrong gender
• Second try: “transform my picture to look animated, I am male”

• Final successful prompt: “Same image except the glasses wearing male gendered character is sitting on a computer chair in front of a table with a computer”
  💡 Tech Insights for Fellow DevelopersAs someone who works with React and loves exploring new tools, this experience reminded me of a few key things:

• Precision matters (just like in coding)

• Don’t get discouraged by initial failures

• Iterative improvement is key

• AI tools can be surprisingly powerful when you understand how to use them
  🔌 Why This Matters for DevelopersWhile this might seem like just a fun experiment, it’s actually a great example of how AI tools are becoming more accessible. Whether you’re looking to quickly generate mockups, explore UI concepts, or just have a bit of creative fun, tools like Leonardo AI can be surprisingly useful.

🥡 My TakeawayAm I a professional designer now? Definitely not. But I learned something new, had fun doing it, and expanded my understanding of AI image generation. As developers, staying curious and open to new technologies is how we keep growing.

Want to give it a try? I’d recommend playing around with Leonardo AI — you might be surprised at what you can create!

Leonardo ai: https://app.leonardo.ai/

Portfolio website: https://jesse-chong.netlify.app/

Originally published at Medium