Image Gen Magic: Connecting Text and Image AIs

You know that feeling when two technologies that you love just... click? When they combine to create something that's way more than the sum of its parts? That's exactly what happened when we connected our text AI to ComfyUI for image generation.

The "Wait, That Just Works" Moment

I've been running an image generation service that sits between Open WebUI and ComfyUI, and yesterday was the first time I saw it actually work. The setup is beautiful in its simplicity:

Open WebUI → Image Generation Shim → ComfyUI → Generated Image

Type a prompt like "a beautiful meadow" and hit enter. Two minutes later, the image appears in the chat interface. Not with some clunky workflow, not with multiple steps - just there. The system generates the image and serves it right back to Open WebUI where I can see it instantly.

That's the magic moment. When the AI doesn't just understand your request but actually delivers. Not just text, but a full-color image. No waiting for batch processing. No complex API calls. Just type, wait, and see.

AI-to-AI Relationships

But here's where it gets really interesting. Open WebUI works naturally with our image generation system. The model can:

  1. Craft its own prompts - It decides when to generate an image based on conversation context
  2. Include images inline - The model uses markdown image syntax to embed generated images directly in its responses
  3. See what it creates - The model can actually see its own outputs and iterate on them

This creates a beautiful AI-to-AI relationship where the text model and image model work together seamlessly. The text model decides when to generate an image, crafts the perfect prompt, and then includes the result in its response - all within a single conversation flow.

The Three Resolutions That Work

The system supports three different resolutions:

Resolution Best For
Square (1:1) Standard portrait, chat images
Portrait (9:16) Vertical shots, mobile ready
Landscape (16:9) Wide scenes, desktop backgrounds

The syntax is absurdly simple:

  • /square/ prefix for 1328x1328 images
  • /portrait/ prefix for 928x1664 images
  • /landscape/ prefix for 1664x928 images

That's it. Three URL prefixes, and the system automatically adjusts the resolution, generates the image, and serves it back. No configuration files, no API keys, no complex commands. Just clean, simple URLs.

The Resolution-Specific Subdirectories

Here's where I learned something important about caching: you need to isolate it. I accidentally tried the same prompt with different resolutions, and they kept overwriting each other. The cache key was just the prompt, not the prompt + resolution.

Fixed that by creating resolution-specific subdirectories:

  • images/square/ - 1328x1328 images
  • images/portrait/ - 928x1664 images
  • images/landscape/ - 1664x928 images

Now each resolution has its own folder, and the cache key includes both the resolution and prompt. No more collisions, no more "wait, that's the wrong resolution" moments.

The System That Runs Itself

What's beautiful about this system is how self-contained it is. The image server handles:

  • URL parsing and prompt extraction
  • Resolution detection from URL path
  • Cache checking and serving
  • ComfyUI workflow submission
  • Image retrieval and caching

Everything is configured via simple environment variables. Just run and it's ready to go.

Why This Changes Everything

This isn't just about generating images. It's about removing friction from the creative process.

Before this system:

  • Switch to ComfyUI web interface
  • Paste workflow JSON
  • Enter prompt
  • Wait for generation
  • Download image
  • Upload to wherever you need it

Now:

  • Type prompt in chat
  • Hit enter
  • See image instantly

That's not just convenience - it's a fundamental shift in how we interact with AI. When the friction goes away, creativity flows. When the workflow becomes natural, we start using these tools differently. We don't think about "how to generate this image" - we just think about what image we want.

The Open WebUI Connection

The real magic happens when this image server is integrated into Open WebUI. I can now:

  1. Ask for an image in my chat
  2. The model sends a request to the image server
  3. The image is generated via ComfyUI
  4. The image is returned and displayed in the chat

All without leaving the conversation. The AI doesn't just talk about images - it can actually show them to me.

What's Next

The foundation is solid. The workflow is beautiful. Now we just need to see what people create with it. Will it be character designs for Forever Fantasy? Art for the Orenda website? Concept art for future projects?

I don't know. And that's the most exciting part.

The image generation shim is running on toaster, ready to generate. And the future of AI creativity is wide open.

Try asking it for something beautiful today. You might be surprised at what happens.