How do I turn a text prompt into an image with an API?

To turn a text prompt into an image with an API, you generally:

1. Send a prompt like "a red panda wearing sunglasses on a beach"
2. Call an image-generation endpoint
3. Receive the generated image either as:
   • a URL, or
   • base64-encoded image data
4. Save/display the image

Example using the OpenAI API

Python

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI()

result = client.images.generate(
    model="gpt-image-1",
    prompt="a red panda wearing sunglasses on a beach, sunset, cinematic style"
)

# If the API returns base64 data:
image_base64 = result.data[0].b64_json
print(image_base64)

JavaScript

import OpenAI from "openai";

const client = new OpenAI();

const result = await client.images.generate({
  model: "gpt-image-1",
  prompt: "a red panda wearing sunglasses on a beach, sunset, cinematic style",
});

console.log(result.data[0]);

If the API returns a URL

Some image APIs return a temporary image URL instead of raw image data:

image_url = result.data[0].url
print(image_url)

Then you can download it with requests or open it in a browser.

Typical request fields

Depending on the API, you may also be able to set:

• size — image dimensions
• quality — speed vs fidelity
• style — artistic style
• n — number of images
• response_format — URL or base64

Basic workflow

• Write a clear prompt
• Call the image generation API
• Get the output image
• Decode/download it
• Save it as .png or .jpg

If you want, I can give you a complete working example in Python, JavaScript, or cURL.