A couple of days ago we explained how to install the standard version of Stable Diffusion on our PC. Being an open source project this allows us to generate images for free using the power of our local computer.
However, this standard version of Stable Diffusion has some drawbacks. The first is that it requires an Nvidia GPU with at least 6GB of VRAM, and the second is that it only works via text commands, which makes the tool less agile.
How to install the GUI version of Stable Diffusion for Windows
Luckily, there is already a version of Stable Diffusion for PC that has a fairly complete graphical interface based on Gradio, and also works with both NVIDIA and AMD GPUs . To top it off, it can also be tuned to work on computers with less than 6GB of VRAM, so it can be installed on most mid-range PCs without much trouble.
The installation process requires completing certain steps, but in general it is quite simple to carry out. The only thing we have to take into account is the graphics card or GPU of our PC and the amount of VRAM it has.
You can check this data in Windows by going to “ Start -> Settings -> System -> Display -> Advanced Display ” and clicking on “Show display adapter properties”.
We are going to carry out the process for a Windows PC, but this version of Stable Diffusion is also compatible with Linux and macOS. Take a look at the official GitHub repository for more information.
Install Stable Diffusion on PCs with AMD graphics
If you have a PC with a graphics card from the manufacturer AMD, follow these steps to perform the installation:
- Install Python version 10.6. During the installation process, check the box “ Add Python 3.10 to PATH ”. Leave the rest of the settings as they are.
- Download and install the Git application. During the installation process, leave all the settings as they are.
- Press the Win+R keys and type “cmd.exe” to open a terminal window. Note: You can also open a terminal window by typing “Command Prompt” in Windows Search.
- Inside the terminal window run the following command:
- git clone https://github.com/lshqqytiger/stable-diffusion-webui-directml && cd stable-diffusion-webui-directml && git submodule init && git submodule update
- After the command is completed we will see that a new folder has been created on the drive (C:) called “ stable-diffusion-webui-directml”. This is the folder where all the application files are located.
- Now, open the folder and locate the “ webui-user.bat” file. Right-click and select “Edit” to open the contents of the file in a notepad.
- In the line “ set COMMANDLINE_ARGS=” add the argument “ –autolaunch ”. This will automatically open Stable Diffusion when we run the .bat file.
- If you have less than 6GB of VRAM, add in the line “ set COMMANDLINE_ARGS=” the following arguments “ –opt-sub-quad-attention –lowvram –disable-nan-check –precision full –no-half ”. This will slow down the imaging process a bit, but it won’t give you an out of memory error.
- Go to “File -> Save” to save the changes made.
- Lastly, run the “ webui-user.bat” file.
The application will now start downloading and installing multiple packages, which may take a few minutes. Do not close the window at any time. Once finished, a new window will open in the browser with the graphical interface of Stable Diffusion.
From here, whenever you want to use the application, you just have to run the webui-user.bat file (don’t worry, it takes a long time the first time, but the rest of the time it only takes a few seconds). Create a shortcut on the desktop for convenience.
Install Stable Diffusion on PCs with NVIDIA GPUs
The installation process for users with an NVIDIA graphics card is even easier.
- Install Python 3.10.6. During the installation, check the box “ Add Python 3.10 to PATH ” and leave the rest of the settings as they are.
- Also install the Git application. Leave all the installation settings that are checked by default.
- Open a terminal window by pressing the Win+R keys and typing the command “cmd.exe”.
- Now run the following command:
- git clone https://github.com/AUTOMATIC1111/stable-diffusion-webui
- Once the command is complete you will see that there is a new folder on the drive (C:) called “ stable-diffusion-webui-directml”.
- Open the folder and locate the “ webui-user.bat” file. Right click on the file and press “Edit”.
- In the line “ set COMMANDLINE_ARGS=” add the argument “ –autolaunch ”. This will allow Stable Diffusion to open automatically when we run the .bat file.
- Finally, double click on the file “ webui-user.bat”. The first time it will take a few minutes to start, but after that it will load in a matter of seconds.
For any questions or queries, the application developer has created a page with answers to some of the most common errors. You can find it on the project page on GitHub HERE