Fooocus

What is Fooocus?

Fooocus is a rethinking of Stable Diffusion UI design, taking inspiration from Midjourney's simplicity while maintaining Stable Diffusion's offline, open-source advantages. The core philosophy is "just prompt and generate"—users shouldn't need to understand sampling methods, CFG scales, LoRA weights, or other technical parameters. Fooocus automatically selects optimal settings based on the prompt, applying appropriate styles, aspect ratios, and quality enhancements. It includes built-in quality improvements (automatic face fixing, sharpening, color correction) and intelligent prompt expansion that enhances simple prompts into detailed descriptions for better results.

Fooocus runs entirely offline on local hardware with NVIDIA, AMD (via DirectML), or Apple Silicon GPUs. Minimum 4GB VRAM recommended, though it runs on lower specs with optimizations. Installation is simpler than AUTOMATIC1111—download, extract, run. Fooocus includes preset styles (Cinematic, Photographic, Anime, Digital Art) that apply professional-quality enhancements automatically. Advanced users can access hidden parameters for fine control, but the default experience is intentionally minimal. For users wanting Stable Diffusion quality without technical complexity, Fooocus offers the best balance of simplicity and power.

Core Features and Capabilities

Simplified Generation

• Minimal interface - Focus on prompt and generate button
• Automatic optimization - Selects best sampling, CFG, steps automatically
• Style presets - Professional styles (Cinematic, Photographic, Anime, Fantasy)
• Smart prompt expansion - Enhances simple prompts with quality keywords
• Aspect ratio presets - Common ratios (1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3) with one click
• Built-in quality boost - Automatic face fixing, sharpening, color correction
• Inpainting/outpainting - Integrated without complex setup
• Image prompting - Use images as style or structure references

Advanced Features (Optional)

• Advanced mode - Access traditional parameters if desired
• LoRA support - Apply community style models
• Multiple model support - SDXL, SD 1.5, custom checkpoints
• Image-to-image - Transform existing images
• Vary (subtle/strong) - Create variations of generated images
• Upscale - 2x resolution enhancement
• Describe - Generate prompts from existing images
• Performance options - Optimize for speed or quality

User Experience

• One-click installation - No complex setup or dependencies
• GPU auto-detection - Automatically uses available hardware
• Queue system - Generate multiple images sequentially
• History - Browse previously generated images
• Offline operation - No internet required after installation
• Cross-platform - Windows, Linux, macOS support
• Low VRAM mode - Run on 4GB VRAM GPUs
• No model management needed - Works out-of-box

Fooocus for Different User Types

Fooocus serves various user needs:

• Beginners - No technical knowledge required, immediate results
• Content creators - Fast generation without parameter tuning
• Designers - Quick concept exploration and mockups
• Artists - Focus on creativity, not technical settings
• Businesses - Deploy for teams without extensive training
• Educators - Teach AI image generation without overwhelming complexity
• Hobbyists - Generate personal art without deep technical investment
• Developers - Integrate simple generation into applications
• Researchers - Quick experimentation without configuration overhead
• AUTOMATIC1111 users - Faster workflow for routine generations

Use Cases and Applications

• Rapid prototyping - Quick visual concepts for projects
• Content creation - Social media posts, blog graphics
• Marketing materials - Advertisements, product mockups
• Concept art - Initial ideas before detailed work
• Personal projects - Custom artwork, gifts, avatars
• Education - Teaching AI concepts without technical barriers
• Presentations - Generate visuals for slides quickly
• Writing enhancement - Visualize characters and scenes
• Design exploration - Test ideas rapidly
• Client previews - Show concepts before commissioning artists

Fooocus vs AUTOMATIC1111 and Cloud Services

Compared to AUTOMATIC1111, Fooocus trades extensive customization for simplicity and speed. AUTOMATIC1111 exposes every parameter, supporting advanced workflows, extensions, and precise control. Fooocus automates most decisions, providing faster results with less effort. For power users needing maximum control, AUTOMATIC1111 is superior. For users wanting quick, high-quality results without technical overhead, Fooocus wins. Many users run both—Fooocus for quick generations, AUTOMATIC1111 for advanced projects.

Compared to cloud services (Midjourney, DALL-E 3), Fooocus offers similar ease-of-use while maintaining local processing benefits—privacy, unlimited generation, and no subscription costs. Midjourney provides more polished UI and higher default quality for certain styles. DALL-E 3 excels at prompt adherence and text rendering. Fooocus offers comparable quality with complete control and zero ongoing costs. For users wanting Midjourney-like simplicity with Stable Diffusion flexibility, Fooocus is ideal.

Getting Started with Fooocus

Download Fooocus from GitHub releases. Windows: Extract and run `run.bat`. Linux: Run `./run.sh`. First launch downloads models automatically (~6GB for SDXL). Enter prompt in text box, optionally select style preset, click Generate. Results appear in seconds to minutes depending on hardware. For better performance, ensure GPU is detected (check console). Adjust performance settings in Advanced tab if needed (Speed/Quality/Extreme Speed modes). To use custom models, place in `models/checkpoints/` folder.

For advanced features, enable Advanced mode in settings to access parameters, LoRA, image prompting. Use Describe feature to learn effective prompts from images. Experiment with style presets to understand their impact. Join Fooocus communities (GitHub Discussions, Discord) for tips and examples. For businesses deploying to teams, Fooocus requires minimal training—most users productive within minutes. Hardware requirements same as AUTOMATIC1111 (4GB+ VRAM recommended), but Fooocus handles optimization automatically.

Integration with 21medien Services

21medien helps businesses deploy Fooocus for team-wide AI image generation. We provide installation, configuration, and workflow optimization for non-technical users. Our team creates custom style presets matching brand guidelines, trains LoRA models for specific use cases, and integrates Fooocus into existing content creation pipelines. We implement Fooocus for agencies, marketing teams, and creative departments needing fast, consistent results without extensive AI expertise. For clients wanting simpler alternative to complex Stable Diffusion tools, we recommend and deploy Fooocus with custom configurations, templates, and training materials. We also build hybrid workflows combining Fooocus (fast iterations) with AUTOMATIC1111 (detailed control) for maximum productivity.

Pricing and Access

Fooocus is completely free and open-source (Apache 2.0 license). Costs are hardware only. Recommended hardware same as AUTOMATIC1111: NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) ~$300-400 for excellent performance, RTX 4070 ~$500-700 for SDXL at high quality. Minimum 4GB VRAM (RTX 3050, GTX 1650) works with optimizations at lower quality. AMD GPUs via DirectML, Apple Silicon via Metal supported. Cloud GPU options: Vast.ai ~$0.20-0.50/hour, Google Colab free tier possible, RunPod ~$0.30-0.80/hour. For professional use, budget $500-1500 for capable workstation or $50-300/month cloud GPU access. Compared to Midjourney ($10-60/month) or DALL-E ($15-120/month for credits), Fooocus pays for itself quickly with regular use.