2-6 Download VAE(Stable Diffusion Practical Guide Table of Contents)

>>> Improve image quality using VAE (SD 1.5)

So far, we have explained the environment for generating images using Stable Diffusion and the setup of the necessary model data. Now, let's prepare the VAE, which plays the role of outputting the inference results as images.

In the previous section, we tested image generation several times. In fact, VAE was already applied as the initial setting when it was first installed. Also, some models have VAE integrated. So, it is possible to generate images even if you do not know VAE.

However, the VAE recommended for use in the SD 1.5 model often varies depending on the model, and you can create much better images by understanding and utilizing the VAE appropriate for each model. Here, we will download and use bluePencile_v10.Safetensors of the SD 1.5 model and ClearVAE, one of the VAEs. First, let's download the model and VAE from Civitai.

blue_pencil - v10 | Stable Diffusion Checkpoint | Civitai

ClearVAE - v2.3 | Stable Diffusion VAE | Civitai

>Applying Colab environment

Open Google Drive,

Save it in the

sd > stable-diffusion-webui > models > VAE folder.

>If it is a local environment

Save to

local stable-diffusion folder/ > stable-diffusion-webui > models > VAE folder

>>> Change the VAE to use

Once you have saved the file, you need to apply the downloaded VAE. The VAE needs to be changed to fit the model you are using, so let's set the drop-down menu to appear at the top of the UI screen.

Click the Settings tab in the WebUI and select User interface -> User interface from the menu on the left side of the screen.

Click inside the box of the Quicksettings list, which is the second from the top, and a cursor will appear, allowing you to type in text. Type in a word related to the option, and candidates will appear, so type sd_vae and click on sd_vae from the dropdown to select it.

Then click Apply settings and save the settings.

Then click Reload UI to reload the screen, and you will see a menu to select VAE on the right side of the model selection menu.