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Text-to-Image System Design

Design production text-to-image systems: CLIP integration, diffusion models, safety moderation, and large-scale deployment

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Text-to-Image System Overview

Modern text-to-image systems combine advanced language understanding (CLIP) with powerful generative models (diffusion) to create high-quality images from textual descriptions. Production systems require careful consideration of safety, scalability, and user experience.

Key Capabilities

  • • High-resolution image generation (1024x1024+)
  • • Style and composition control
  • • Inpainting and outpainting
  • • Image-to-image transformation
  • • Batch processing for efficiency

Production Challenges

  • • Computational intensity (GPU requirements)
  • • Content safety and moderation
  • • Copyright and IP concerns
  • • Generation time optimization
  • • Quality consistency at scale

System Components Deep Dive

System Architecture Overview

A production text-to-image system consists of multiple specialized components working together to transform text prompts into high-quality images while maintaining safety and performance standards.

Core Components:

  • API Gateway: Request routing, rate limiting, authentication
  • Text Encoder (CLIP): Convert prompts to semantic embeddings
  • Diffusion Model: Core image generation engine (U-Net)
  • VAE Decoder: Convert latents to final images
  • Safety Pipeline: Content moderation and filtering
  • Asset Storage: Generated image storage and delivery
graph TD
    A[User Request] --> B[API Gateway]
    B --> C[Safety Check - Prompt]
    C --> D[Text Encoder CLIP]
    D --> E[Diffusion Pipeline]
    E --> F[VAE Decoder]
    F --> G[Safety Check - Image]
    G --> H[Post Processing]
    H --> I[Storage & CDN]
    I --> J[Response to User]
    
    subgraph GPU Cluster
    D
    E
    F
    end
    
    subgraph Safety Layer
    C
    G
    end

Production Architecture Pattern

1

Input Processing

Prompt analysis & safety check

2

Text Encoding

CLIP text embedding

3

Image Generation

Diffusion process

4

Post Processing

Safety filter & delivery

Production Text-to-Image Pipeline
class ProductionTextToImageSystem:
    def __init__(self, config):
        # Core models
        self.clip_model = CLIPTextEncoder.from_pretrained(config.clip_model)
        self.unet = UNet2DConditionModel.from_pretrained(config.unet_model)
        self.vae = AutoencoderKL.from_pretrained(config.vae_model)
        self.scheduler = DDIMScheduler.from_pretrained(config.scheduler_config)
        
        # Safety and moderation
        self.safety_checker = SafetyChecker()
        self.content_filter = ContentFilter()
        
        # Performance optimization
        self.memory_efficient = config.memory_efficient
        self.attention_slicing = config.attention_slicing
        
        if config.compile_models:
            self.unet = torch.compile(self.unet)
            self.vae = torch.compile(self.vae)
    
    async def generate_image(self, 
                           prompt: str,
                           negative_prompt: str = None,
                           width: int = 1024,
                           height: int = 1024,
                           num_inference_steps: int = 50,
                           guidance_scale: float = 7.5,
                           safety_check: bool = True) -> GenerationResult:
        
        # Step 1: Input validation and safety
        if safety_check:
            safety_result = await self.safety_checker.check_prompt(prompt)
            if not safety_result.is_safe:
                raise SafetyViolationError(safety_result.reason)
        
        # Step 2: Text encoding
        with torch.inference_mode():
            text_embeddings = self.encode_prompt(prompt, negative_prompt)
        
        # Step 3: Image generation
        generation_start = time.time()
        
        # Latent initialization
        latents = self.initialize_latents(width, height)
        
        # Denoising loop
        self.scheduler.set_timesteps(num_inference_steps)
        for i, timestep in enumerate(self.scheduler.timesteps):
            # Predict noise
            with torch.inference_mode():
                noise_pred = self.unet(
                    latents,
                    timestep,
                    encoder_hidden_states=text_embeddings
                ).sample
            
            # Apply guidance
            if guidance_scale > 1.0:
                noise_pred_uncond, noise_pred_text = noise_pred.chunk(2)
                noise_pred = noise_pred_uncond + guidance_scale * (
                    noise_pred_text - noise_pred_uncond
                )
            
            # Scheduler step
            latents = self.scheduler.step(noise_pred, timestep, latents).prev_sample
            
            # Memory optimization
            if self.memory_efficient and i % 5 == 0:
                torch.cuda.empty_cache()
        
        # Step 4: Decode to image
        with torch.inference_mode():
            image = self.vae.decode(latents / 0.18215).sample
            image = self.postprocess_image(image)
        
        generation_time = time.time() - generation_start
        
        # Step 5: Final safety check
        if safety_check:
            final_safety = await self.content_filter.check_image(image)
            if not final_safety.is_safe:
                return GenerationResult(
                    image=None,
                    error="Generated content blocked by safety filter",
                    generation_time=generation_time
                )
        
        return GenerationResult(
            image=image,
            prompt=prompt,
            generation_time=generation_time,
            parameters={
                "steps": num_inference_steps,
                "guidance": guidance_scale,
                "size": f"{width}x{height}"
            }
        )
    
    def encode_prompt(self, prompt: str, negative_prompt: str = None):
        """Encode text prompts to embeddings"""
        # Tokenize and encode positive prompt
        text_input = self.clip_model.tokenizer(
            prompt,
            padding="max_length",
            max_length=77,
            truncation=True,
            return_tensors="pt"
        )
        
        text_embeddings = self.clip_model.text_model(text_input.input_ids)[0]
        
        # Handle negative prompt
        if negative_prompt:
            negative_input = self.clip_model.tokenizer(
                negative_prompt,
                padding="max_length", 
                max_length=77,
                truncation=True,
                return_tensors="pt"
            )
            negative_embeddings = self.clip_model.text_model(negative_input.input_ids)[0]
        else:
            negative_embeddings = torch.zeros_like(text_embeddings)
        
        # Concatenate for classifier-free guidance
        return torch.cat([negative_embeddings, text_embeddings])
    
    def initialize_latents(self, width: int, height: int):
        """Initialize random latents for generation"""
        latent_height = height // self.vae.config.scaling_factor
        latent_width = width // self.vae.config.scaling_factor
        
        latents = torch.randn(
            (1, self.unet.config.in_channels, latent_height, latent_width),
            device=self.device,
            dtype=self.unet.dtype
        )
        
        return latents * self.scheduler.init_noise_sigma

Performance Optimization Strategies

Inference Optimization

  • Model Compilation:

    TorchScript, TensorRT, or torch.compile for 20-30% speedup

  • Attention Optimization:

    Flash Attention, attention slicing, xFormers integration

  • Memory Management:

    Model offloading, gradient checkpointing, CPU fallback

  • Batch Processing:

    Dynamic batching, queue management, priority scheduling

Quality vs Speed Trade-offs

Ultra-Fast (2-5s)

20 steps, 512x512, DDIM scheduler

Balanced (8-15s)

50 steps, 1024x1024, DPM++ scheduler

High Quality (30-60s)

100 steps, 1536x1536, PLMS scheduler

Performance Optimization Implementation
class OptimizedInferenceEngine:
    def __init__(self, config):
        self.config = config
        self.batch_queue = asyncio.Queue()
        self.processing_batches = {}
        
        # Model optimization
        self.setup_optimizations()
        
        # Start batch processor
        asyncio.create_task(self.batch_processor())
    
    def setup_optimizations(self):
        """Apply various optimization techniques"""
        
        # 1. Enable memory efficient attention
        if self.config.memory_efficient_attention:
            self.pipeline.enable_attention_slicing()
            self.pipeline.enable_memory_efficient_attention()
        
        # 2. Model compilation
        if self.config.compile_models:
            import torch._dynamo as dynamo
            dynamo.config.suppress_errors = True
            
            self.pipeline.unet = torch.compile(
                self.pipeline.unet, 
                mode="reduce-overhead"
            )
        
        # 3. Enable xFormers if available
        try:
            self.pipeline.enable_xformers_memory_efficient_attention()
        except ImportError:
            logger.warning("xFormers not available, skipping optimization")
    
    async def batch_processor(self):
        """Process requests in optimized batches"""
        while True:
            batch_requests = []
            
            # Collect requests for batching
            try:
                # Wait for at least one request
                first_request = await self.batch_queue.get()
                batch_requests.append(first_request)
                
                # Collect additional requests (non-blocking)
                while (len(batch_requests) < self.config.max_batch_size and
                       not self.batch_queue.empty()):
                    try:
                        request = self.batch_queue.get_nowait()
                        batch_requests.append(request)
                    except asyncio.QueueEmpty:
                        break
                
                # Process batch
                await self.process_batch(batch_requests)
                
            except Exception as e:
                logger.error(f"Batch processing error: {e}")
                await asyncio.sleep(0.1)
    
    async def process_batch(self, requests):
        """Process a batch of generation requests"""
        try:
            # Group requests by similar parameters
            grouped_requests = self.group_by_parameters(requests)
            
            for group in grouped_requests:
                # Extract common parameters
                prompts = [req.prompt for req in group]
                common_params = group[0].params
                
                # Batch generation
                start_time = time.time()
                
                with torch.inference_mode():
                    images = self.pipeline(
                        prompt=prompts,
                        **common_params
                    ).images
                
                generation_time = time.time() - start_time
                
                # Send results back
                for i, request in enumerate(group):
                    result = GenerationResult(
                        image=images[i],
                        generation_time=generation_time / len(group),
                        batch_size=len(group)
                    )
                    request.result_queue.put_nowait(result)
                    
        except Exception as e:
            # Send error to all requests in batch
            for request in requests:
                request.result_queue.put_nowait(
                    GenerationResult(error=str(e))
                )
    
    def group_by_parameters(self, requests):
        """Group requests with similar parameters for efficient batching"""
        groups = {}
        
        for request in requests:
            # Create parameter hash for grouping
            param_key = (
                request.params.get('width', 1024),
                request.params.get('height', 1024),
                request.params.get('num_inference_steps', 50),
                request.params.get('guidance_scale', 7.5)
            )
            
            if param_key not in groups:
                groups[param_key] = []
            groups[param_key].append(request)
        
        return list(groups.values())
    
    async def generate(self, prompt: str, **params) -> GenerationResult:
        """Public API for image generation"""
        result_queue = asyncio.Queue()
        
        request = GenerationRequest(
            prompt=prompt,
            params=params,
            result_queue=result_queue
        )
        
        await self.batch_queue.put(request)
        return await result_queue.get()

Business & Legal Considerations

Content Safety

  • • NSFW content detection
  • • Violence and hate speech filtering
  • • Celebrity and public figure protection
  • • Age-appropriate content controls
  • • Cultural sensitivity measures

Intellectual Property

  • • Copyrighted material detection
  • • Artist style attribution
  • • Trademark infringement prevention
  • • Fair use compliance
  • • Usage rights and licensing

Business Model

  • • API pricing strategies
  • • Quality tier differentiation
  • • Usage analytics and billing
  • • Enterprise vs consumer tiers
  • • Partner ecosystem development
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