Techalicious Academy / 2025-12-11-stable-diffusion

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QUICK REFERENCE - BOTH PLATFORMS

Platform Comparison

Item macOS Apple Silicon
Python version 3.10 (via Homebrew)
Package manager Homebrew
Key dependencies cmake, protobuf, rust
Launch script ./webui.sh
Essential flags --skip-torch-cuda-test
--no-half-vae
Access URL http://127.0.0.1:7860
First run time 10-30 minutes

Useful Flags

Flag
--autolaunch
--medvram
--lowvram
--listen
--port XXXX
--api
--xformers
--no-half
--no-half-vae

First Run Notes

First launch pulls down about 9GB of stuff. Go grab a coffee - it'll take 10-40 minutes depending on your connection.

Models go in: models/Stable-diffusion/

You don't need the brkirch Mac fork anymore. Those optimizations got merged into the main repo.

PNG Metadata: Images Are Their Own Database

Every image you generate contains all the metadata needed to recreate it. The PNG file stores:

To reuse settings from any image:

  1. Go to the PNG Info tab in the WebUI
  2. Drag and drop your image (or click to upload)
  3. Click "Send to txt2img" (or img2img)
  4. All parameters auto-populate

This means you can share images and others can reproduce your exact results. It also means your workflow is self-documenting - no need to keep notes about what settings worked.

Note: Some image editors strip metadata when saving. If you edit in Photoshop or similar, export as PNG and check "preserve metadata" or similar option.