QUICK REFERENCE - BOTH PLATFORMS
Platform Comparison
+---------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Item | macOS Apple Silicon | Linux (Ubuntu) |
+---------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Python version | 3.10 (via Homebrew) | 3.10 (native or PPA) |
| Package manager | Homebrew | apt |
| Key dependencies | cmake, protobuf, rust | libgl1, libglib2.0-0 |
| Launch script | ./webui.sh | ./webui.sh |
| Essential flags | --skip-torch-cuda-test | --xformers (NVIDIA) |
| | --no-half-vae | |
| Access URL | http://127.0.0.1:7860 | http://127.0.0.1:7860 |
| First run time | 10-30 minutes | 10-40 minutes |
+---------------------+------------------------+------------------------+Useful Flags
+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| Flag | What it does |
+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| --autolaunch | Opens browser when ready |
| --medvram | Cuts VRAM usage (use if you're running tight) |
| --lowvram | Even more aggressive - slower but works |
| --listen | LAN access (binds to 0.0.0.0) |
| --port XXXX | Use a different port than 7860 |
| --api | REST API for scripting |
| --xformers | Memory-efficient attention (NVIDIA only) |
| --no-half | Full precision - slower but more compatible |
| --no-half-vae | Fixes black/corrupted images |
+----------------+--------------------------------------------------+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:
- Full prompt and negative prompt
- Seed number
- Sampler and steps
- CFG scale
- Model name
- Image dimensions
To reuse settings from any image:
- Go to the PNG Info tab in the WebUI
- Drag and drop your image (or click to upload)
- Click "Send to txt2img" (or img2img)
- 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.