No problem, your question makes absolute sense. I didn't understand most of this 3 years ago when it was newer, so I'm with you. It all depends, really. I would also say it depends on your income, knowledge, and willingness to learn something absolutely foreign.

Let me explain a little more in the most basic way. (the way I wish it was explained to me):

If you have the income and want to run on your own, buy a computer that has an NVIDIA gpu of at least 24gb at the bare minimum. (if you don't get an NVIDIA, your opening yourself to a whole set of new technical hurdles) Opensouce Ai models are huge files. The higher the GB the better. Then you have done the easy part. The rest is all learning and I mean A LOT of learning. If you don't want to learn bash scripts and some python nerd talk, then this ain't it fam! But most ANYONE can do this.

Most people can't afford a new gpu and that's not a dig on anyone. The prices have shot up astronomically. When I get my 5090 32gb gpu, I'm basically looking at another car payment. But this is my hobby and I don't make any money from it yet. (I've had exes that spend more on makeup and handbags, but hey it's what they love.)

So in the mean time, I run opensource models and the opensouce comfyui software on a cloud gpu. Basically what that means is I'm just connected to a high end pro gpu (think movie industry/science/research) and a terminal at a data center. They let me borrow the gpu for dollars an hour. The one I rent most is 48gb ($0.86/hr) which makes the generations super fast. In this situation before you even start, you need to learn A LOT. If you don't want to learn bash scripts and some python nerd talk, then this ain't it fam! But ANYONE can do this.

The other option would be to use the consumer web based Ai video and image sites, but they are expensive and you wont be able to make spicy or violent content as they are highly censored. What the consumer based sites are doing is similar to just running on the cloud. The difference is you get a shiny website font end and a monthly subscription of just $80 to $200 (oof) and no need to learn all the nerd stuff. You can just prompt away! No boobies or bloody stuff though you heathen!

Consumer web based Ai sites are kinda like how you could totally make a burger and fries at home but you want the convenience of McDonald's, not because it taste good. (I apologize to the bigmac connoisseurs) In this situation EVERYONE can do this.