Attention-based image generation neural networks

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for generating an output image. In one aspect, one of the methods includes generating the output image intensity value by intensity value according to a generation order of pixel-color channel pairs from the output image, comprising, for each particular generation order position in the generation order: generating a current output image representation of a current output image, processing the current output image representation using a decoder neural network to generate a probability distribution over possible intensity values for the pixel-color channel pair at the particular generation order position, wherein the decoder neural network includes one or more local masked self-attention sub-layers; and selecting an intensity value for the pixel-color channel pair at the particular generation order position using the probability distribution.