Skip to main content

Microsoft just made Paint useful again

A screenshot of Paint Co-creator.
Microsoft

Microsoft Paint is taking a step into the future with the integration of DALL-E 3, better known as Cocreator. The AI-powered feature, previously featured in Bing AI, enables users to generate images based on textual descriptions and preferred art styles.

Microsoft originally announced its intentions to integrate Bing’s AI-based image-generating features with Paint during its September 26 event. According to a report by Windows Latest, Cocreator for Paint has now transitioned from the testing phase and is ready for a broader release for all Windows 11 users. While not every user may immediately experience the feature due to the gradual rollout, those eager to explore Cocreator should ensure they are running the latest version of Paint. Additionally, users may be prompted to join a waiting list within the app.

You can access the AI image creation tool by opening Paint and clicking on the Cocreator icon in the toolbar to see the Cocreator side panel. In the text box, describe the image you want to make. For instance, you can write “a dog wearing fancy clothes” or “a sunset at the beach.” Next, pick a style for your image and click on the Create button. Cocreator will create three different versions of the image you described. You can now choose any one and apply it to the Paint canvas for you to start creating.

The new Cocreator AI feature on Microsoft Paint.
Microsoft

Additionally, Microsoft has also included a step-by-step tutorial within the Paint app which aims to acquaint users with the functionalities of Cocreator, making the AI-powered image creation process more accessible.

The integration of Cocreator is not the only enhancement to Paint on Windows 11 this year. Earlier this year we saw the introduction of a transparency effect, providing users with added creative flexibility. Furthermore, the much-requested functionality of layers has been incorporated, offering a more sophisticated approach to digital art creation. Paint users on Windows 11 can also make use of background removal.

As the name suggests, the feature helps in efficiently removing backgrounds with minimal user input. Notably, this update aligns with the broader trend of enhancing Microsoft’s core Windows 11 apps. The Photos app has also received an update that brings features like background removal and background blur option, adding to a more versatile user experience.

Editors' Recommendations

Kunal Khullar
A PC hardware enthusiast and casual gamer, Kunal has been in the tech industry for almost a decade contributing to names like…
Microsoft Copilot: tips and tricks for using AI in Windows
Microsoft Copilot allows you to ask an AI assistant questions within Office apps.

Microsoft's Copilot might not be breaking ground in quite the same way as ChatGPT seemed to when it first debuted, but there are still some useful abilities for this desktop-ready chatbot AI that is now available to pretty much anyone running the latest version of Windows 11. It doesn't have a huge range of abilities yet, confining itself to changing some Windows settings, opening apps for you, and performing the creative writing and web search functions available through its contemporaries.

But you can make Copilot work for you and work well, and there are some tips and tricks you'll want to employ to make the most of it. Here are some of my favorites.
Go hands-free
While the latest natural language AIs might be primarily text-based, many of them now include voice and audio support, and Windows Copilot is much the same. While this might seem like merely a more clunky way to interact with Copilot -- and it is kind of clunky -- this is an important feature because it means you don't have to use your hands to prompt it. Beyond clicking the little microphone button, you can get back to whatever you're doing while asking it a question or requesting something from it.

Read more
Bing Chat just beat a security check to stop hackers and spammers
A depiction of a hacker breaking into a system via the use of code.

Bing Chat is no stranger to controversy -- in fact, sometimes it feels like there’s a never-ending stream of scandals surrounding it and tools like ChatGPT -- and now the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot has found itself in hot water over its ability to defeat a common cybersecurity measure.

According to Denis Shiryaev, the CEO of AI startup Neural.love, chatbots like Bing Chat and ChatGPT can potentially be used to bypass a CAPTCHA code if you just ask them the right set of questions. If this turns out to be a widespread issue, it could have worrying implications for everyone’s online security.

Read more
Microsoft Copilot sounds great. Here’s why I definitely won’t use it
Using Windows 11 copilot to summarize a document.

A lot of Microsoft's September event was dedicated to Copilot, Bing Chat, and other AI-driven features. In a way, the updates made to laptops like the Surface Laptop Studio 2 almost felt like an afterthought. It was a real AI fest -- and no wonder, as Microsoft has certainly created something bragworthy.

Despite how impressive Copilot seems to be, I can't see myself actually using it. It's a neat party trick, but my concerns with the AI outweigh any upsides it might have.
AI everywhere

Read more