A photo generated with the Bing Image Creator using the prompt “a photo of a robot taking a picture with a DSLR camera in a studio.”
Maria Diaz via Bing Image Creator/ZDNET
As the use of different artificial intelligence (AI) tools has exploded in the past year, we’ve seen the development of generative AI sprouting in the most unlikely places. The release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT last fall quickly led to Google, Microsoft, and Meta all coming up with new AI chatbots of their own with Bard, Bing Chat, and Meta AI.
Along with that, Microsoft also released an AI image generator within Bing that is powered by DALL-E 3, the latest of OpenAI’s projects. Microsoft was using a previous version of DALL-E to power its image creator until DALL-E 3 was incorporated into it, featuring improved image quality, more accurate prompt processing, and enhanced details within images.
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Using the Bing Image Creator is possible through Bing Chat or directly on the tool’s website, and is as easy as chatting with an AI chatbot like ChatGPT.
How to use the new Bing Image Creator
Would anyone believe this is a real Dodo Bird randomly found wandering about? Image created with Bing Image Creator.
Maria Diaz via Bing Image Creator/ZDNET
What you need: Using the Bing Image Creator only requires access to Bing.com, no need for an OpenAI account. The Bing Image Creator can be accessed via Bing Chat or by going to Bing.com/Create. We’ll cover how to create images directly on the Bing Image Creator site, but you can find how to generate images in Bing Chat in the FAQ below.
Unlike Bing Chat, you don’t need Microsoft Edge to access the Bing Image Creator. Just go to Bing.com/Create and click on Join & Create to log in to your Microsoft account and access the image generator.
On the homepage for the Bing Image Creator, click on Join & Create.
Screenshot by Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Next, enter a description of the image you want to prompt Bing to create for you. Just like when using an AI chatbot, be as descriptive as possible to ensure your result is accurate.
After you enter your prompt in the text area, click on Create.
Enter your prompt in the text area.
Screenshot by Maria Diaz/ZDNET
For this prompt, I’m going to request the following: “photo of a dodo bird sitting on a concrete floor of a brightly lit home in the tropics.” Then I’m going to click on Create and wait for my images to be generated.
Once your images are ready, it’s time to check the results. DALL-E and Bing’s Image Creator will both typically display four generated images for each prompt.
Also: How to use DALL-E 2 to turn your visions into AI-generated art
They’re not always great, as the free AI image generators are often not advanced enough to create truly lifelike images, so you may see some errors in details, such as a person’s fingers or eye positioning, or the keys on a computer keyboard, for example.
As you can see below, the images that were generated capture almost exactly what I prompted the Bing Image Creator to make. Asking Bing to create an image of a bird that is extinct was a big challenge as DALL-E 3 isn’t trained on many different images of Dodo Birds because it went extinct in the 17th century. There are some resemblances to a pelican and a toucan in the images put out by Bing, but it is accurate enough, for the most part.
The Bing Image Creator preview results created with the prompt I entered (highlighted at the top).
Screenshot by Maria Diaz/ZDNET
After looking through the generated images, I decided to download the picture below. Just clicking on an image will expand it and give you the options to Share, Save to your account, Download, or provide Feedback. It’s worth noting that you can download one, all, or none of the images.
This was my favorite photo of the four.
Screenshot by Maria Diaz/ZDNET
FAQs
Can I create images using Microsoft Copilot or Bing Chat?
There are two ways to use the Bing Image Creator. You can generate images by going to Bing.com/Create, as detailed above, or you can create images right from Microsoft Copilot or Bing Chat.
I asked Bing Chat, “create a photo of a lazy zebra in a room with navy walls and gold curtains.”
Screenshot by Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Here’s how you can ask the new Bing to create an image right from the chat window, the same process works for the Microsoft Copilot AI chatbot:
Open Microsoft EdgeGo to Bing.comClick on ChatWrite your prompt, it can begin with a phrase like “create an image” or “generate a photo”, but it’s not necessary. Bing Chat typically recognizes your intent.
Also: How to use the new Bing (and how it’s different from ChatGPT)
Bing Chat can create images in any conversation style, whether it’s set to Creative, Balanced, or Precise.
One of the pros of using Bing Chat to generate images is that you can ask follow-up questions to have Bing adjust the image, as the example above shows. Bing proposes questions like, “Can you make the monkey wear a hat?” and “Change the color of the Vespa to blue”.
How do you write prompts to create images using AI?
The more specific you are in your prompts, the better; think of the prompt as a detailed description of the image you have in mind. Include adjectives, nouns, and verbs to describe the image and what the subject is doing — even styles are encouraged. If you ask the AI bot to create “a photo of…,” you’ll get a different result than if you say create a cartoon, a painting, or a 3D render; so the image style is important.
This is the best way to build a successful Bing Image Creator prompt.
Screenshot by Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Here’s how Bing’s Image Creator recommends you format your prompts: Adjective + Noun + Verb + Style.
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In the example above, that would be “Fuzzy creature wearing sunglasses, digital art.”
You can use different terms to describe the style, as well, such as impressionism, cubism, abstract, etc.
Do I own AI-generated images?
The latest line from the United States Copyright Office (USCO) is that AI-generated images are not protected under current copyright laws because they are not the product of human authorship. Images generated with Bing have an invisible watermark to denote that it is AI-generated content. The watermark includes Bing’s information and the date and time the image was generated.
AI image generators have created controversy as they’re AI bots trained on images found online, which have been created by someone else. While the art you create using an image creator tool is unique, it’s created with the influences of millions of artists on the internet.
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The copyright ruling is subject to change. The USCO is holding listening sessions throughout 2023 to explore the subject more deeply and make necessary changes.
Is Bing Image Creator free?
Bing’s Image Creator is free at this time, though you can pay for more boosts if you run out. Boosts are like credits, where each prompt you give it to create an image will cost you one of your boosts. Users used to get 25 boosts when they’d first start using the Image Creator, but it has since increased to 100.
Once you run out of boosts, the Bing Image Creator will take longer to generate images after it’s given a prompt. Instead of 10-30 seconds, it can take up to five minutes.
Also: ChatGPT vs. Bing Chat: Which AI chatbot should you use?
Microsoft was refilling boosts on a weekly basis, but has now switched to doing so daily. Users also have the option of redeeming Microsoft rewards in exchange for more boosts.
Is Bing Image Creator the same as DALL-E 2?
DALL-E 2 and the Bing Image Creator are not the same. As with GPT-4 in Bing Chat, Microsoft is incorporating the more advanced DALL-E 3 into its image creator. DALL-E 3 will be available for ChatGPT Plus subscribers in the coming weeks. Right now, Bing is the only way to use DALL-E 3 for free.
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Is there a waitlist to use the Bing Image Creator?
There is no waitlist to use the Bing Image Creator at this time. All you have to do is log in to the website with your Microsoft account, and you’ll have access to it.
Disclaimer: Using AI-generated images could lead to copyright violations, so people should be cautious if they’re using the images for commercial purposes.