After Windows and Office 365, Microsoft is adding AI capabilities to Microsoft Paint. It is called Cocreator and by using it, you can generate images with a text prompt. To put it simply, you can think of it as a built-in text-to-image generator that can turn your thoughts and ideas into stunning images. All you have to do is describe it to Cocreator and it will create the image for you. In this tutorial, let’s learn what Cocreator is, what are its requirements and limitations, and how to use Paint Cocreator to create images. Let’s get started.
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What is Cocreator in Microsoft Paint
Cocreator is a DALL-E 3 powered image generator built into Microsoft Paint. Using it, you can turn your text description into an image. For example, if you say “a man walking slowly in the desert wind,” Cocreator will create a stunning image in just a few seconds. The more descriptive your text is, the more detailed the generated image will be.
While creating the images, Cocreator will give you 9 art styles to choose from. For example, in the above example, I selected the Photorealistic art style.
Here are the currently supported art styles in Cocreator:
- No selection (Cocreator chooses the best art style for the prompt).
- Charcoal
- Ink sketch
- Watercolor
- Oil painting
- Digital art
- Photorealistic
- Anime
- Pixel art
Who Can Use Paint Cocreator (Requirements & Limitations)
Here are the system requirements to use Cocreator in MS Paint and the must-know limitations.
Requirements to Use Cocreator
- Your system should be running Windows 11.
- You should be signed into Windows 11 using a Microsoft account.
- You should have an active internet connection.
- Paint Cocreator is only available in the English language.
- Currently, you have to join the waitlist to get access to Cocreator. In most cases, you will get instant access to it as soon as you join the waitlist.
Limitations
Once you get access to the Cocreator, you will receive 50 credits. Each new image generation will cost one credit. Once all 50 credits are exhausted, you have to wait for Microsoft to renew them. As of now, there is no clear guidance or documentation on how and when Microsoft renews credits and whether you have to pay for them or not. You can check the number of remaining credits at the bottom of the Cocreator panel.
Microsoft uses strong content filtration to ensure Cocreator will not generate images that it deems harmful, offensive, or inappropriate. While this is a good thing, it can be a pain in the back as it might sometimes block even normal descriptions. For example, when I asked Cocreator to generate an image based on the “cat playing with yarn in a park in the autumn evening” description, it blocked my request with a “Content Warning.”
Cocreator is only available in the English language.
Using Paint Cocreator to Create AI-Assisted Images
1. Press the Start button, search for Paint, and click Open to launch the Microsoft Paint application.
2. Once opened, click on the Cocreator icon in the ribbon menu.
3. Click the Join Waitlist button and you will be granted instant access.
4. Next, write a description of the image you want to generate in the “Describe what you’d like to create” box. For example, “A man enjoying music in a futuristic world full of mechs”.
5. Select an art style from the “Choose a style” dropdown. I’m selecting “Anime.”
6. Click the Create button.
7. Within a few seconds, Cocreator generates three AI-assisted images based on your description. Select one of the images from three samples to add it to the Paint canvas.
8. Once you’ve added the generated image to the Paint canvas, you can modify it however you want and save it by pressing the Ctrl + S shortcut.
9. Alternatively, to save the generated image directly, mouse over the sample image in the Cocreator panel, click the three dots icon, and select the Save Image option.
10. Navigate to a folder where you want to save the image, enter a name in the “File Name” field, and click the Save button.
Wrapping Up — Generate Images with AI Using Paint Cocreator
As you can see, Cocreator is an awesome feature that lets you turn your imagination into images within seconds. However, keep in mind the 50 credit limitation as every new image you generate will use up one credit. Since we don’t know how and when Microsoft renews Cocreator credits, use them wisely. As an alternative, you can also use Bing Image Creator.