After Bing, it’s the Edge browser’s turn to welcome Bing Image Creator, Microsoft’s image generator based on Dall-E that allows you to create impressive illustrations from a simple textual description.
Microsoft continues its race for artificial intelligence. And at full speed! An aggressive strategy to quickly dominate the AI field and compete with Google in the Internet search sector. So after integrating the GPT-4 language model into its Bing search engine and Edge browser, adding Bing Image Creator (“Bing image creator”) into its chatbot, and then announcing the addition of Bing Chat to its SwiftKey mobile keyboard, the Redmond company is taking a new step by incorporating its image generator directly into Edge. As a reminder, Bing Image Creator allows you to create visuals from a short textual description, with a rather impressive result (see our article). Thus, in a blog post published on April 6, 2023, the company thus announces the deployment, for users around the world on Windows, macOS and Linux, of its generative AI module for its web browser. Enough to push Internet users to prefer Edge to Google Chrome!
Bing Image Creator: an image generator in Microsoft Edge
Bing Image Creator works like DALL-E and Midjourney: all you have to do is describe the image you want to obtain for the AI to generate four proposals. If one of them interests the user, he only has to click on it to obtain a clearer and more precise rendering, and then download it. Until now, the image generator could only be used within a chat with Bing Chat – you had to ask it “create an image of…” or “generate an image of…”. Now, by clicking on the tool icon in Edge – which is Windows’ default browser – a window with a search box will appear. All you have to do is enter keywords and the AI will get to work. Microsoft presents this option as a way to create visuals “very specific”to work on posts for social networks, slideshows or even illustrate documents.
The Redmond firm has begun to deploy this function to Internet users around the world. But gradually, as always, which explains the fact that not everyone is entitled to it yet. AT Note that Bing Image Creator is not operational by default. To take advantage of it, you must activate it manually by clicking on the button + in the right sidebar, then click on the corresponding module. Integrating the image builder into Edge makes it easier to ask the AI to create images, while still browsing the web.
For the moment, despite Microsoft’s indications on the dedicated page, Bing Image Creator only understands English. If you do not have a good command of Shakespeare’s language, you can always use an online translator to translate the description of your request. For example, follow the advice in our practical sheet to achieve this.
► As mentioned above, Bing Image Creator is still rolling out to the Edge browser. We were able to put it to work on a PC but the dedicated button is still missing on the macOS version of the browser. It is however available within the Bing mobile app For iOS And android. If you absolutely want to use Bing Image Creator on Mac, just go directly to the dedicated webpage. No need to go through the Edge browser here. Firefox, Chrome, Safari or any other browser will do. Only constraint to use it: to be connected with your Microsoft account. For the example, we will use Bing Image Creator, built into the Edge browser in Windows.
► Open Edge then click on the button + from the sidebar placed to the right of the window.
► Scroll the contents of the unfolding pane. In the section Appsflip the switch ImageCreator in active position.
► Then close the pane and click on the button ImageCreator which has been added to the sidebar.
► The flap unfolds again. This time, it reveals the interface of Bing Image Creator. Warning: even if all the indications are written in French, Image Creator currently only understands English. Also, note the presence of the lightning symbol to which is attached a number next to the pink button surprise me. It indicates the number of “boosts” available for the day. They make it possible to generate images more quickly. Once this quota is exhausted, image generation will take longer.
► It’s time to generate your first image. Click in the field above the pink button surprise me and indicate – in English – the description of the image you wish to generate. Do not hesitate to be specific about the subject but also about the place, the context, etc. For our example, we are going to request the creation of an image representing “A man wearing glasses and a red cape, sitting in front of an iMac in an office. He is barefoot. On his desk, there is a jar with a goldfish on the right side. On the left there is a figurine of a dragon”. When your description is ready, click on the button Create.
► After a few seconds, the results are displayed. Bing Image Creator offers four invented images that match your description. Not all of them precisely tick the description criteria. None of them show, for example, that the man has bare feet.
► Click on one of the images to view it in a larger format. If the result meets your expectations, click on the icon marked with the sign + to save it online among “your” creations.
► Click on the three points of suspension then choose Download to bring it back to your PC.
► The image file is saved in the folder Downloads. In our example, we retrieve a 1024 x 1024 pixel image at 96 dpi.
► To generate a new image, just replace the text of the first description at the top of the pane with a new request and click on the button Create.
Microsoft Edge: the browser is full of new features
Bing Image Creator isn’t Edge’s only big new feature. Microsoft has also just added other, to say the least, practical functions. This is the case with Drop, which has been in beta since June 2022 and is now available to everyone. The tool makes it easy to transfer files from one device to another through Edge, without going through any software or online service. All you have to do is log into your Microsoft account in the browser of your various devices and drop files in the side panel to switch them to another device thanks to synchronization (see our article).
Microsoft is also adding an image editor to its browser. This tool lets you edit artwork found online directly in Edge before saving it to hard drive. Accessible from the right-click context menu, it allows you to crop an image, adjust its brightness and colors, or even apply filters.
Finally, Microsoft has also optimized Edge’s Efficiency Mode to provide better performance and control over computer power consumption. Now, when Edge detects that the battery of the unplugged device is low, it will automatically enable Efficiency Mode and browser power saving features. This update also offers more options for how to save battery.