There's no denying that Microsoft is all about AI right now. From Copilot in Windows 11 and across Microsoft 365 apps to AI editing features in the Photos app, Windows is immersed in artificial intelligence. Now, the Paint app has joined this lineup, and soon, Notepad will, too. No apps left behind when boarding the Microsoft AI train!

What is Cocreator in Paint? Microsoft has added an AI-powered Cocreator in the Paint app, which uses DALL-E to generate images from your prompts. DALL-E is a text-to-image model from OpenAI that can create realistic images in any style from just the description that you provide. It's the same technology that powers the image creator in the Copilot web app.

Currently, Microsoft is providing 50 free credits to users to experiment with this feature in the Paint app. Each AI generation uses 1 credit. Once the app is out of Preview, Microsoft will likely implement a way to add more credits to your account in the Paint app itself. However, if you run out now, you can still use Copilot to create AI images.

Using Cocreator in Paint

Cocreator in Paint is currently in Preview and only available to Windows Insiders (all channels) at the present moment. To use Cocreator in Paint, make sure that your app is updated to the version 11.2309.20.0 or higher; you can update it from Microsoft Store > Library.

  1. Open the Paint app on your Windows 11 PC.
  2. Then, make sure that you're logged in to Paint using your Microsoft account.
  3. After that, click the 'Cocreator' button from the toolbar.
  1. The Cocreator panel will open on the right.
  2. Click the 'Join Waitlist' button, as access to Cocreator is currently based on a waitlist. You'll get a mail once you have early access to Cocreator, though in my case, the access was granted right away.
  1. Once you have access to Cocreator, go to the 'Describe what you'd like to create' textbox from the panel and describe what you want to create. Cocreator can only process requests in English at the moment.

    For example, enter a unicorn jumping through a rainbow and clouds. While giving your prompts, clearly state what you'd like the AI to generate. The more specific you are in your prompts, the better your chances of getting an image with all the elements you want.
  1. Next, choose whether you'd like to render the image in any particular style by clicking the 'No selection' drop-down menu. You can choose from styles like charcoal, watercolor, digital art, photorealistic, etc., to name a few.
  1. Lastly, click on the 'Create' button; this action will use 1 credit. You can see your remaining credits on the left of the Create option.
  1. Cocreator will generate three images under the 'Explore variants' section. Click on an image to insert it into the Paint canvas; you can also add all three variants. Then, you can further edit it however you want in Paint, like using the new 'Layers' feature.
  1. You can also click the 'More' icon (three-dot menu) from the image thumbnail and select 'Save image' from the options to save it to your PC. If the image generated is offensive or somehow unexpected, you can also give feedback to Microsoft about it.

That's about it. By leveraging the capabilities of DALL-E, Cocreator allows users to create original images from text descriptions easily. However, the features of Cocreator are rather limited, and it's tough to say whether it is by design or due to the fact that the feature is still in Preview.