Microsoft has updated Copilot’s image making features in two important ways. Now it can spell properly and properly change your own photos. Available in both Copilot and it’s ‘parent’ ChatGPT we’ll show you what’s now possible and a lot better.
You may have read that Copilot is now using OpenAI’s GPT-4o model – which means nothing to most people. Here’s some examples of how much better ChatGPT and Copilot is now when it comes to making images.
Copilot is based on OpenAI’s ChatGPT so both work in a similar way. As we’ll see Copilot is often more restricted, if not ‘crippled’ compared to ChatGPT. The ‘GPT-4o’ model is the name of the latest AI version which started on ChatGPT and is now available in Copilot.
The Copilot image making features are in the Copilot web page, apps and integrated into Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with Microsoft 365.
ChatGPT via their web site or apps.
Copilot can spell!
AI had a lot of trouble with text in images. Wrong spelling, strange characters and wonky positions.
Copilot should now be a lot better at showing the exact text you ask for, even your spelling mistakes. For example “make a image of a road sign that says ‘Koala Cross’ with a graphic of a koala”.
Even better, Copilot/ChatGPT can now change words without getting horribly confused. Just ask it to change a specific word or phrase, for example “Change the word ‘cross’ to ‘crossing’“.
AI now changes an image with just the changes requested. Past versions of ChatGPT or Copilot could only change a picture by completely remaking it, which often meant a quite different image for each incremental change.
Now asking for a change will give you almost the same picture with amendments.
For example, we took the image above and added “make the koala look angry” (left) or “change the graphic to a photo of a koala.”.
Easy photo editing
You own photos can be uploaded to Copilot or ChatGPT then ask for changes. The ‘4o’ model does a much better job at making edits without drastically changing the original look. We tried this simple change in both Copilot and ChatGPT.
That’s the theory. In practice we ran into yet another example of Copilot refusing a request without good reason. In the above example, after starting to make the image, Copilot said
“I actually can’t create this image for you. Feel free to ask for something else, though.”
The same request for the same photo in ChatGPT was done in seconds.
Microsoft is a lot more restrictive in what Copilot will do compared to ChatGPT. While some limitations are sensible, Microsoft goes too far on many occasions and doesn’t offer an explanation.
Endless fun with photos
Copilot or ChatGPT offers endless fun changing your photos. Take this real photo of a friend at a steakhouse dinner uploaded to an AI plus the prompt “Change human to a muppet”. It did a good job including the glasses, thinning hair, tshirt and position of the hands.
A more practical or self-serving use is removing old partners (boyfriends, wives etc) from otherwise beloved photos <g>.
CoPilot coverage at Office Watch
Microsoft Designer
