The two images created by Bing (left) and DALL-E 2 (right) with the prompt “a robot walking along a path”. Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Have you ever imagined that one day you would be able to easily create any image just by typing a sentence on your computer or smartphone? Well that is now possible. But beware: while touching the power of artificial intelligence (AI) can give you shivers of excitement, the execution may leave you hungry.
Besides, there are many generative AI tools to create texts and works of art. And not all are of equal quality. Finally, the images generated by the AI can usually be recognized by the absence of realistic details or the abundance of distorted features. So how do you choose a good AI art generator that does its job reliably?
It’s not a bad idea to start your search with two of the most popular tools on the market: Bing Image Creator and Dall-E 2. Although they are both very popular, they are also easy to use and do not do not require a dedicated application or program to operate.
Microsoft uses OpenAI’s GPT-4, the largest language model currently available, for Bing Chat, and also uses the technology behind Dall-E 2, OpenAI’s AI system, for its Image Creator. However, Bing Image Creator and Dall-E 2 are not the same tools. We’ll see how they differ and what they do best.
You should use Bing Image Creator…
Photo created with Bing Image Creator and prompting: “watercolor of an astronaut walking through a field of wildflowers”. Bing | Maria Diaz/ZDNET
1. You want more realistic images
Both Bing and Dall-E 2 can create images in different styles, such as painting, 3D rendering, photo, cartoon, etc. But Bing Image Creator is superior in creating realistic images. I turn to Bing when I want to create an image that looks like a photo.
Although the prompt is the same, you can see on the left how realistic the Bing images are, especially when compared to the Dall-E 2 images. Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Bing Image Creator is based on OpenAI’s Dall-E technology, but it uses a more advanced version of the model used for Dall-E 2, which is why the images look more like the real thing than Dall-E 2.
In the example above, you can see that Bing gives the images a sense of realism, for example by adding lots of small details to the dog’s coat and the cushion fabric. The images on the left are so realistic that they could almost pass for real photographs of dogs.
2. You want to create images anywhere
When chatting with the new Bing, you can ask the AI chatbot to create an image that matches a given description and it will generate the image during the chat, without the need to go to another site or open an app. However, you cannot ask ChatGPT to create an image during a conversation, as you can with Bing.
An image created in the Bing chat window. Screenshot: Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Since there is a Bing mobile app that lets you easily access Bing chat from your smartphone, you can ask the chatbot to create images for you from your mobile device.
Bing Image Creator is also available in the sidebar of Microsoft Edge for quick access.
3. You already have a Microsoft account
Bing Image Creator only works with a Microsoft account, although it’s possible to create one easily using any email address. Unlike Bing Chat, Bing Image Creator does not require Microsoft Edge to work.
You should use DALL-E 2 if…
Photo created by Dall-E 2 from the prompt: “watercolor of an astronaut walking through a field of wildflowers”. Dall-E | Maria Diaz/ZDNET
1. You prefer images that really match the prompt
While I find Bing Image Creator provides higher quality images overall, Dall-E 2 consistently delivers more literal images that tend to follow the prompt verbatim.
Although both images were created from the same prompt, you can see that Bing was a bit more artistic in their image generation whereas DALL-E 2 was more direct. Maria Diaz/ZDNET
If you’re having trouble getting the images you want with your prompts, I suggest you try Dall-E 2 as a prompting exercise.
Sometimes even a misplaced adjective can affect the result you get.
2. You are already using ChatGPT
You can use Dall-E 2 by visiting labs.OpenAI.com. To use Dall-E 2, you must have an OpenAI account or register for one.
If you already use ChatGPT, you can get started quickly, which will save you time.
Source: “ZDNet.com”