As a designer and educator, I’m often asked how I use generative AI when making images of extraordinary interior spaces, art installations, and other provocative spatial effects. My answers can usually be boiled down to one word: iteration. I experiment early and often with these tools.
One of these tools in particular, Image Creator in Microsoft Designer, is especially fun to experiment with. I’ve spent some time building a repertoire of tricks and tips for creating mesmerizing architectural interiors and design installations in Image Creator, and I’m ready to share some of them with you. Let's get started!
Stay open-minded
First, let’s talk about what Image Creator can and can’t do. For all of its benefits, it still can’t read your mind (yet). So, if you are looking for a very specific result, you might come away disappointed.
The real value here is to tap into Image Creator’s generative capacity, give up some direct control, and embrace some of the really fun, surprise results that it produces. It may not create the precise picture you have in your head, but it can show you possibilities you haven't even imagined!
I liken using Image Creator to having a creative team at your fingertips, ready to generate images of your ideas almost as quickly as you can type them out. Renderings that would often take me hours or even days to produce with my traditional digital workflows, can now be generated in a matter of seconds.
And often times the resulting images are a complete and pleasant surprise to me. Image Creator can generate exquisite lighting, textural, and material effects from only our words. It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and that can be especially true with Image Creator!
Be expressive
The more expressive the prompt, the more interesting the results.
How does one write expressively about interiors and architecture? When it’s time to write, it’s really easy to get caught staring at the blank page (just ask any editor who has worked with me). In order to think expressively about interior space AND overcome writer’s block, start by filling out the following list:
- Name a type of space (i.e. museum, atrium, gallery, kitchen, etc).
- Name two geometric spatial characteristics (organic, angular, tall, etc).
- Describe the lighting (dappled, bright, dim, etc).
- Name two mood words (gloomy, airy, somber, celebratory, etc).
- Describe a use or human occupant (artist, dancer, cyclist, etc).
- Describe at least one object occupying the scene (like furniture, plants, etc).
Materials matter
Now, let’s layer more complexity into the prompt with details about surface, material, and texture. Materials and textures are crucial to our human understanding of architecture, so including these details can help create an image that looks familiar and life-like.
Name a material and describe its qualities.
For example, a material like brick might elicit certain adjectives such as: heavy, modular, gridded, thick, repetitive, stacked, etc.
Name several words to describe geometric and textural characteristics of surfaces.
For example: Wavy, supple, rippled, angular, folded, perforated, wrinkled, etc.
A thesaurus can help you identify adjectives to use. Once you have a good list, it’s time to weave these ingredients into a detailed description and write your prompt. I typically try to write mine in somewhat coherent sentences.
Prioritize the main subject of the image by referring to it in the beginning half of the prompt. As you test the prompt, you can interchange your geometric words and see the differences (just like a game of Mad-Libs).
In the examples below, notice the spatial, material, and lighting qualities. Also note the appearance of certain words (complex, parametric, undulating, monumental, dramatic lighting, etc) that I use consistently to create certain effects.
The results:
The results:
The results:
The results:
The results:
Seek the unconventional and extraordinary
Often, the most interesting results are generated by trying to picture conventional things in unconventional ways. In the examples below, I put mundane objects like plastic drinking straws, laminated copy paper, or sticky notes within an unconventional setting or at an unconventional scale. These strange juxtapositions can be generated easily with Image Creator—and they can really bend your imagination.
The results:
The results:
The results:
The results:
Reverse the process and ask Copilot to draft a prompt
We all know how Image Creator works by now—write a descriptive prompt, and it sends us images back. But what if I told you that you can run the process in reverse?
This is a process that works great for me. Let's say you generated an image you love, but it's hard to identify what you love about it, exactly, so it's hard to create new images in a similar style. No problem! Simply upload your image to Copilot and ask the chat tool to describe it to you. You can even ask it to craft a prompt for Image Creator.
In the example below, I used an image from one of the laminated paper prompts above.
To be clear, I probably wouldn’t have written this description myself. In fact, it’s not at all how my human brain interprets the image. The diffusion model doesn’t think like us, and that’s exactly the point! You're looking for adjectives and points of view you haven't considered yet.
From Copilot: The image you uploaded is a vibrant and dynamic abstract artwork. It features swirling patterns of various colors, including shades of orange, blue, yellow, black, and white. The lines and curves in the artwork are fluid, creating a sense of movement and energy. The color gradients transition smoothly, adding depth and dimension. For Microsoft Designer's Image Creator, you could use the following prompt: “Create an abstract artwork with swirling patterns of bright, contrasting colors that convey a sense of movement and energy.”
Experiment and have fun!
The key to being creative with Image Creator is experimentation. You may not always get what you want, but think of the unintended results as “feedback” rather than “failure.”
In fact, all of these generative-AI tools are still pretty new and constantly changing, evolving, and (hopefully) improving. My best advice is to buckle up, keep an open mind, be nimble, and prepare for more change.
“Learning how to learn” is a well-used platitude where I work in academia, but it’s especially important in this new, ever-evolving era of AI. Staying up-to-date and relevant as a designer means engaging and experimenting with these new technologies and workflows.
And whether you are generating a mood board, sharpening a concept statement, or even just overcoming designer’s block, mining Image Creator’s latent space for visual ideas is speedy, convenient, and a whole lot of fun.