Microsoft Paint Introduces Photoshop-Style Generative AI Fill and Erase Features

Microsoft is introducing new AI-powered features for Paint and Photos on Copilot Plus PCs, aimed at empowering creatives and reducing reliance on advanced image editing software. The standout tools, Generative Fill and Generative Erase, take inspiration from Adobe Photoshop's offerings, allowing users to accurately add or remove elements from their images.

Both tools employ a size-adjustable brush that users can "paint" over specific parts of an image. Generative Erase removes unwanted figures and background distractions, similar to the Magic Eraser feature found on Google’s Pixel phones. In contrast, Generative Fill enables users to incorporate new AI-generated elements into images based on text descriptions, allowing for precise placement—akin to Photoshop's functionality.

These features build on the Cocreator tool for Paint, introduced earlier this year, which combines text prompts and reference sketches to create images. Microsoft has enhanced the diffusion-based model behind these tools to improve output quality and speed, along with integrating built-in moderation to mitigate potential misuse.

In addition to Paint, the Photos app is gaining the Generative Erase tool and a new Super-Resolution feature. This feature employs on-device AI to upscale blurry or pixelated images up to eight times their original resolution. Users can easily adjust the upscaling level with a slider, rivaling tools like Canva's image upscaler and exceeding Adobe Lightroom's 4x Super Resolution capabilities. This functionality is available for free and promises rapid processing, reportedly upscaling images to 4K resolution in mere seconds.