Continuing with the description of the tools Microsoft Designer, la application based on Artificial Intelligence for the creation of graphic content for social networks, We are going to comment on some of the benefits that we have left pending.
Unlike Canva, which was born as a series of templates and graphic tools that is gradually incorporating Artificial Intelligence technologies, Microsoft Designer was born around them. Let us clarify that the service is still in the testing phase.
We can discuss whether the cost in terms of privacy and freedom of giving our work to a third-party provider outweighs the benefits. The truth is that it saves a lot of time and makes things easier for those of us who don't have much artistic talent.
Microsoft Designer tools.
The image editor
To edit an image we just have to drag it with the mouse to the screen or upload it using the computer's file manager.
We have three types of tools:
- Artificial Intelligence Tools: The already mentioned selective and background erasure and background blurring.
- adjustment tools: Controls brightness, contrast and sharpness.
- Filters tool: We can choose a series of 15 filters, combine them or eliminate them. The image can be copied or downloaded.
The brand kit
At the moment the brand kit, which until now has been accessed from the design menu, It is a combination of colors and predefined fonts. There are a series of templates and we can also create our own.
To do this we start by selecting at least 3 colors from the drop-down controls, typing the hexadecimal code or decimal values for green, red and blue.
Next, we select the font for the title, subtitle and text. By clicking on the kit we can alternate between the colors.
The sticker creator
With the Microsoft Designer sticker creator we can produce fun images for social networks and messaging clients from a text description.
There really aren't too many differences between the sticker maker and the regular image maker. We write a descriptive text or select an example. When it finishes generating it we can copy it or save it.
other tools
Among other Microsoft Designer tools, it includes the possibility of generating text and determining fonts for each part.
Designer has other tools for design customization. These are:
- Templates: We can search for templates in which to use our designs based on a keyword search.
- My media: We can upload images from our computer, phone (Scanning the QR code) and cloud storage services such as OneDrive, Google Drive, Google Photos and Dropbox.
- Visual: We can choose between generated images, geometric figures, symbols, illustrations, photos and videos.
- Text: Here we can generate content and select fonts for the different parts of the text.
On the right, it shows us a series of ideas with variants of what we are creating.
My opinion
Designer is a project under construction and It is not yet known if it will have a cost or will be part of the Microsoft 365 offer (Office online) but we can now draw some conclusions.
It is a tool that save time if the generation of graphic content is not part of the heart of your business or you are an occasional user. It still has a long way to go to be able to compete with Canva and be useful for professionals.
If you care about the privacy and ownership of your data, There is a lot to be said in favor of the use of open source programs installed on the computer and open source image and illustration banks. There are also opensource content generation projects based on Artificial Intelligence.
In any case, even if we don't use them, it's great to know that we have alternatives, if only to criticize them. Will Generative Artificial Intelligence be part of our future or a fad like Second Life? It's something that only time will tell.