Microsoft is testing a new idea for the Photos app in Windows 11, namely the ability to directly send an image that you edit in the client to Microsoft Designer.
The idea is to implement a “Designer” button in the Photos app that, when clicked, sends the current image directly to the Microsoft Designer site.
Designer is an online application that allows you to significantly exercise various AI capabilities, so you can go to town on the image in question in this regard.
As Microsoft explains: “We’re introducing the ability to send an image from the Photos app to Microsoft Designer, a cloud-based graphic design application that helps you create professional-looking social media posts, invitations, digital postcards, graphics and new visuals with the power of generative AI.
For example, you could ask Designer to remove the existing background and then replace it entirely with an AI-generated background.
Designer will open in your default web browser (which Microsoft will do its best to ensure is, of course, Edge).
The new link to Designer is only for Windows Insiders at the moment, but we imagine this is a change that will carry over to the stable version of Photos apps in Windows 11.
Testers who want to try this now should make sure their Photos app is updated to version 2024.11040.16001.0 or higher (and note that you’ll need to be signed in to a Microsoft account to use Designer’s AI settings – which are also in preview. ).
Windows Latest, who spotted this development, tried the new feature but it didn’t work for them yet: the canvas was blank in Designer, instead of importing the image as it should. As always, especially with early testing, bugs and other oddities can be expected (this also applies to the results of AI manipulating your photos).
Learn more: It looks like Microsoft may be integrating more veiled ads as “recommendations” into Windows 11