As one of the most innovative and insightful software companies in the world, Microsoft recognized early on that, when used correctly, AI can be a powerful tool for enhancing productivity and creative output, including bolstering the workflows of photographers and other creative professionals. This farseeing insight helped guide the development of the most recent update of Microsoft’s popular Surface laptops series, the all-new, AI-enhanced Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC, which combines the power and potential of AI with the portability of a lightweight laptop—allowing users to create without concession or compromise, whether they’re at home, in the studio, or on the go.
For photographers, in particular, the new Surface Copilot+ PC is a workflow-enhancing marvel, one that leverages the near-limitless power of AI to help you create impactful, one-of-a-kind images, which require less time editing, so you can spend more time shooting. To help boost your photography workflow, here are some of our favorite tips for getting the most out of your Copilot+ PC.
Generate Content with Windows Photo
With a Copilot+ PC, the integrated Windows Photo app does much more than letting you view, organize, and lightly edit images. By typing a text prompt into the built-in Image Creator function, Photos will generate dozens of images based on your description in seconds. Then you can refine the description or create variations of select images until you find one that fits your needs. This can range from creating individual objects to an entire background that you can layer into your photographs.
Windows Photos also has a feature called Restyle, which uses text prompts to artistically transform selected photos. For example, a landscape photo may be converted into a watercolor or a Renaissance style painting. Some of the preset prompts include transforming a photo into cyberpunk, anime, and even papercraft styles. From there, you can let your creativity go wild.
Enhancing Adobe Applications
The Copilot+ PC AI capabilities aren’t limited to Windows features. The NPU can also accelerate compatible Adobe applications such as Photoshop and Lightroom. Among the most impressive Photoshop AI features is Generative Fill, which powers a variety tools such as allowing you to expand an image by generating content based on the existing photo or text prompts. So, you can potentially convert a portrait into a landscape photo using the cropping tool.
AI may also be used to remove distractions such as passersby and debris that wander into a shot. Or you can remove a background entirely and isolate a subject without the painstaking work of doing it by hand. Elements such as animals, houses, and rock formations can be generated and inserted to add more complexity to a scene and fill dull, blank spaces. Generative features may also be used to replace colors and elements, which can simplify the work of changing a jacket color. You can even change the hair color and style of a photo subject. Commonly used tools like the Spot Healing Brush are also enhanced with AI capabilities.
In Lightroom, AI tools can be used to remove unwanted objects, add a lens blur, and help search through photos. These are just a handful of AI features that are currently available in Photoshop and Lightroom. We encourage you to try out others like Sky Replacement to help create a unique look.
Organizing with Recall
As of this writing, Recall will be added to Windows 11 in a future update, and it has the potential to profoundly impact your workflow and business. This manual opt-in feature enables the Copilot+ PC to remember almost everything you’ve viewed by periodically taking a locally stored snapshot of your screen. AI is used to analyze each of these snapshots and parse out data from documents, websites, and images so that you can search for them. It’s like having a dedicated search engine for all your computer’s contents.
An immediate application for this feature is to quickly find invoices, quotes, and emails so that you discuss business with clients without missing a beat. Another use is to locate images across Terabytes of storage without having to use third-party applications to tag and organize everything for you. For example, if you wanted to find a street photo taken long ago, you could use Recall to search for a specific aspect, such as a yellow brick wall. The app will then present a timeline of when a yellow brick surface has appeared on your screen. This process almost certainly beats trying to figure out when and where you took a photo that you might only remember bits of.
Additional AI Features
Additional Copilot features include co-creator in Windows Paint, which can transform loose line drawings into lifelike illustrations using text prompts. Advanced Windows Studio Effects work with popular communications apps such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom to keep you in frame and looking great, even in low-light environments. Then there’s the Live Captions feature, which can translate spoken words from videos in real-time, which may help when video chatting with clients with English as their second language.
You can launch the Copilot app with the press of a dedicated key and use it as an AI assistant to manage your calendar, to-do list, and reminders. It can also search for facts, figures, and other information you might need to plan your next shoot. Of course, AI may also be used to enhance your emails for clearer communication.
For more information about the Copilot+ PC, including additional features, specs, and highlights, be sure to check out the detailed product page for the 13.8” Microsoft Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC. Or drop us a line below, and we’ll do our best to answer all your comments and questions.
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