Making maze art with AI: Bing AI Image Generator 18 months later

December 5, 2024

In 2023 I did a series of posts where I tested AI image generators to see how they would handle making maze art. I asked 10 prompts and evaluated different AI image sites against each other to see how they would perform. Here are the 2 main posts that summarize the project:

Can AI Generate Mazes? We Tested 12 AI Art Generators to Find Out

What I learned using AI to make maze art

I want to spoil one of the main findings, which was that Bing AI was one of the top performers in the test ! Today I re-do the same 10 prompts from April 2023 and see what Bing AI Image Generator comes up with 18 months later. Let’s get started !

Making Maze Art with BING AI Image generator

You can access the website here. You must sign in to your Microsoft account. As of this post there is no limit to the number of prompts you can ask for, and it is free to use. Each prompt, or generation from will generate 4 image options. For this exercise I chose the one closest to what I had asked for, or the most interesting.

Prompt 1 - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish

I see the Eiffel Tower in both. The new version includes trees and a boulevard rather than an abstract maze. It also includes a more detailed version of the tower. 2024 is an improvement.

Prompt 2 - Draw a medium difficulty large maze of the Empire State Building with the start and goal embedded in the structure

In 2023 all of the options were interesting and I think the same about 2024. These were the 2 best in my opinion. In the 2024 version I like the maze being built into the buildings of NYC around the Empire State Building which has a more accurate shape than the 2023 version. Nice improvement !

Prompt 3 - Draw a difficult maze of the White House pixel art style

2023 is in pixel art style with a white house in the center of the image but not really the White House. 2024 is excellent.

Prompt 4 - Draw a difficult maze that looks like a drawing of a famous building in sketch style

2023 IS a sketch of a building maze, just not a famous building. Still I like how it came out ! I do not know what building 2024 is….but it is very well done !

Prompt 5 - Draw a maze in the style of doyoumaze.com of a skyscraper in NYC

Neither of these look like what I make, but the new version is excellent. Chrysler Building ?

Prompt 6 - Draw a maze in the style of Sean C Jackson of a scene from a large outdoor market

The2024 is close…both versions are interesting. I see some of the SCJ style in 2024.

Prompt 7 - Make a maze of a slice of an orange in color

I wasn’t sure what I was looking for when I chose this prompt. 2023 is more true to the prompt. 2024 is interesting with some of the oranges wedges being stuffed with other fruits and veggies.

Prompt 8 - Make a maze integrated on top of a photograph of a king sitting on his throne looking cantankerous beside his beautiful queen

You can see the improvement so much in this prompt with how the king and queen were rendered.

Prompt 9 - Make a solvable maze that is very large and very difficult to solve because it is so complex

I like the idea of this guy lost in a maze where he is so tall he should be able to see his way out ? I also like the use of small people using ladders around a maze to get around.

Prompt 10 - Make a 3d render of a red and blue glossy cube maze

4 from each year to choose from.

Conclusion:

How did Bing AI Image Generator do 18 months later ? I think it improved. More interesting generations, with more detail, and better adherence to what is asked in the prompts. Bing AI is one of the 3 text to image generators I use depending on what I need (Gemini and starryai are the other 2) and I am impressed with how Bing AI did ! I expect this to get even better in the future !

You may also like:

How to draw over 40 different types of mazes

Different Ways to Solve a Maze

Maze Art - The Taj Mahal

The 10 Most Famous Labyrinths in the World

Making maze art with AI: Canva - Has Canva improved 18 months later ?

November 28, 2024

In 2023 I did a series of posts where I tested AI image generators to see how they would handle making maze art. I asked 10 prompts and evaluated different AI image sites against each other to see how they perform. It didn’t go as well I would have hoped, but I learned a lot. Here are the 2 main posts that summarize the project:

Can AI Generate Mazes? We Tested 12 AI Art Generators to Find Out

What I learned using AI to make maze art

So I wanted to give a few of the sites another chance. Things move quickly in AI and maybe the updates have made them better at making mazes ? So today I re-do the same 10 prompts from April 2023 and see what Canva comes up with 18 months later. Let’s get started !

Making Maze Art with Canva

You can access the Canva website here. You must create an account and sign-in to use the website. Each prompt, or generation will generate 4 images. In 2023 there were 6 styles to choose from: Concept Art, Photo, Painting, Drawing, 3D, and Pattern; Today there are 25 split into 3 sections: Photography. Digital Art and Fine Art. So you have more choices and can use more styles (thank you Canva !).

Prompt 1 - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish

Canva - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.png

Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.png

So we have 2023 on the left and 2024 on the right. Every time I look at this I see the batman symbol in the sky. So 2024 actually includes a maze-like design. Both have the Eiffel Tower in black and white. I see an improvement.

Prompt 2 - Draw a medium difficulty large maze of the Empire State Building with the start and goal embedded in the structure

Canva - Draw a medium difficulty large maze of the Empire State Building with the start and goal embedded in the structure .png

Draw a medium difficulty large maze of the Empire State Building with the start and goal embedded in the structure.png

In 2023 we got 2 Empire State Buildings beside each other in black and white with colored pencils on the right side because ? I still am not sure why. 2024: A walled NYC with the Empire State Building at the center surrounded by maze looking walls in the streets. We know who won this one,

Prompt 3 - Draw a difficult maze of the White House pixel art style

Canva - Draw a difficult maze of the White House pixel art style.png

Draw a difficult maze of the White House pixel art style.png

2023: No maze, but sweet pixelated White House (or at least a portion of it). 2024: Well at least we have a maze. Oddly the tan maze walls are also mixed along a hedge maze ? So we have 2 mazes ? The White House looks more like a capitol building with the dome. Pixels. No. I give this a push.

Prompt 4 - Draw a difficult maze that looks like a drawing of a famous building in sketch style

Canva - Draw a difficult maze that looks like a drawing of a famous building in sketch style.png

Draw a difficult maze that looks like a drawing of a famous building in sketch style.png

The 2023 building looks like a very large building that is full of many impressive books, but I am not sure what building it actually is. 2024 it seems that Canva had a memory and went with the Eiffel Tower again…and did a very interesting version of it ! 2024 punches 2023 in the face.

Prompt 5 - Draw a maze in the style of doyoumaze.com of a skyscraper in NYC

Canva - Draw a maze in the style of doyoumaze.com of a skyscraper in NYC .png

Draw a maze in the style of doyoumaze.com of a skyscraper in NYC.png

I like both of these. 2023 must be a person looking up from the street at a skyscraper. 2024 decided one skyscraper was not enough. It needed 24 packed tightly together. Both images use blocks instead of maze walls.

Prompt 6 - Draw a maze in the style of Sean C Jackson of a scene from a large outdoor market

Canva - Draw a maze in the style of Sean C Jackson of a scene from a large outdoor market.png

Draw a maze in the style of Sean C Jackson of a scene from a large outdoor market.png

2023: You can only buy food at this market if you can get out of the maze. 2024: We have a very busy flea market divided by maze walls. Neither are in the correct style but I prefer the 2024 version.

Prompt 7 - Make a maze of a slice of an orange in color

Canva - Make a maze of a slice of an orange in color .png

Make a maze of a slice of an orange in color.png

Slices of oranges embedded in the grass ? Orange walls with white tops ?

Prompt 8 - Make a maze integrated on top of a photograph of a king sitting on his throne looking cantankerous beside his beautiful queen

Canva - Make a maze integrated on top of a photograph of a king sitting on his throne looking cantankerous beside his beautiful queen.png

Make a maze integrated on top of a photograph of a king sitting on his throne looking cantankerous beside his beautiful queen.png

2024 wins this even though the queen appears to have cut off her leg at the ankle and stitched it to the throne. It still wins because 2023 did not come close to following the prompt.

Prompt 9 - Make a solvable maze that is very large and very difficult to solve because it is so complex

Canva - Make a solvable maze that is very large and very difficult to solve because it is so complex.png

Make a solvable maze that is very large and very difficult to solve because it is so complex.png

Neither is actually a maze. Push

Prompt 10 - Make a 3d render of a red and blue glossy cube maze

Canva - Make a 3d render of a red and blue glossy cube maze .png

Make a 3d render of a red and blue glossy cube maze.png

Interesting that these are very similar.

How did Canva do 18 months later ?

Canva has improved, but still can’t generate a real maze. It seemed to follow the prompts more closely and continued to generate interesting outputs even when they weren’t exactly what I wanted. I thought the generations improved in quality.

You may also like:

How to draw over 40 different types of mazes

Maze Art - Santo Domingo Maze

The 10 Most Famous Labyrinths in the World

Making mazes with AI: Google Gemini

March 28, 2024

Welcome back to my series of posts where I test AI image generators and see how they handle making maze art. I will be asking 10 prompts and seeing what gets generated. My goal is to evaluate different AI image sites against each other to see how they perform. Here is the series so far:

An exploration into Al Image Maze Generation

Making mazes with AI: DallE2

Making mazes with AI: Stable Diffusion

Making mazes with AI: Craiyon

Making mazes with AI: Dream by Wombo

Making mazes with AI: Nightcafe

Making mazes with AI: StarryAI

Making mazes with AI: DeepAI

Making mazes with AI: Canva

Making mazes with AI: AI Image Generator

Making mazes with AI: ToolBaz

Making mazes with AI: Photosonic

Making mazes with AI: Bing AI Image Generator

Making Maze Art with google gemini

You can access the website here. You must sign into your google account to use Gemini. There is not limit to the number of images you can generate. Each prompt returns 2 images with the option to generate more. For this exercise I chose the one closest to what I had asked for, or the most interesting.

My original testing took place in March 2023. Gemini (formerly Bard) just started this feature in Feb 2024 so it late to the party. Next week I will be going back and seeing how AI image generation has improved in a year:

Making Mazes with AI - one year later

But, next week is next week, let’s get to how Google performs:

Prompt 1 - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish

That is the Eiffel Tower. There is a maze looking section and an arrow. Typically I do not get arrows, so this is an improvement.

Prompt 2 - Draw a medium difficulty large maze of the Empire State Building with the start and goal embedded in the structure

Similar to the 1st maze but in a new style. Got the famous building correct. Looks like a maze but is not a maze.

Prompt 3 - Draw a difficult maze of the White House pixel art style

Again, we have the right building. Wrong style. No Maze. But good job if I had written a different prompt.

Prompt 4 - Draw a difficult maze that looks like a drawing of a famous building in sketch style

The top is a sketch of the very famous ______ building. The bottom is a hand drawn maze that actually is a maze, i mean if it had a start and goal !

Prompt 5 - Draw a maze in the style of doyoumaze.com of a skyscraper in NYC

Cool NYC image. I think I like the marble sky. No Maze, not my style, but at least it is cool !

Prompt 6 - Draw a maze in the style of Sean C Jackson of a scene from a large outdoor market

This has potential. Change the perspective and switch from watercolor to more comic and you’ve got it.

Prompt 7 - Make a maze of a slice of an orange in color

Sure.

Prompt 8 - Make a maze integrated on top of a photograph of a king sitting on his throne looking cantankerous beside his beautiful queen

Weird. I didn’t ask for a specific king and queen. Any would do. If I ask for a plumber or bus driver is it blocked ? And, after I asked this…well you all saw the many stories !

Prompt 9 - Make a solvable maze that is very large and very difficult to solve because it is so complex

Looks like a hedge maze from above. Nice style.

Prompt 10 - Make a 3d render of a red and blue glossy cube maze

No.

How did Google Gemini do ? I think it was average. It has less structure than other text to image generators. You can ask for whatever you want (except people I guess). And there are no limits. But it also has no built in styles or adjustment buttons that are helpful with other AI image sites.

So this post comes many months after my initial AI review:

Comparison of 12 AI generating websites - Who did mazes the best ?

Would any of these Google Gemini images make the best of ? I think the first 2 would be considered. The orange slice (not the one you want to win) and maybe prompts 6/9. Still the overall is average. I still prefer my original picks.

What I learned using AI to make maze art

May 9, 2023

When I started this blog series on AI image generators I said I wanted to answer some questions. After spending a full month using and working with a dozen text to image generators let’s see what I have learned. Here is the original post with the questions, and my added answers:

What do I hope to accomplish ?

See what the competition is. How good is the output.

The output was mixed, with some generators producing intriguing abstract patterns while others struggled with basic maze structures. I did not find any generator who could actually make maze art if only because the current text to image generators can’t make a solvable maze. They can make maze and labyrinth inspired images that are wonderful. They just can’t be solved. I think this will be fixed just like “hands” were fixed.

Become more familiar with what AI image generators are capable of

It seems the standard is to generate 4 images from every prompt text you input, allowing you to pick the best. Many of them also have pre-selectable styles. Each site has a slightly different style and strengths. I found the sites I like to use and those I don’t.

Evaluate and compare the different sites to determine how well they create based on my prompts

As discussed in my previous post there are 4 sites that were better than the rest in my challenge ! Different prompts may mean slightly different results but I imagine the order would not meaningfully change much with new prompts. Some sites just work better than others.

Be inspired (hopefully)

Yes. So many interesting takes on my text prompts (many more terrible ones, but..). I think these sites are a good place to look for inspiration.

Answer: Can I compete with AI generated maze art ?

Right now, they cannot compete with the current quality of maze artists. The odd thing is that a standard program for computer programmers to write is an algorithm to create a maze. There are dozens of sites, many that I have reviewed before to do this. At some point an AI text to image will learn from these sites and I will need to come back to reevaluate this.

And some additional things I learned:

Asking for a famous building means you may not get the full building - usually the top is cut off for some reason. Here is a gallery of the prompt “Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish” from many different sites. I think none of these actually came out as I expected and none of them were able to execute the prompt.

0 - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel to.png

DeepAI - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.jpg

Dream by Wombo -Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.jpg

AIimagegenerator -Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.png

ToolBaz - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.png

Hotpot - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.png

DALL·E 2023-01-26 09.41.43 - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.png

Nightcafe - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.png

Photosonic - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.png

Stable Diffusion - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish.jpg

Prompts are often ignored. Expect the AI’s to miss some things. It might be you and a bad prompt…it might be the AI. A few sites allow you to select an image to “start” with as inspiration. So if things aren’t quite what you want, keep manipulating an image until you get it right.
Sometimes you write a bad prompt. If you keep getting bad outputs on multiple websites, the problem is your writing. I would give the example I used for #7 “Make a maze of a slice of an orange in color” didn’t work. My bad.
It's best to approach AI image generation with an open mind, rather than trying to achieve a specific outcome. Better to try a prompt and see what comes out. I cannot tell you how many times I have prompted “make a maze on the surface of the Death Star” because I knew it would be awesome and I have yet to be impressed. Here is one from StarryAI. It looks cool but is not what I wanted because I was expecting a specific look.