Content Library 360 and AI Assistant: Boost Visual Interest with Stock or AI-Generated Images
E-learning course creators know that quality visuals keep learners engaged—the question is where to find them. Traditionally, the answer has been stock images, like the millions of high-quality assets in Content Library 360. However, the rapid rise of AI-powered tools means a new addition to the authoring toolkit. AI Assistant’s image generation feature turns your ideas into gorgeous custom images through its robust text-to-image functionality. With two excellent options at your fingertips, which do you choose—stock photos or AI-generated images? Let’s explore the pros and cons of each to help you decide which to use for your next course. Stock Images You’re probably already familiar with Content Library 360, which gives you quick access to a wide variety of professional-grade stock images. This vast collection of visual assets covers practically any topic, and most of the available images are professionally photographed, so they have great lighting, composition, and superb overall quality. Also, a quick and simple keyword search provides a variety of relevant images that are ready to go. The downside to using stock photos is that they can feel generic, especially if you happen to choose a particular image that's been used in other places. Learners might recognize them from other websites or ads, which can make your course feel stale. There's also the question of customization. While stock images usually offer high visual quality, they may not meet your exact needs. For instance, when you search for a “person looking at a clock,” you’ll get images showing both elements, but they may not convey the tone or idea you were looking for. That can mean you have to settle for “close enough.” AI-Generated Images Customization is the name of the game with AI Assistant’s image generation feature, which allows you to create images on demand using prompts. AI-generated images are made to your specifications, so you can fine-tune the details—from colors and themes to specific objects or scenarios—tailoring the images to your course content needs. And since they’re custom-made, no two AI-generated images are exactly alike. That unique visual content can make your course stand out. However, not all AI-generated images match the level of detail and quality found in stock images. AI-generated images can also feel a bit “off” or even have weird artifacts that immediately signal that an image has been generated by AI. For example, when you ask for an image of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you may get an image showing two Eiffel Towers standing side by side—and we all know that’s far from reality. In other words, creating the perfect AI-generated image may take some trial and error. You’ll likely need to rerun your prompts—modifying the description and details each time just to get it right. That may take more time than simply picking a stock image would. Choose What Works For You Ultimately, both stock and AI-generated images can boost your course content. The choice comes down to your specific needs and priorities. If you’re prioritizing convenience and reliability, visual assets from Content Library 360 may be your best bet. But if you’re looking to elevate your course with something visually unique, AI-generated images may provide the perfect custom option. You have the power to decide what aligns best with your content and workflow, but nothing stops you from using both tools.AI Assistant: Creating Images Using Prompts
As a course author, you’ve probably struggled to find relevant visuals for your content—even with access to millions of high-quality images in Content Library 360. Now you have another option: Use AI Assistant to generate custom images based on your prompts. The image generation feature in AI Assistant is available in Rise 360 and Storyline 360. To access it in Rise 360, click the AI Image icon in the shortcuts bar at the bottom, or go to the AI Assistant menu in the upper right and select Generate Image. You’ll also find a Generate AI Image option under the AI Blocks and Image menus within the block library. To create an image for interactive blocks, such as an accordion or a labeled graphic, select the Generate with AI option after clicking the camera icon. When you replace an existing image, select the Replace with AI option from the edit menu of any image. In Storyline 360, access image generation either from the Home or Insert tab in the AI Assistant menu within the ribbon, or click Generate Image from the prebuilt prompts in the AI Assistant side panel. To replace an existing image, right click the image and select Replace Picture, then choose Generate image with AI. Use one of our built-in styles or create your own. Let AI Assistant generate up to four images simultaneously, and then choose the one that best suits your needs. In Storyline 360, you can even select all four to use in your project or download them for later use. AI Assistant—and your imagination—do the heavy lifting for image generation. But what if you're having trouble getting just the right image with your prompt? The following tips on best practices to create high-quality images with AI Assistant can help. Write Clear and Specific Prompts Understand Image Generation Limitations Play to AI's Strengths Switch Up the Image Style (or Create Your Own) Mitigate Bias With Proper Prompting High Traffic Warning If too many creators are using image generation at the same time, you may experience longer wait times when generating images. Continue to wait, or try again at a later time. Write Clear and Specific Prompts To get the best results when generating an image with AI Assistant, be specific in your prompts. Focus specifically on what you want to see, and put the most important parts of your prompts at the beginning. Use clear and concrete words—not words that might carry multiple meanings. As much as possible, use adjectives to describe every detail of the scene as you see it in your mind. The images below illustrate the difference between a generic prompt and one with words that define specific details. A cat sitting on a couch in a living room, sun shining through a window, staring at a goldfish in a glass bowl An orange tabby cat sitting on a black leather couch in a cozy living room, sun shining through a window, staring at a goldfish swimming in a small glass bowl Pro Tip: If you include what you don't want to see in your prompt, you still draw focus to that element, making it more likely to appear in your generated images. Still stuck? Ask AI Assistant to write a prompt, or use the prebuilt option Create an AI image prompt for help getting started. Understand Image Generation Limitations Generating an image with AI isn't like searching for an image in your web browser. Image generation won't return consistent results from prompts that describe complicated scenarios or specific “image choreography.” If you need specific text or are demonstrating how something is done in a specific way, we recommend using Content Library 360 or searching for stock photography. AI image generation also struggles to generate content from prompts that ask for high visual accuracy and specificity—think people or places where slight visual variations make it very apparent that the image is AI-generated. For instance, if you try to generate an image of Paris, you'll get a creative interpretation of Paris based on what AI Assistant knows about that location. It won't generate actual images of Paris, as the images below demonstrate. Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the background Play to AI's Strengths AI Assistant’s image generation feature is highly versatile. You can use it for a wide variety of creative needs, whether grounded in the real world or drifting into fantasy and imagination. It excels at generating realistic images that convey complex emotions or feelings but can also create conceptual, abstract images—even a mix of multiple concepts that are unrelated or aren’t based in reality. Check out the images below for some examples. Prompt: Closeup of a woman, anxious after realizing she made a huge mistake Prompt: An elephant piloting a spaceship in orbit, clear and dark background, city night lights visible below Switch Up the Image Style (or Create Your Own) If the images generated aren’t quite right, you can always try your prompt in another style. AI Assistant offers several built-in styles, and the prompts behind those styles are visible, so you can copy and customize them. The examples below show how selecting different built-in styles changes the images generated, even as the prompt stays the same. Pro tip: Generated images can't be recreated exactly, even if you use the same prompt. If you see something that you like, download it or insert it into your training before trying a different image style. Editorial Style: 3D Animation Cinematic Photo AI Assistant-generated Prompt: Close-up image of a majestic lion, showcasing its powerful face with intense golden eyes, a thick mane that flows like waves of sunlit grass, and a strong jawline. The texture of its fur is detailed, with shades of tawny and hints of darker brown, capturing the essence of its wild beauty. The background is softly blurred to emphasize the lion's fierce expression and regal presence. You can also create your own custom style to generate unique images, from doodles to digital art styles and in different genres like sci-fi, steampunk, or medieval fantasy. You name it—your imagination is the limit! Here are some keyword recommendations to help you create brilliant custom styles. Medium: the material used. Examples include oil painting, pencil sketch, or vintage photography. Art Style: the artistic style desired. Examples include impressionism, realism, and surrealism. You can also use the name of a specific famous artist that represents the style you're looking for, such as Rembrandt, Picasso, and Monet. Resolution: how sharp and detailed an image is. Examples include highly detailed, ultrarealistic, and soft focus. Color: specific shades used to create images that feature a certain color or tone. Examples include light blue, deep red, and mint green. Lighting: lighting effects described through keywords like cinematic lighting, dark, moody, etc. Additional details: additional descriptors (modifiers) used to enhance an image. Mitigate Bias With Proper Prompting AI Assistant’s image generation feature is experimental and evolving and will sometimes generate results that don’t align with your expectations. Our goal with AI Assistant is to provide you with neutral, diverse, and inclusive images, but sometimes bias is unintentionally introduced during model training. While changes to your prompting can't entirely prevent bias, they can mitigate biased output. What do we mean when we say “AI Generation Model?” AI Assistant uses OpenAI as its underlying technology. They provided the model and we further refined it to meet your needs. While we’ve already done work to eliminate bias in AI Assistant's output, it’s impossible to foresee every possible situation. That’s why we encourage you to send us information when you encounter bias when using our AI tools. This way, we can continue to improve AI generation for our customers. Explore the following examples of how to prompt to reduce bias in your generated output. Age Diversity In general, AI image generation models skew young. When not provided with age parameters in the prompt, these models may exclude mature adults in active and positive roles entirely. For example, when generating an image of “an office meeting,” AI Assistant may generate a group of people in their 20s or 30s by default. To include various age groups, try something such as “Office meeting, showcasing people of different ages, from young adults to older adults.” Office meeting, showcasing people of different ages, from young adults to older adults. Gender Inclusivity When generating images showcasing people in different professions, AI Assistant may reflect stereotypical gender roles, associating certain professions with specific genders. For instance, asking for “a group of construction workers” may result in an all-male crew. To encourage gender diversity in professional roles, try being specific, with something like “A small group of construction workers, including men, women, and non-binary individuals.” A small group of construction workers, including men, women, and non-binary individuals. Racial and Ethnic Diversity Explicitly guiding AI Assistant to reflect a broader spectrum of human diversity helps to reduce racial and ethnic biases—overrepresentation of certain racial and ethnic groups, typically from Western cultures, and underrepresentation of others. When you ask AI Assistant to generate an image of a group of people in certain professions without specifically asking for different racial and ethnic backgrounds, you’ll likely get an image that replicates existing societal biases. To improve racial and ethnic inclusion, get specific with a prompt like, “A group of engineers and developers from different racial and ethnic backgrounds—including Asian, Hispanic, Indigenous, African, and European—participating in a hackathon.” Disability Representation Whether AI-generated or not, media and images often underrepresent people with disabilities. Crafting a prompt that explicitly asks for people with diverse physical abilities encourages AI Assistant to generate images that go beyond generic portrayals and properly represent a wider spectrum of physical conditions. For example, “A physically diverse group of people—including some with visible disabilities such as blindness, mobility impairment, and limb differences and showing mobility aids such as wheelchairs, canes, and prosthetics—engaging in fun activities.” A physically diverse group of people—including some with visible disabilities such as blindness, mobility impairment, and limb differences and showing mobility aids such as wheelchairs, canes, and prosthetics—engaging in fun activities. Getting just the right image takes trial and error. As you experiment, you'll find what works best for you and your learners. If your prompts still generate biased or offensive content, we encourage you to report any inappropriate output (including the prompts you used) so we can create a better experience for all users.AI Assistant: Summarizing Swiftly with Summary Generation
As a course author, you know summaries matter. They help learners retain key takeaways, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your training and making it easier for them to grasp and apply new knowledge. But after you’ve completed a course full of comprehensive content, the last thing you may want to do is summarize everything. Fortunately, AI Assistant can help. Available in Rise 360 and Storyline 360, AI Assistant's summary generation feature helps you summarize swiftly by listing the key takeaways from all the lessons in your course. Then, you can customize the summary—choose the level of detail, pinpoint a focus area, and set the tone, audience, and style. Pro tip: For best results, ask for a range rather than a specific number of summary items. For example, ask for “3 to 5 bullet list items” rather than “3 bullet list items”. AI Assistant can generate summaries at both the course and lesson level. For a lesson summary, AI Assistant summarizes the content using a single paragraph block, while a course summary uses several block types, including paragraph, list, note, and statement. Access the course-level summary generation feature in the AI Assistant dropdown menu in the upper right of the course overview page. For lesson-level summary generation, use the AI Assistant dropdown menu within a lesson. In Storyline 360, you can access summary generation in story view or slide view. Story view gives you the option to create a course-level summary based on the content of the project, scenes, or specific slides, while in slide view, you can create a lesson-level summary based on the current scene or select slides. Choose between a prebuilt layout and a blank slide for the generated summary, as shown in the following images. Note that when you select Prebuilt layout, AI Assistant may create multiple slides to fit all bullet points. See below for examples of each option.AI Assistant: Writing and Editing Inline Content
Generating content using the power of AI takes just seconds. However, without proper guidance, AI-generated content can be generic or out of step with your writing style and brand voice. Luckily, AI Assistant can be your new writing partner, helping you create and perfect content quickly—while you stay in control of the finished product. Available in Rise 360 and Storyline 360, AI Assistant’s write and edit inline feature allows you to generate or refine content right within your favorite authoring app. In Rise 360, click the Quick Insert icon in a text block with no content and choose the Write with AI option (sparkle icon), or select existing text to bring up a floating toolbar and choose the Edit with AI option. For Storyline 360, access write and edit inline from the AI Assistant menu within the ribbon or click the sparkle icon from the floating toolbar when you select existing text. Ready to learn how to enhance your writing and editing with AI Assistant? Keep reading for tips to help you dive in. Improve Your Writing Beat Writer’s Block Get Prompt Engineering Help Help Learners Understand Complex Topics Improve Your Writing AI Assistant’s write and edit inline feature makes it easy to simplify content for accessibility, apply formatting, highlight key terms, add relevant emojis, and organize content into a list or table. You can also ask AI Assistant to find and address grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes—or take advantage of the many other options available in the dropdown menu shown below. Pro tip: Aren’t sure where to start but want to give your writing a quick boost? Click Improve writing and let AI Assistant upgrade your content. Beat Writer’s Block AI Assistant's write and edit inline feature not only helps you refine existing content—it can also generate new content from scratch! It's perfect for those times when you just feel stuck. To get started, click the Quick Insert icon in a text block with no content. Then, choose the Write with AI option to bring out the dropdown menu. Select a prebuilt prompt, type in your desired topic, and press Enter. Continue to enhance the content using custom prompts until everything is perfect. Get Prompt Engineering Help Having difficulty figuring out an AI Assistant prompt to generate just the right image for your course? The write and edit inline feature can help you compose a detailed, effective prompt for image generation. Select your content and click the sparkle icon from the floating toolbar. Enter a custom prompt or select the Create an AI image prompt option from the dropdown menu. AI Assistant will generate a prompt based on the selected content. Once AI Assistant has generated the prompt, click the Copy option to save it onto the clipboard. Help Learners Understand Complex Topics Using AI Assistant’s write and edit inline feature is like having a writing expert at your side, ready to assist you throughout the course creation process. For example, you can prompt AI Assistant to analyze and explain your content or ask for key takeaways that summarize your main points effectively. This helps ensure that learners will also be able to grasp your essential messages. Need to make your content more relatable and engaging? Ask AI Assistant to generate analogies to help learners draw connections between complex ideas and familiar concepts. Or, provide a well-structured scenario. AI Assistant can generate a scenario based on your selected content in seconds. By working through a relatable situation, learners grasp the nuances of the topic and can visualize how these concepts apply to real-world contexts. Note that AI Assistant’s write and edit inline feature doesn’t support media or HTML/CSS styling of inline content. And while Rise 360 supports emojis, tables, and lists within inline content, Storyline 360 only supports lists.
