A generative neural network control system controls a generative neural network by modifying the intermediate latent space in the generative neural network. The generative neural network includes multiple layers each generating a set of activation values. An initial layer (and optionally additional layers) receives an input latent vector, and a final layer outputs an image generated based on the input latent vector. The data that is input to each layer (other than the initial layer) is referred to as data in an intermediate latent space. The data in the intermediate latent space includes activation values (e.g., generated by the previous layer or modified using various techniques) and optionally a latent vector. The generative neural network control system modifies the intermediate latent space to achieve various different effects when generating a new image.