AI image generator from image
Image to Image AI
Upload an image and describe what it should become — a sketch into a painting, a photo into anime, a pose into a character. Combine up to 16 images, with free credits to start.
- Up to 16 images
- Strength slider
- Free credits
- No watermark
Updated by the Kenerate AI team
On this page
Quick answer
What is image to image AI?
Image to image AI turns a picture you upload into a new one from your prompt — sketch to painting, photo to anime, pose reference to character. Kenerate AI runs Flux 2 Dev in the browser for most jobs and Z Image Base when you want a strength slider. It is free to start, and downloads have no watermark.
Key facts
- Max size
- 2048 px (Flux 2 Dev)
- Most references
- 16 (GPT Image 2)
- Strength slider
- 10–100 % · Z Image Base
- Free-plan models
- Flux 2 Dev · Qwen Image 3.0
- Combine images
- Seedream 5.0 Pro · GPT Image 2
- Free start
- Starter credits
- Watermark
- None
Real edits
Image to image AI: photo to anime, sketch to painting
Real results from Flux 2 Dev in /app/image. Drag the slider to compare.
BeforeAfter
Turn a photo into anime
Same woman, same dress, same staircase — only the medium changes.
Edit a photo like this
BeforeAfter
Finish a pencil sketch
Your drawing sets the pose and composition; the prompt adds colour, light and brushwork.
Edit a photo like this
BeforeAfter
Borrow a pose from a mannequin
“Exactly the same pose” keeps the body; everything else comes from your words.
Edit a photo like this
BeforeAfter
Turn a 3D blockout into a character
A grey render from Blender or VRoid becomes finished character art.
Edit a photo like this
Real edits
More real edits
Strength
Keep more, or change more
The same sketch and prompt on Z Image Base at three Reference strength settings. Reference models like Flux 2 Dev follow the prompt and your image rather than a noise level — they gave nearly the same painting at every setting in our test — so use Z Image Base when you want fine control.
PromptFinished fantasy oil painting of a warrior woman holding a spear with a flowing crimson cape, dramatic sunset sky, rich colors
Your imagePencil sketch
35 %Cleaner sketch
60 %Inked drawing
85 %Full-colour painting
Image to image vs editing
Make a new image, or change this one?
Two different tools. Pick by what you want to keep.
| Image to image | Image editing | |
|---|---|---|
| Result | A new image based on yours | Your image with one thing changed |
| Good for | Restyling, sketch to art, poses, combining images | Backgrounds, outfits, objects, fixes |
| On Kenerate | /app/image with a reference | /app/edit and one-sentence edits |
Need to change one detail instead? Try the AI image editor. Starting from text? Use the AI image generator.
How to
How to generate an AI image from an image
Four steps, about a minute.
- Time needed
- Steps
- 4 steps
Step 1
Open the generator
Go to /app/image and sign in free — starter credits are added.
Step 2
Upload your image
Add it as a reference in the prompt box. Flux 2 Dev takes up to 3 images, Seedream 5.0 Pro 10, GPT Image 2 up to 16.
Step 3
Say what to keep and what to change
“Same pose, same composition” — then the new style, outfit, setting or light.
Step 4
Adjust and download
On Z Image Base, set Reference strength under Advanced settings: lower keeps more of your image. Downloads have no watermark.
See it in the app
Open Image Studio and type what you want to see — subject, style, lighting and mood.
Watch the tour · 1:23
Prompts, styles, references, edit, Arena & chat
Chapters
Models
Best image to image AI models
How many images each model takes at once, and how big it outputs.
- Free plan
Black Forest Labs
Flux 2 Dev
- Reference images
- Up to 3
- Output
- 2048 px
Open Flux 2 DevBest for
Best all-rounder for image to image
- Free plan
Black Forest Labs
Flux 2 Klein
- Reference images
- Up to 3
- Output
- 1536 px
Open Flux 2 KleinBest for
Fast drafts
- Free plan
Alibaba
Qwen Image 3.0
- Reference images
- Up to 3
- Output
- 2K
Open Qwen Image 3.0Best for
Precise edits; text in images
ByteDance
Seedream 5.0 Pro
- Reference images
- Up to 10
- Output
- 2K
Open Seedream 5.0 ProBest for
Most polished restyles
Google
Nano Banana 2
- Reference images
- Up to 14
- Output
- 1K (square today)
Open Nano Banana 2Best for
Many references
All models (7)
Example uses
How creators use image to image AI
Illustrative examples of typical workflows, not customer reviews.
Concept artist
A concept artist can upload a grey 3D blockout and get finished character art in the same pose.
Illustrator
An illustrator can finish a pencil sketch as a coloured painting while the drawing keeps the composition.
Social media creator
A creator can restyle one photo as anime or as a classical oil painting just by changing the prompt.
FAQ
Image to image AI questions
8 questions
What is image to image AI?
AI that takes an image you upload as the starting point and makes a new one from your prompt. Typical jobs are a sketch into a painting, a photo into anime, or a 3D blockout into a finished character. Classic models add noise to your picture and redraw it, while reference models such as Flux 2 Dev keep the pose or layout you ask them to keep.
Link to this answerCan I generate an AI image from my own image for free?
Yes. A free Kenerate account gets starter credits on sign-up, enough to test image to image before paying anything. Flux 2 Dev and Qwen Image 3.0 are on the free plan, and Flux 2 Dev handles most restyles at up to 2048 px. Bigger jobs use one-time credit packs rather than a subscription, and credits you buy never expire.
Link to this answerHow many images can I upload at once?
It depends on the model. Z Image Base takes 1 image; Flux 2 Dev and Qwen Image 3.0 take up to 3, Seedream 5.0 Pro up to 10, Nano Banana 2 up to 14 and GPT Image 2 up to 16. With several references, refer to them by number in your prompt, for example “the character from image 1 in the room from image 2”.
Link to this answerWhat does the strength slider do?
It sets how far the result moves away from your image. The slider appears under Advanced settings once you upload an image to a model that supports it, from 10 to 100 % with a default of 75 %. On Z Image Base, higher values change more, and 30–60 % suits a light clean-up. Flux 2 Dev gave nearly the same painting at every setting in our test.
Link to this answerWhich AI is best for image to image?
It depends on the job. Flux 2 Dev handles most image to image work and is on the free plan, with up to 3 images. Z Image Base adds a strength slider when you want control over how much changes. Seedream 5.0 Pro gives the most polish with up to 10 references, and GPT Image 2 takes the most, up to 16. Starting from a drawing? See sketch to image.
Link to this answerWhat's the difference between image to image and image editing?
Image to image makes a new picture from yours — a new style, medium or scene. Editing keeps the picture and changes one thing, like the background, an outfit or an object. On Kenerate, image to image runs in /app/image with your upload as a reference, while one-sentence edits live in /app/edit, the AI image editor.
Link to this answerCan I combine two images?
Yes. Upload both images to Flux 2 Dev, Seedream 5.0 Pro or GPT Image 2 and say which image gives what — “the character from image 1 in the room from image 2”. Start with what must stay, such as the same pose or the same outfit, because reference models change whatever you don't pin down in the prompt.
Link to this answerDoes it add a watermark?
No. Images download without a watermark whether you use free starter credits or a one-time credit pack. That applies to every image to image model on Kenerate, from Flux 2 Dev to GPT Image 2, so you can use the results straight away, or run them through the upscaler first for sharper, bigger files.
Link to this answerIn depth
How image to image AI works
Noise-based vs reference-based models, which to pick, and prompts that keep what matters.
On this page
Two kinds of image to image
The classic method, described in the SDEdit paper, adds noise to your picture and lets the model redraw it toward your prompt [1]. More noise means more change — that is what a strength setting controls. Z Image Base on Kenerate works this way.
Reference models — Flux 2, Qwen Image, Seedream, GPT Image, Nano Banana — read your images as references instead. They keep a pose, a face or a layout because you ask them to in the prompt, and several can take many references at once.
Which model for which job
Our picks after testing:
- Sketch or 3D blockout to finished art: Flux 2 Dev.
- Light clean-up that keeps your image: Z Image Base at 30–60 % strength.
- Restyle a photo as anime or a painting: Flux 2 Dev or Seedream 5.0 Pro.
- Combine several images: Seedream 5.0 Pro (10), Nano Banana 2 (14) or GPT Image 2 (16).
Prompts that keep what matters
Reference models change whatever you don't pin down. Start with what must stay — “same pose”, “same composition”, “same woman and dress” — then describe the change. With several images, refer to them by number.
By the Kenerate AI teamLast updated and reviewed
We build and run the Kenerate image generator. Every before-and-after is a real output of the model named under it, made from our own AI images; app facts were checked against its code.
