Drawing in · finished image out
Sketch to Image AI
Upload a sketch, doodle or line art and describe the finished image — an architectural render, a product photo, a 3D toy or a coloured illustration. Your lines and proportions stay.
- Keeps your composition
- Photo, 3D or illustration
- Free credits
- No watermark
Updated by the Kenerate AI team
Made with Kenerate
On this page
Quick answer
What is sketch to image AI?
Sketch to image AI turns a drawing into a finished image: upload a sketch, doodle or line art, describe the result, and the model keeps your lines and proportions. On Kenerate AI, Seedream 5.0 Pro kept the shapes most faithfully in our tests. It suits architects, product designers, illustrators and parents turning children's drawings into toys.
Key facts
- Best fidelity
- Seedream 5.0 Pro · 2K
- Outputs
- Render · photo · 3D · illustration
- Free plan
- Flux 2 Dev
- Strength control
- Z Image Base
- Labels or text
- GPT Image 2
- Free start
- Starter credits
- Watermark
- None
Gallery
Sketches and what they became
Real Seedream 5.0 Pro edits at 2K, plus the input sketches. The warrior painting is a Flux 2 Dev edit.
Same prompt
One sketch, three models
The house sketch with the same prompt. Seedream and Flux 2 Dev made a finished render of the drawn house; Z Image Base at 80 % strength drew a different house with a pitched roof, so keep its strength low if the shape matters.
PromptTurn this sketch into a photorealistic architectural render of the same house at golden hour, same shape and windows, landscaped garden
Your sketchInput
Seedream 5.0 Pro2K
Flux 2 DevFree plan
Z Image Base (80 %)Strength slider
How to
How to use the sketch to image AI
- Time needed
- Steps
- 4 steps
Step 1
Photograph or scan your sketch
Clear, dark lines on white paper work best.
Step 2
Upload it in /app/image
Pick Seedream 5.0 Pro for fidelity or Flux 2 Dev on the free plan.
Step 3
Describe the finish
“Turn this sketch into a … keep the same shape.”
Step 4
Download
No watermark. Upscale for print.
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
Tips
Getting the most from a sketch
What worked in our tests.
Say “same shape”, “same pose” or “keep every line” so the drawing is respected.
Name the finish: photoreal render, studio product photo, 3D plush, anime colour.
Add materials and colours the sketch can't show: white leather, orange accents.
Give it light and a setting: golden hour, seamless grey background.
Clean, dark lines work best — photograph sketches in good light.
For small changes only, use Z Image Base with a lower strength.
Models
Models for sketch to image
What each model is good at. Open any one straight in the generator.

ByteDance
Seedream 5.0 Pro
- Reference images
- Up to 10
- Output
- 2K
Open Seedream 5.0 ProBest for
Most faithful to the sketch
- Free plan

Black Forest Labs
Flux 2 Dev
- Reference images
- Up to 3
- Output
- 2048 px
Open Flux 2 DevBest for
Free plan; up to 3 references

Alibaba Tongyi
Z Image Base
- Reference images
- 1 (strength)
- Output
- 2048 px
Open Z Image BaseBest for
Control how much changes

OpenAI
GPT Image 2
- Reference images
- Up to 16
- Output
- 1K–4K
Open GPT Image 2Best for
Sketches with labels or text
Example uses
How creators use sketch to image AI
Illustrative examples of typical workflows, not customer reviews.

Architect
An architect can turn a concept sketch into a client render that keeps the same shape and windows.

Product designer
A product designer can test colourways by turning one ballpoint sketch into studio product photos.

Parent
A parent can turn a child's doodle into a 3D plush-style toy render.
FAQ
Sketch to Image AI questions
Can AI turn a sketch into a realistic image?
Yes. Upload the sketch and say “turn this sketch into a photorealistic …, same shape”, and the model keeps your composition while adding materials, colour and light. Name what the sketch can't show, such as white leather with orange accents, and give it a setting like golden hour. Seedream 5.0 Pro turned our house sketch into a photoreal architectural render.
Link to this answerIs sketch to image free?
Yes, to start. A new Kenerate account gets free starter credits on sign-up, and Flux 2 Dev is on the free plan with up to 3 references. Seedream 5.0 Pro and bigger jobs use one-time credit packs rather than a subscription, and credits never expire. Downloads have no watermark, so a test render is ready to share.
Link to this answerWill it keep my drawing?
Yes, if you say so in the prompt: “same shape”, “same pose” or “keep every line”. Seedream 5.0 Pro was most faithful to the sketch in our tests. Z Image Base lets you set how much changes, but at 80 % strength it drew a different house with a pitched roof, so use a low strength when the shape matters. Clean, dark lines photographed in good light help too.
Link to this answerHow do I convert a sketch to an image?
Photograph or scan the sketch with clear, dark lines on white paper, upload it in /app/image and describe the finished image while asking for the same shape. Our pencil sketch of a house became a photoreal render on Seedream 5.0 Pro this way. Flux 2 Dev is the free-plan option, and Z Image Base lets you set how much changes.
Link to this answerDoes it work with children's doodles?
Yes. The round cat doodle on this page became a 3D rendered plush toy with the same round shape and big smile. Upload the drawing, describe the finish you want — a plush, a figure or a coloured illustration — and add “same shape” so the child's lines are kept. Photograph the doodle in good light first.
Link to this answerCan I turn line art into coloured art?
Yes. Upload the line art, describe the colours and background, and ask it to keep every line and the pose. Our elf ranger line art became a finished anime illustration with a green cloak, brown leather and a forest background on Seedream 5.0 Pro. Name the finish, such as anime colour, so the style matches.
Link to this answerIn depth
Sketch to Image AI, explained
What works, what to avoid, and how to pick a model.
On this page
How sketch to image works
Reference-based models read your sketch as a guide for shape and composition, then draw a finished image from your description. Noise-based models like Z Image Base redraw the sketch itself, with strength deciding how far they move from it.
Sketch to image, not photo to sketch
This page starts from a drawing and finishes it. If you want the opposite — a photo turned into a pencil, charcoal or ink drawing — use the photo to sketch tool. And if you're starting from a photo or finished picture you want restyled rather than a sketch, image to image AI is the better fit.
Uses beyond art
Architects turn concept sketches into client renders, product designers check colourways, illustrators colour line art, and parents turn children's drawings into toys — all from the same upload-and-describe flow.
















