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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.

Try
  • Seedream 5.0 Pro edit
  • House sketch → render
  • Sneaker sketch → product photo
  • Doodle → 3D plush
  • Line art → anime colour
  • Keeps your composition
  • Photo, 3D or illustration
  • Free credits
  • No watermark

Updated by the

Made with Kenerate

Quick answer

Updated

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

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 sketch: Turn this sketch into a photorealistic architectural render of the same house at golden hour, same shape and windows, landscaped gardenYour sketchInput
  • Seedream 5.0 Pro: Turn this sketch into a photorealistic architectural render of the same house at golden hour, same shape and windows, landscaped gardenSeedream 5.0 Pro2K
  • Flux 2 Dev: Turn this sketch into a photorealistic architectural render of the same house at golden hour, same shape and windows, landscaped gardenFlux 2 DevFree plan
  • Z Image Base (80 %): Turn this sketch into a photorealistic architectural render of the same house at golden hour, same shape and windows, landscaped gardenZ Image Base (80 %)Strength slider

How to

How to use the sketch to image AI

Time needed
Steps
4 steps
  1. Step 1

    Photograph or scan your sketch

    Clear, dark lines on white paper work best.

  2. Step 2

    Upload it in /app/image

    Pick Seedream 5.0 Pro for fidelity or Flux 2 Dev on the free plan.

  3. Step 3

    Describe the finish

    “Turn this sketch into a … keep the same shape.”

  4. Step 4

    Download

    No watermark. Upscale for print.

Kenerate AI Image Studio with a text prompt typed into the prompt box

Open Image Studio and type what you want to see — subject, style, lighting and mood.

1 / 5 · Describe your image

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.

  • Seedream 5.0 Pro title card — a gallery-worthy photoreal portrait of a fictional adult woman with freckles in golden-hour light

    ByteDance

    Seedream 5.0 Pro

    Reference images
    Up to 10
    Output
    2K

    Best for

    Most faithful to the sketch

    Open Seedream 5.0 Pro
  • Flux 2 Dev title card — a photoreal rainy neon city street at dusk
    Free plan

    Black Forest Labs

    Flux 2 Dev

    Reference images
    Up to 3
    Output
    2048 px

    Best for

    Free plan; up to 3 references

    Open Flux 2 Dev
  • Z Image Base title card — a portrait of a red fox that transitions smoothly from photograph on the left to oil painting on the right

    Alibaba Tongyi

    Z Image Base

    Reference images
    1 (strength)
    Output
    2048 px

    Best for

    Control how much changes

    Open Z Image Base
  • GPT Image 2 title card — elegant gold-foil lettering pressed into thick black letterpress card

    OpenAI

    GPT Image 2

    Reference images
    Up to 16
    Output
    1K–4K

    Best for

    Sketches with labels or text

    Open GPT Image 2

Example uses

How creators use sketch to image AI

Illustrative examples of typical workflows, not customer reviews.

  • Render of a timber cabin among pines at dusk

    Architect

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

  • Sage green desk lamp product photo on grey

    Product designer

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

  • 3D plush dinosaur toy rendered from a doodle

    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 answer

Is 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 answer

Will 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 answer

How 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 answer

Does 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 answer

Can 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 answer

In depth

Sketch to Image AI, explained

What works, what to avoid, and how to pick a model.

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.

By Last updated and reviewed

We build and run the Kenerate generator. Every example is a real output of the model named under it; models and presets were checked against the app's code.

Try the sketch to image AI

Free to start. No watermark.

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