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Image-to-Image Prompts Guide (2026): Relight, Restyle & Swap Backgrounds
By MetaHill Tech · October 7, 2026
Image-to-image (img2img) starts from your photo. The prompt should say what changes—not re-describe the whole scene. Upload a reference in UltraPix, then paste edit-only instructions. Compare with text-to-image cheatsheet.
When image-to-image beats text-to-image
Use img2img when you already have composition you like— a product angle, a portrait pose, or a sketch. Text-to-image is faster from zero; img2img is faster when the camera work is done.
Pick a clear, well-lit reference. Blur and heavy filters force the model to guess structure.
Prompt patterns that work
Add strength / creativity controls if your model exposes them: lower strength preserves geometry; higher strength allows bigger style jumps.
Relight only
Prompt
Keep composition and subject identical; change lighting to golden hour, warm highlights, long soft shadows, cinematic color grade.
Tip: Start with ‘keep composition’ when you upload a reference photo.
Style transfer
Prompt
Same pose and outfit; render as 1990s anime cel shading, bold outlines, limited palette, grain overlay.
Img2img workflow in UltraPix
Generate or import → image-to-image → optional background removal → upscale before you post or print.
See also the how to write AI image prompts hub for fundamentals and the text-to-image cheatsheet when you start from zero.
Run these prompts in UltraPix
Paste a prompt and generate in seconds with text-to-image and image-to-image.
FAQ
- Does image-to-image work the same way as text-to-image?
- In UltraPix, both flows use the same generate screen—pick a model, set aspect ratio, paste your prompt, and run. Image-to-image adds your upload as the starting frame.
Get UltraPix
Download UltraPix to try text-to-image, background removal, and upscale in one app.