Reference image editing: write a clear keep-and-change brief

A useful reference edit starts with one decision: what should change in this picture? This guide follows a single task—moving an adult portrait into a quiet studio setting while asking the model to retain the existing pose and clothing. The same brief structure works for other subjects, but a reference guides generation rather than locking every detail in place.

Contents:

• Prepare a suitable reference
• Separate source framing from output crop
• Write the keep-and-change brief
• Run one focused edit
• Inspect the result against the source
• Troubleshoot with small iterations
• Decide when the result is suitable

Prepare a suitable reference

Choose a photo you own or have permission to edit. For another person's portrait, get consent for the intended transformation and use. Start with one adult subject, visible facial features, and enough space around the shoulders to judge whether the composition changes. A busy background is workable, but overlapping hair, glass, and patterned clothing create more boundaries to inspect afterward.

Upload JPEG, PNG, or WebP within the general 15 MiB input limit. A provider or storage configuration may impose a lower limit. Converting an unsupported file to a supported format changes its encoding; renaming its extension does not. Keep the original separately, and avoid repeatedly compressing the only copy. Enlargement before upload cannot recreate information absent from the photograph.

Open the image editor for an existing photo. The homepage generator also offers image-to-image and text-to-image. Use image-to-image when the photo is the starting point; text-to-image is appropriate when you want a new scene without relying on that source.

Separate source framing from output crop

Source framing is what the uploaded photo actually shows: camera angle, subject position, visible body, and surrounding context. Output crop is the shape and framing you request for the generated image. Choosing a portrait ratio does not tell the model which shoulder, hand, or background feature matters. It may recompose the scene rather than simply cut the sides away.

For the studio portrait, first use a similar shape to the source where the selected model supports it. Keep both shoulders visible and describe the desired headroom. If the source cuts off an arm, a wider result may invent the missing portion. Treat that extension as a generated possibility, not recovered truth.

If a taller composition is the actual task, consult the landscape-to-portrait case page. Decide whether you need a conventional crop in a separate image tool or newly generated surroundings. Those are different operations with different review requirements.

Write the keep-and-change brief

Put the main change first, then name a few concrete details to retain, and finish with a boundary. Avoid a long list of unrelated improvements. “Make it professional” leaves the background, expression, clothing, and lighting open to interpretation. A brief can request consistency, but it cannot guarantee an identical face or untouched pixels.

Use this starting prompt in the editor's AI Edit task:

Replace the busy background behind this adult with a quiet warm-gray photography studio. Try to retain the seated pose, relaxed expression, dark blue shirt, and shoulder-level framing. Use soft window light from the left with a gentle contact shadow. Keep both shoulders visible; do not add accessories, text, or another person.

The background is the primary change. Lighting supports that setting rather than introducing an unrelated makeover. Mention distinctive glasses or clothing seams if they matter, but expect to verify them visually. For a broader selection of editing tasks, see the image modifier case page.

Run one focused edit

Select AI Edit, upload the reference, and enter the brief. Sign in and check the displayed credit cost before generating; generation requires credits. Choose a model and review its available controls. Aspect ratio, quality, image count, and output options vary by model and surface, so follow the controls shown rather than a setting list from another model.

The editor also provides shortcuts for background removal, object erasure, frame expansion, photo enhancement, and adjustment. These frame requests through prompts; they are not proof of a precise selection mask or guaranteed preservation. Use the general AI Edit task for the studio replacement brief rather than adding an unrelated shortcut instruction.

Record the source filename, prompt, model, and visible settings in your own notes. Save the generated version separately. Keeping that record makes a later comparison useful: if you change both model and wording, you will have less basis for deciding which change helped.

Inspect the result against the source

Compare the source and output at similar viewing sizes, then zoom in on areas that matter. Judge the requested background replacement before accepting the overall mood. A pleasing studio backdrop does not compensate for an altered expression when the portrait must still represent the person faithfully.

• Check face shape, eye direction, glasses, and expression for unwanted changes.
• Follow hair and shoulder edges for halos, missing strands, or background fragments.
• Check shirt seams, buttons, fingers, and accessories for invented or merged details.
• Compare light direction, skin highlights, and contact shadows for visual consistency.
• Review headroom and shoulder placement at the intended final display size.

Inspect any writing or branding separately. Generated lettering and fine patterns can differ from the source. If one detail is essential, treat a mismatch as a reason to revise or reject the version, even when the rest looks convincing.

Troubleshoot with small iterations

When the face drifts, reduce the requested changes and return to the original reference. Do not keep feeding altered faces back into generation if fidelity matters. Try a narrower brief:

Change only the background to a plain warm-gray studio wall. Try to retain the adult subject's existing facial features, expression, hair, shirt, pose, and framing. Keep the original lighting direction. Do not introduce beauty retouching or accessories.

When the subject is cropped too tightly, revise framing rather than stacking style adjectives:

Use a chest-up portrait composition with both shoulders fully visible and a small space above the head. Keep the subject centered against the warm-gray studio background. Avoid cutting through the shoulders; do not add hands that are outside the reference frame.

If edges remain inconsistent, try a clearer source or another supported model, changing one variable per attempt. If upload fails, check format and size first. If generation cannot start, check login, available credits, and the displayed service message. Repeatedly submitting the same request is not a substitute for understanding the failure.

Decide when the result is suitable

Accept a version only when the requested change works and the retained details meet your purpose. A creative profile illustration may tolerate more reinterpretation than a factual portrait or a product listing. Generated detail is not evidence of what was present in an obscured area, and a realistic-looking result does not establish authenticity.

Keep the source, label illustrative edits when context calls for it, and confirm the depicted person's consent before sharing. For exact geometry, indispensable text, or an unchanged identity, use a workflow that allows direct pixel editing and inspection. Stop when another generation would add uncertainty without solving the actual task.