# Image-to-image (img2img)

**Source:** https://promtable.com/glossary/img2img

> Image-to-image starts a diffusion generation from an existing image instead of pure noise, restyling or refining it.

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Image-to-image starts a diffusion generation from an existing image instead of pure noise, restyling or refining it.

Image-to-image (img2img) seeds a diffusion run with your input image rather than random noise, so the output inherits the source's composition, pose, and layout while the prompt re-renders its style, materials, and detail. How far it strays is set by denoising strength. Compared with inpainting (which edits a masked region) and outpainting (which extends the frame), img2img transforms the whole image at once. It is the workhorse for turning sketches into renders, photos into illustrations, low-res drafts into polished frames, and for iterating on a near-miss generation without losing what already works.

## When to use

- Restyling a whole image while keeping its composition.
- Turning a rough sketch, 3D blockout, or photo into a finished render.
- Refining a generation you almost like (low denoising strength).

## When not to use

- Editing one small area only — use inpainting for surgical control.
- Starting from nothing — that is plain text-to-image.

## Example

```
Input: img2img from a pencil sketch, denoising 0.6, prompt: "oil painting, dramatic side light"
Output: A painterly render that follows the sketch's lines but adds color, light, and texture.
```

## Common mistakes

- Confusing img2img with inpainting — img2img changes the entire frame.
- Cranking denoising near 1.0 and losing the source entirely.
- Assuming low strength fixes a weak prompt; structure is kept, quality still tracks the prompt.

## Related terms

- [inpainting](https://promtable.com/glossary/inpainting)
- [denoising-strength](https://promtable.com/glossary/denoising-strength)
- [cfg-scale](https://promtable.com/glossary/cfg-scale)
- [diffusion-model](https://promtable.com/glossary/diffusion-model)
- [seed](https://promtable.com/glossary/seed)

## Sources

- [Hugging Face Diffusers — image-to-image](https://huggingface.co/docs/diffusers/using-diffusers/img2img)

*Last updated: 2026-06-02*
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Original page: https://promtable.com/glossary/img2img
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