Begin with authorization

Before uploading a file, confirm that you created it, licensed it for this use, received permission from the owner, or can otherwise use it lawfully. If an identifiable person appears, consider whether that person agreed to the intended transformation and publication. A publicly visible image is not automatically free to reuse.

Keep a simple source record for professional work: filename, creator, license or permission, date obtained, and intended project. This takes a minute and prevents uncertainty later. If permission is unclear, choose a different source or create your own reference.

Define the job of the reference

A reference can communicate several kinds of information, but asking it to control everything makes results harder to direct. Decide what you want to preserve. Is it the arrangement of shapes, the direction of light, a color relationship, a material finish, or the broad proportions of an object?

Write that intention into the prompt. For example: “Use the uploaded image only as a guide for the blue-and-amber palette; create a new harbor composition.” Or: “Keep the top-down arrangement of three objects, but redesign every object as simple folded paper.” This gives the model a positive transformation goal and helps you evaluate the result.

Prefer references you made for the task

Rough sketches, phone photographs of your own objects, simple blockouts, and color swatches are excellent references because their role is obvious. They contain less accidental visual information than a polished image from another creator. A five-minute layout sketch can communicate placement more clearly than a detailed picture with the wrong lighting and materials.

For composition, use large shapes and strong value differences. For color, create a small palette strip. For material, crop tightly around the surface. For an object, photograph it against a plain background from the angle you want. Purpose-built sources make prompting shorter and ownership easier to document.

Prepare the file before upload

Crop away irrelevant areas so the important information occupies most of the image. Correct extreme rotation, remove private details, and avoid including names, addresses, screens, or background faces that are unrelated to the task. Use JPG, PNG, or WEBP and keep the file under the upload limit.

Resolution should be sufficient to show the intended structure but does not need to be enormous. A clean medium-size image often works better than a large noisy file. If the source contains text, assume generated lettering will not be reliable; plan to add accurate typography afterward.

Pair the image with a transformation brief

The prompt should explain what changes and what remains. Use a sentence with two clauses: “Preserve the compact silhouette and front-facing view; transform the object into a ceramic desk radio with rounded controls.” This is easier to interpret than a vague instruction such as “make it better.”

When the result follows the source too closely, increase conceptual distance. Change the setting, material, era, function, or composition. When it drifts too far, simplify the prompt and identify one structural feature to preserve. Revision should adjust the relationship between source and brief, not simply add more style words.

Protect privacy in everyday photos

Reference files may contain metadata and background information beyond the main subject. Export a fresh copy when possible, crop private surroundings, and check reflections, screens, badges, documents, and location clues. Avoid uploading confidential work, private correspondence, financial information, health records, or any file you would not want processed by an external service.

Frame AI Studio passes an uploaded reference through server memory to an external asset and generation provider. The application does not intentionally save the image file on its VPS, but external providers may have their own processing and retention practices. Review the Privacy Policy and use a non-sensitive source.

Avoid accidental imitation

Using a single finished artwork as the entire creative direction can produce a result that feels derivative. Build a small reference board from material you are authorized to use, with each image answering a different question. One source can define palette, another can show object construction, and your own sketch can define composition.

Describe observable qualities rather than requesting a living creator's signature look. “Flat geometric shadows, restrained teal palette, rough paper texture” is a usable design brief. It also helps you understand what you actually value in the reference and gives you more control over revision.

Evaluate the output before publishing

Generated results still require human review. Check whether the image reproduces a logo, recognizable protected character, private detail, or distinctive element you did not intend to carry forward. Verify that people and objects are represented respectfully and accurately enough for the context. If the source had usage conditions, confirm the result and planned distribution remain within them.

For client work, save the chosen output alongside the prompt and source record. Document any manual editing. A transparent workflow builds trust and makes it easier to answer later questions about how the image was produced.

Reference checklist

  • I own the source or have suitable permission.
  • Identifiable people agreed to the intended use.
  • The file contains no unnecessary private information.
  • I can state exactly what the source should guide.
  • The prompt explains what should change.
  • I will review the result for unintended copying or sensitive details.

The best reference is not necessarily the most polished image. It is the source that communicates one useful constraint while leaving enough room for a genuinely new solution.