AI STYLE TRANSFER
AI style transfer from one image to another
AI style transfer takes the look of one image, its palette, light, texture or material, and applies it to another image whose content you want to keep. In ImageQuarry you start from your image, add one or more reference images that show the look, and describe what to borrow from them. References guide the result; review each version to see how closely it follows them. The trick is to be specific about which part of the reference you mean: its colors, its light or its surface, rather than everything at once.
Your image. Someone else's light. You decide what moves.
Last updated October 20, 2026
What AI style transfer is
AI style transfer is the process of rendering the content of one image with the visual character of another. You have a content image, the thing you want to keep, and a style image, the look you want to borrow. Early style transfer methods were known for repainting photos with the brushwork of famous paintings, laying a texture evenly over everything. Reference-guided editing is more selective. You can borrow just the color palette of a film still, just the hard noon light of a travel photo, or just the weave of a fabric swatch, and leave the rest of your image alone. That selectivity is what makes it useful for real work: a product shot in a brand's color world, a room concept in the light of a photo you admire, a jacket in the texture of a sample. In ImageQuarry the reference is added alongside your image, and your words say what to take from it.
Style transfer from a reference is not the same as picking a named style from a list. For named looks such as watercolor or comic art, see image styles.
What people transfer, with example requests
A palette from a film still
Color grading is often the look people want most. Use the still for its colors only.
Light from a travel photo
The quality of light is hard to describe and easy to show.
A fabric texture onto a garment
Designers test a material on a silhouette before sampling it.
A brand mood onto product shots
A set of shots from different days can be pulled into one visual family with one reference.
A material onto an object
Product and interior concepts often swap a surface finish.
How to transfer a style in ImageQuarry
- 01
Bring the image to keep
Upload the content image, or generate one from a description. This is the picture whose subject and layout you want to preserve.
- 02
Add the reference
Add one or more reference images that show the palette, light, texture or material you want to borrow.
- 03
Say what to borrow and what to keep
Select the version and write which quality of the reference to apply, and which parts of your image must stay.
- 04
Compare against the reference
Look at the new version next to the reference and the original, refine with another request, then choose and download.
What ImageQuarry offers for style transfer
References for a direction
Add a reference that shows a material or texture, a color or palette, a light, or a shape.
More than one reference
Add one or more references, for example one for color and one for texture. They guide the result; review each version to see how closely it follows them.
Keep the content
State what to keep, such as the product, the face or the layout, alongside what to borrow, then check the version.
References stay with the result
Each version lives with the prompts, sources and references that produced it, so you can see which reference made which look.
Try another reference without losing this one
Branch from the original to test a second reference, and compare the looks side by side.
How to get a clean style transfer
Name the quality you want. A reference image carries everything at once: its subject, its colors, its light, its grain, its composition. If you only say "in this style", the edit has to guess. Say "the colors", "the light" or "the surface texture" and the transfer becomes targeted.
Pick references that isolate one quality. A fabric swatch photographed flat is a better texture reference than a fashion photo where the fabric is a small part of the frame. A plain sky photo is a better light reference than a busy street. The less unrelated content a reference has, the less of it leaks into your image.
Expect content to bleed and correct it. References sometimes bring objects or shapes along with the look: a tree from the travel photo, a pattern from the wallpaper. If that happens, ask again from the previous version and add a line such as "take only the colors from the reference, add no new objects".
Push in steps. If the first version is too faint, ask for "more of the reference's palette" from that version. If it overshoots, go back one step and ask for a lighter touch. Two moderate steps usually look more natural than one heavy one.
Use references you are entitled to use. A reference shapes your result, so take it from your own photos, from material you have licensed, or from sources that allow this use. Closely imitating a living artist's distinctive work raises fairness and legal questions you should think through before publishing.
Filter-style transfer compared with reference-guided editing
| One-click style filter | Reference-guided edit in ImageQuarry | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the look comes from | A preset built into the tool | A reference image you choose |
| What gets applied | The whole look, everywhere | The quality you name: color, light, texture or shape |
| Protecting your content | Little control | A keep clause in the request, then review |
| Comparing looks | Undo and try another preset | Each look is a version you can compare |
Limits of AI style transfer
References guide, they do not dictate
Results follow a reference more or less closely from one version to the next. Review each version and refine rather than expecting an exact match.
Content can leak
Shapes and objects from a reference can appear in your image. Ask again with a clear instruction to borrow only the named quality.
Still images, not video
ImageQuarry works on images. Applying a style across video frames needs a video tool.
Rights in the reference
Make sure you may use both your content image and your reference before publishing, and read the tool's terms for commercial work.
Plans for style transfer
Style transfer runs on a paid monthly plan: Starter at $9 per month with 100 image credits a month, or Pro at $29 per month with 300 image credits a month.
| ImageQuarry plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $9 per month | 100 image credits a month; optional metered overage at $0.12 per extra credit, off unless you turn it on |
| Pro | $29 per month | 300 image credits a month; optional metered overage at $0.09 per extra credit, off unless you turn it on |
AI style transfer questions
Is there a free AI style transfer tool?
ImageQuarry charges for every plan, so it is not one; Starter costs $9 per month and includes 100 image credits. Transfers with references use those credits like any other edit.
How do I transfer a style from one image to another?
Upload the image you want to keep, add the image whose look you want as a reference, and write what to borrow, such as "use the reference's warm palette and soft light; keep my layout." Then compare the result with the reference.
Can I do AI style transfer online?
Yes, in a browser at app.imagequarry.com. Once you have an account and a plan, you can upload both images and run the transfer there.
Is there AI style transfer with no sign up?
Not in ImageQuarry. An account and a paid plan come first, since references and versions are kept in your workspace.
Can I use AI style transfer on video?
No. ImageQuarry is an image workspace and does not process video. You could transfer a look onto individual stills, but applying it to moving footage takes a video tool.
Can I use more than one reference?
Yes. Add one or more references, for example a swatch for texture and a photo for light, and say in the request which reference supplies what. Review each version to see how closely it follows them.
Why does my result copy objects from the reference?
Because the reference contains more than the look you wanted. Ask again from the earlier version, name only the quality to borrow, and say not to add new objects, or choose a reference with less going on in it.
Does a different model change the transfer?
It can give a different result. If a transfer is not what you hoped, choose another of the four models and send the same request, then compare the versions.
Related guides
Create an image. Edit it with words. Keep refining.
Show the look you want, then keep your image.
Add a reference, name the quality to borrow, and compare each version against it.
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