Question
How do I tell AI what to keep unchanged in an edit?
Name it in the same instruction as the change. Write the change first, then list what must stay, for example "make the jacket ivory; keep the face, hands, crop and background". Short, concrete nouns work better than "keep everything else the same", and one change per request is easiest to hold.
Models follow concrete words. "Keep the logo", "keep the label text", "keep the window light from the left" give the model something specific to protect. A vague "do not change anything else" helps, and Google's documentation uses it in its examples, but it is weaker than a list.
If the image includes a reference, say what the reference is for ("use this fabric for the jacket only") so it does not spill into the rest of the picture.
This is the wording ImageQuarry's own homepage example uses: "Use this texture on the jacket. Keep the face, hands, crop, and background." The edit arrives as a new version beside the source, so you can check each item on your keep list against it.
Source: Google's Gemini image generation documentation and the ImageQuarry homepage, checked October 20, 2026.
Related questions
Last reviewed October 20, 2026 by ImageQuarry
Create an image. Edit it with words. Keep refining.
Say the change. Say what stays
Write one instruction with the change and a short keep list, then compare the new version with the source.
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