---
title: "Should I Regenerate an AI Image or Edit It? | ImageQuarry"
url: https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/should-i-regenerate-or-edit/
last_updated: 2026-10-20
---

# Should I regenerate an image or edit it?

Edit when the image is mostly right and one or two things are wrong; regenerate when the composition, subject or style is wrong. An edit keeps what already works, while a new generation starts the whole image over and can lose it.

OpenAI's prompting guide recommends refining one thing at a time and inspecting the result, which is the editing route. When an image needs many changes at once, a rewritten prompt is often simpler than a long chain of edits.

In ImageQuarry both routes stay in one project: a new generation and an edited version sit side by side, so you can compare before you choose.

_Sources: OpenAI image prompting guide; ImageQuarry homepage. Checked October 20, 2026. The table is editorial guidance._

Next step: [When should I start over instead of editing again?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/when-should-i-start-over/)

## Related questions

- [What are image variations in AI?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/what-are-image-variations/): Alternative results for the same request, side by side.
- [Can I edit an earlier version instead of the latest one?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/can-i-edit-an-earlier-version-instead-of-the-latest/): Yes. Branch from it and the later versions stay.
- [When should I start over instead of editing again?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/when-should-i-start-over/): When the subject, layout or style is wrong.
- [Can you edit a photo by describing the change in words?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/can-you-edit-a-photo-by-describing-the-change/): Yes. Say what to change and what to keep.

Last reviewed 2026-10-20 by ImageQuarry.

## Keep what works, change what does not

Edit the parts that are off in plain words, or generate again, and keep both results in one ImageQuarry project.