--- title: "Reference Image AI Generator: Show the Direction" url: https://www.imagequarry.com/reference-image-ai-generator/ last_updated: 2026-10-20 --- # Reference image AI generator: show the material, color, light or shape you mean A reference image AI generator lets you show a direction instead of only describing it. Words are good at naming things and weak at conveying the exact grain of a wood, the blue of a particular evening or the curve of a chair leg. In ImageQuarry you add source and reference images, and each reference points to a direction such as a material or texture, a color or palette, a light, or a shape. You can add one or more; they guide the result, and you review each version to see how closely it follows them. Begin by saying in your request what each reference is for. Point at it, then say what to take from it. ## What a reference image does in AI generation A reference image is a picture you supply to steer a result, not a picture you want edited. The difference matters. A source image is the thing being changed: your product photo, your room, your sketch. A reference sits beside the request and says "this, but for that quality": the texture of this fabric, the palette of this sunset, the hard window light in this portrait, the silhouette of this lamp. Reference-guided generation is useful whenever a quality is easier to show than to name. Designers already work this way with mood boards and swatches; a reference image AI generator turns that habit into part of the request. The skill lies in being explicit. A reference contains many qualities at once, and the tool cannot know which one you meant unless you say so. "Use the color from the first reference and the light from the second" is a far clearer instruction than two pictures and no explanation. _A reference is not a template to copy. It guides one quality of the result. To change a picture you already have, it is the source image, and the job is image editing._ ## Reference requests, one per kind of direction - **Material or texture**: Show a surface you want on a new object: a weave, a stone, a glaze, a worn leather. - **Color or palette**: Pull a set of colors from a painting, a photo or a swatch card, without copying the subject. - **Light**: Borrow the direction, hardness and warmth of light from a photo you admire. - **Shape**: Use an object's outline or proportions as the starting form for something new. - **Two references, two jobs**: Give each reference a separate role so they do not fight over the same quality. ## How to generate with a reference image 1. **Start a picture or bring one** Describe the image you want, or upload the source you want changed. This is what the reference will act on. 2. **Add the reference and give it a job** Attach one or more reference images and say in your request which quality each one supplies: material, color, light or shape. 3. **Check how closely it followed** References guide the result rather than fix it, so look at the new version against the reference. If it took too much or too little, say so in the next request. 4. **Compare and keep the best match** Put the versions side by side, choose the one that captures the reference best and download it. ## Reference tools in ImageQuarry - **Four kinds of direction**: A reference can show a material or texture, a color or palette, a light, or a shape. - **One or several references**: Add more than one reference to a request. They guide the result, and you review each version to see how closely it follows them. - **Say what to keep, too**: Pair a reference with a keep instruction, such as keeping the cut of a garment while its texture changes. - **References stay with the version**: Every version is stored with the prompt, the source and the references that produced it, so you can see which swatch did what. - **Try a reference on another branch**: Branch from an earlier version to test a different reference without losing the first attempt. ## Choosing and using references well **Pick references that show one thing clearly.** A close crop of the fabric guides texture better than a full outfit photo where the fabric is a small part. A flat, evenly lit swatch carries color better than a dramatic photo where the light changes every hue. The cleaner the reference, the less the result has to guess. **Name the quality in the request.** Every reference contains texture, color, light and shape at once. If you only want one of them, say so: "palette only", "just the light", "the shape, not the material". Without that, a result can borrow the subject or the composition of the reference when you only wanted its mood. **Give each reference its own role.** Two references for the same quality, such as two different palettes, pull against each other and often average into something muddy. Two references for different qualities, such as a stone texture and an evening light, usually combine well. Number them in the request so the roles are clear. **Expect guidance, not a copy.** A reference shapes the direction of the result; it does not paste pixels across. Some versions follow closely, some loosely. When a version strays, describe the gap in words: "the grain should be coarser, like the reference", "warmer, closer to the orange in the reference". **Use references for consistency across a set.** If several images need the same material or palette, reuse the same reference for each request. That gives the set a shared anchor that words alone struggle to hold, and the stored references show later which images were made with which swatch. **Character references need extra care.** People often search for a character reference generator to keep one face across many images. A reference can help, but identity is the hardest thing to hold steady, so review every face. The consistent character page covers that job in depth. ## Words only compared with words plus a reference | Question | Describing in words only | Words plus a reference image | |---|---|---| | Exact texture or grain | Hard: words like "rough linen" cover many looks | Show the surface and name it as the material reference | | A specific palette | Possible with color names, but approximate | Point at the palette and ask for those colors only | | Lighting mood | Describe direction, warmth and hardness | Show a photo with the light and ask for that light | | Risk of copying | Low | Higher if you do not say which quality to take | | Best for | Ideas you can name precisely | Qualities you recognize when you see them | ## What references can and cannot do - **References guide, they do not dictate**: Results vary in how closely they follow a reference. Review each version and adjust your request when it drifts. - **Mixed signals blur**: Too many references, or several for the same quality, tend to produce muddy results. Fewer, clearer references work better. - **Use pictures you may use**: A reference you upload is still someone's image. Prefer your own photos, swatches you made, or images whose terms allow this use, and read any tool's terms before relying on it. - **Faces are hard to hold**: A face reference does not guarantee the same person in every image. For headshots of real people, a dedicated headshot service is a different kind of product. ## Pricing for reference-guided work A request with references is paid usage like any other generation. Choose Starter at $9 per month with 100 image credits a month or Pro at $29 per month with 300 image credits a month. - Starter: Starter at $9 per month with 100 image credits a month - Pro: Pro at $29 per month with 300 image credits a month ## Questions about reference image AI generators ### Is there a free AI image generator with reference image support? ImageQuarry is not one: every plan is paid, starting with Starter at $9 per month. References are part of normal requests on either plan, so there is no extra step to unlock them. Each generation counts against the image credits in your plan. ### Can I use a reference image with no login or sign up? Not on ImageQuarry. You create an account and choose a plan at app.imagequarry.com before you can upload references, because your references are kept with the versions they helped make. ### How many reference images can I add? You can add one or more references to a request. In practice, two or three with distinct roles work better than many, because each extra reference adds another direction for the result to balance. ### Will the result copy my reference? It should not, if you name what to take. A reference guides a quality such as texture, palette, light or shape. Say which one you want, and if a version borrows too much, ask again and say so. ### Can I use a reference for a character? You can add a picture of a character as a reference, and it can help the next images look closer to it. Holding the same face across many images is hard for any generator, so check each version and adjust your request when features drift. ### Is this like using reference images in Photoshop? The idea is similar, the method differs. In a layer editor you sample colors or paint textures by hand. Here you attach the reference, describe what to take from it, and review the version that comes back. Many people use both: AI for the direction, a layer editor for final touches. ### Which model works with references? References are part of the request, and you can run the same request on any of the four models: Nano Banana 2.1 (the default), Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2.5 Flare or GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst. Compare the versions to see which follows your reference the way you want. ### Do references cost extra credits? Credit use depends on the model and the operation, and those weights are not published. Starter includes 100 image credits a month and Pro 300; references are part of the request rather than a separate purchase. ## Related guides - [Reference images](https://www.imagequarry.com/reference-images/): Guides to steering images with references - [AI style transfer](https://www.imagequarry.com/ai-style-transfer/): Take a whole style, not one quality - [Image to image AI](https://www.imagequarry.com/image-to-image-ai/): When your picture is the source, not the reference - [AI image variations](https://www.imagequarry.com/ai-image-variations/): Explore takes once the reference has landed - [AI image guides](https://www.imagequarry.com/guides/): Every ImageQuarry guide in one place ## Show it once, then say what to take Add a reference for the material, color, light or shape you mean, name its job in the request, and review how closely each version follows.