Image to image AI takes a picture you supply, such as a sketch, a photo or a rough layout, and redraws it as new artwork in a look you choose, keeping the composition while changing the style. In Alomations you upload the reference, pick a look from the style library and get a print-ready design back without writing a prompt.
This is for print on demand sellers who can picture a design but cannot draw it, and for anyone who wants a run of designs that share one style. It is also how a buyer's photo becomes an illustrated portrait. The part that needs care is the reference itself: the result is only yours to sell if the starting picture was yours to use.
What image to image does, and what it does not
Text to image starts from words. You describe a design and the model invents the pose, the framing and every detail. Image to image starts from a picture, so the layout, the subject and the proportions come from you, and the model's job is to redraw them in a new style.
That makes it the better choice when you already know what the design should look like. A pencil sketch of a dog in a party hat, a photo of your own front porch, a quick arrangement of shapes and text: each gives the model a structure to follow, and the result keeps it.
It is not a way to restyle finished artwork that belongs to someone else. Uploading another person's illustration and asking for the same thing in a new look produces a derivative of their work, not a new design. The section on keeping the result original covers where to draw that line.
Choosing a look from the style library
The style library holds 90 looks, grouped by family, each with sample images so you can see what it produces before you use it. You pick a look and fill in the blanks it asks for. There is no prompt to write, and new looks are added regularly. Our article on the style library and its 90 looks walks through the families.
When you pick a look for a redraw, weigh four things:
The product. Bold, flat looks with clear outlines read well on a shirt from across a room. Detailed, painterly looks suit canvas prints and mugs, where the buyer looks closer.
The garment colour. A look built on fine dark linework needs a light shirt, or a light version of the design for dark shirts.
The series. If you plan several designs for one niche, one look across all of them gives your shop a style buyers recognise.
The lettering. Some looks return the artwork and the lettering as separate layers, so you can change the headline later without touching the picture.
The library also includes an anime look, and an ultrasound look that cleans a real scan for print.
From reference to print-ready file, step by step
Prepare the reference. Crop it to the subject and remove anything you do not want in the design.
Start a new AI design, choose the image to image option ("Choose a look") and upload the reference.
Pick a look from the style library and fill in its blanks, such as the phrase or the occasion.
Compare the result with the reference. Check that the subject still reads at shirt size, not only at full screen.
Keep the version you like. It is saved to your Design Library, ready for a listing run.
Every design comes back print-ready at 12 inches and 300 DPI, which is 3,600 pixels on the long side, as a transparent PNG with an SVG alongside.
What makes a good reference
The model follows what it can see, so a clean reference gives a cleaner redraw.
One clear subject. A single pet, object or figure redraws better than a crowded scene.
Even light. Hard shadows across a face or an object can turn into dark patches in the new style.
A simple background. A busy background competes with the subject, so remove it first when you can.
Detail where it matters. A blurry face stays vague in the redraw, because there is nothing for the model to follow.
The layout you want. If you want the subject facing left with space above it for text, set that up in the reference.
If the design will carry words, plan the lettering instead of hoping it appears. Our guide to describing a POD design to an AI image model covers text and composition in more depth.
Keeping the result original
A redraw changes the style, not the ownership. Before you upload a reference, ask where it came from. The table is a practical starting point rather than legal advice: if you are unsure about a particular image, read its licence or ask a qualified professional.
| Reference | Fine to redraw and sell? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your own sketch or doodle | Yes | You made it |
| A photo you took yourself | Yes, if nothing protected is in it | The photo is yours, a logo or character in it is not |
| A buyer's photo sent with an order | For that buyer's order only | They supplied it for their own product |
| Stock photo or clipart | Only if the licence covers products for sale | Licences differ and some exclude merchandise |
| Another seller's design | No | A new style does not make their design yours |
| Brands, characters, celebrities, sports teams | No | They belong to their owners |
Etsy's own rules point the same way. Print on demand items sit in Etsy's "Designed by" category, which "also includes seller-prompted AI creations", and "Seller-prompted AI creations must disclose the use of AI" (Etsy's guide to item categories). Etsy also says it "is unable to make legal determinations on infringement allegations" (Etsy's intellectual property overview), and "Repeat reports of infringement may result in the loss of account privileges" (Etsy on reported listings). Our articles on selling AI-generated art on Etsy and trademark basics for POD sellers go further.
Finishing the design and listing it
A redraw usually gets you close, and the last steps happen in the Design Editor, which comes with paid plans. There you can add or replace text, remove a background in one click, recolour a palette or a single element, add an outline, or erase a stray mark.
Light and dark versions come from one design, so the artwork reads on white garments and on black. Tone rules per garment colour decide which version each shirt colour gets, automatically, and you can override the choice.
From there the design goes into a listing run: pick mockups and a template, choose live or draft, and the run renders the mockups, writes a title, all 13 tags and the description, and publishes to your Etsy shop. A full listing costs about 10 credits from an AI-generated design. The Free plan includes up to 4 AI images a month, and the plans page lists what each plan includes. Before you publish, our checklist of what to check in AI designs before listing is worth a pass.
Frequently asked questions
Is image to image the same as tracing?
No. Tracing copies an image's outlines. Image to image keeps the composition and the subject but redraws every line in the chosen look, so the result is new artwork built on your reference.
Can I use a photo of my own pet or house?
Yes. A photo you took yourself is the cleanest kind of reference. Check that nothing protected appears in it, such as a brand logo on a mug in the background.
Do I need to tell buyers the design used AI?
Etsy requires seller-prompted AI creations to disclose the use of AI, so say so in the listing. Etsy's guide to item categories has the details.
What if the redraw changes something I wanted to keep?
Start with a cleaner reference: crop tighter, fix the light or remove the background. If the look itself fights the subject, try another look from the same family and compare the two.
You can start on the Alomations Free plan with no card needed, and see there what each plan includes.