# AI Style Transfer – Turn a Photo into a Painting | AI Image Tools Source page: https://www.aiimagetools.net/tools/ai-style-transfer > Turn a photo into a painting: oil, watercolor, sketch or any style you describe, keeping the subject and composition recognizable. Plain-text version of this page for AI assistants and readers. Site overview: https://www.aiimagetools.net/llms.txt Prices and plan details change; the current ones are on https://www.aiimagetools.net/pricing --- - [Home](https://www.aiimagetools.net/) - [Tools](https://www.aiimagetools.net/tools) - Style Transfer # AI Style Transfer Repaint a photo as an oil painting, watercolor, 1970s film or any style you can describe, while the subject stays recognizable. 17 — models to choose from ~25s — typical time, FLUX.1 Kontext 5–20 — credits per image, by model 10 MB — max upload ## Example prompts for Style Transfer The same prompts are behind the “Try an example” button in the input box; each click loads the next one. ### Oil painting Thick oil paint on canvas, visible brush strokes, warm Rembrandt lighting, muted earth tones ### 1970s film Shot on expired 35mm film, heavy grain, faded reds, soft halation around the highlights ### Watercolor Loose watercolor wash on rough paper, colors bleeding at the edges, lots of white space left bare ## Real results from Style Transfer A real result from this tool. Drag the handle to compare. After Before Drag to Compare Before & After Portrait repainted with the example prompt: thick oil paint on canvas, visible brush strokes, warm Rembrandt lighting ## Photo to painting: getting the look you want Turning a photo into a painting is the most common thing people use style transfer for. The model repaints the whole image in the medium you describe, so the words you choose matter more than any setting. ### Oil painting Ask for thick paint, visible brush strokes and a lighting style: "thick oil paint on canvas, visible brush strokes, warm Rembrandt lighting, muted earth tones". Portraits and pets suit it best. ### Watercolor Watercolor reads as watercolor when the paper shows: "loose watercolor wash on rough paper, colors bleeding at the edges, lots of white left bare". Landscapes, houses and flowers work especially well. ### Pencil or charcoal sketch "Graphite pencil sketch on cream paper, cross-hatched shading, unfinished edges". Strong light and shadow in the original photo give the sketch more to work with. ### Pet, couple and house portraits as gifts These are the photos people most often turn into paintings. Pick a photo where the subject is sharp and fills the frame; the style can be changed later, but missing detail can't be added back. ### A digital painting, not a hand-painted one Some of the results you will see when searching photo to painting are artists who paint your photo by hand on real canvas. This is not that: you get a digital image in a painted style, in about 25 seconds. If you want it on the wall, run it through the Image Upscaler first; one pass gives roughly 2,000 pixels on the long side, enough for a sharp print of about 7 inches at 300 dpi. ## Why Style Transfer on AI Image Tools ### Describe the style in words Thick oil paint with visible strokes, expired 35mm film, loose watercolor with bare paper. If you can describe it, the model can paint it. ### Composition survives The subject, pose and framing of your photo are kept; only the medium changes. ### Four models to taste Kontext is fast and faithful; Nano Banana follows long style descriptions closely; GPT Image 2.5 and Seedream 5 Pro bring the most texture. ### Example prompts to start from Three ready-made styles sit above the prompt box. Click one, tweak a word, run. ## Every image model in one place Pick any of these from the Model menu above; the price is shown before you generate. Each name links to what that model is good at. [Compare every tier](https://www.aiimagetools.net/models). ### Z-Image Turbo Alibaba · cheapest and fastest, text-to-image only 1 credits per image ### Seedream 5 Pro · 1K ByteDance · same model as 2K at half the price 9 credits per image ### GPT Image 2.5 Flare · 2K OpenAI · same price as Sunburst, tuned for speed and volume 13 credits per image ### Qwen Image 3 · 2K Alibaba · strong at readable text inside the image 6 credits per image ### [Nano Banana](https://www.aiimagetools.net/nano-banana) Google Gemini 2.5 Flash · fastest, cheapest 5 credits per image ### [Nano Banana 2.1 · 1K](https://www.aiimagetools.net/nano-banana-2) Google · newest Nano Banana, sharper text, banner ratios 10 credits per image ### [Nano Banana 2.1 · 2K](https://www.aiimagetools.net/nano-banana-2) Google · same model at 2K 15 credits per image ### [Nano Banana 2.1 · 4K](https://www.aiimagetools.net/nano-banana-2) Google · for print or heavy cropping 23 credits per image ### [Ideogram V3 · Turbo](https://www.aiimagetools.net/ideogram) Ideogram · text inside the image, fastest tier 5 credits per image ### [Ideogram V3 · Balanced](https://www.aiimagetools.net/ideogram) Ideogram · text inside the image, posters and logos 9 credits per image ### [Ideogram V3 · Quality](https://www.aiimagetools.net/ideogram) Ideogram · text inside the image, highest detail 13 credits per image ### [FLUX.1 Kontext](https://www.aiimagetools.net/flux-kontext) Black Forest Labs · fastest, about 5s per image 5 credits per image ### [Seedream 5 Lite](https://www.aiimagetools.net/seedream) ByteDance · good at Chinese text and posters 7 credits per image ### [Seedream 5 Pro · 2K](https://www.aiimagetools.net/seedream) ByteDance · most photorealistic, highest detail 18 credits per image ### [GPT Image 2 · 2K](https://www.aiimagetools.net/gpt-image) OpenAI · good with text in images, half the price of 2.5 7 credits per image ### [GPT Image 2 · 4K](https://www.aiimagetools.net/gpt-image) OpenAI · for print or heavy cropping 10 credits per image ### [GPT Image 2.5 · 2K](https://www.aiimagetools.net/gpt-image) OpenAI · newest, better instruction following 13 credits per image ### [GPT Image 2.5 · 4K](https://www.aiimagetools.net/gpt-image) OpenAI · newest, highest resolution 20 credits per image ## Style Transfer specifications InputOne JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC up to 10 MB PromptDescribe the medium, palette and light; strongly recommended ModelsFLUX.1 Kontext by default; Nano Banana, Nano Banana 2.1, Seedream 5 Lite / Pro, GPT Image 2 / 2.5 and Ideogram V3 selectable SizesSame as input, 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9 OutputPNG or JPEG depending on the model, saved to My Creations Cost5 to 20 credits per image, depending on the model TimeAbout 25 seconds with FLUX.1 Kontext; Seedream around 50 seconds, GPT Image about a minute Free plan10 credits on sign-in — 10 images on the default model; free downloads carry a small watermark ## How to use Style Transfer - Step 1 ### Upload the photo Portraits, pets, streets and landscapes all work. A clear subject gives the strongest result. - Step 2 ### Describe the style Name the medium and two or three characteristics. Click an example chip if you want a starting point. - Step 3 ### Generate and compare Try the same prompt on two models; they interpret "oil painting" differently, and one will suit the photo better. ## Get a better result A few choices before you upload change the output more than any setting on this page. ### Start from a sharp photo The model repaints what it can see. A soft or noisy source gives a soft, muddy painting, because there are no clear edges for brush strokes to follow. ### A clear subject beats a busy scene One person, one building, one object. Crowded frames lose their subject once the medium changes. ### Upscale afterwards if it is going to print Style transfer returns roughly a 1K image. Double it once the look is right. [Image Upscaler](https://www.aiimagetools.net/tools/ai-image-upscaler) ## How to write a prompt for Style Transfer ### Name the medium Oil on canvas, watercolor, charcoal, risograph print, cel animation. The medium does most of the work. ### Add two characteristics "Visible brush strokes, warm Rembrandt lighting" or "heavy grain, faded reds, soft halation". ### Describe technique, not living artists "Swirling impasto strokes" beats naming a painter, and it avoids imitating a living artist's signature style. ### Say what to keep "Keep the face recognizable and the composition unchanged" when the subject matters. ## Pricing Every tool draws from one balance. 40% OFF No hidden fees • Cancel anytime • Unused credits roll over 16% OFF - Save $18.8 $8.3/month $9.9/month $100/year billed yearly 480images / year $0.21 per image on Nano Banana - [Included] 2,400 Credits renew yearly - [Included] Or 120 images in 4KGPT Image 2.5 · 4K - [Included] All 26 tools, one balance - [Included] All 18 models, including the 4K tiers - [Included] Download without watermark 20% OFF - Save $70.8 Popular $24.0/month $29.9/month $288/year billed yearly 1,920images / year $0.15 per image on Nano Banana - [Included] 9,600 Credits renew yearly - [Included] Or 480 images in 4KGPT Image 2.5 · 4K - [Included] All 26 tools, one balance - [Included] All 18 models, including the 4K tiers - [Included] Download without watermark 40% OFF - Save $238.8 $30.0/month $49.9/month $360/year billed yearly 4,320images / year $0.083 per image on Nano Banana - [Included] 21,600 Credits renew yearly - [Included] Or 1,080 images in 4KGPT Image 2.5 · 4K - [Included] All 26 tools, one balance - [Included] All 18 models, including the 4K tiers - [Included] Download without watermark Swipe to compare plans → ## Style Transfer: frequently asked questions ### ### Which styles work best? Painterly and photographic styles: oils, watercolor, ink, film stocks, cel animation. Very abstract styles can lose the subject; add "keep the subject recognizable" if that happens. ### ### Will people still look like themselves? Usually yes; the instruction keeps the subject and composition. For portraits, add "keep the face recognizable" and prefer FLUX.1 Kontext or Nano Banana. ### ### Can I ask for a famous artist's style? Describe the technique instead: brush strokes, palette, era. It gives better control and avoids copying a living artist's signature look. ### ### One style per run? Yes. Run again with a different prompt; each run is charged only when the image comes back. ### ### Can I turn a photo into a painting for free? Signing in gives you 10 credits, and one painting on the default model costs 5 credits: 2 photos turned into paintings before you pay. Free-plan downloads carry a small watermark. ### ### Can I print the painting on canvas? Yes, it is your image to print. Upscale it first: the raw result is about 1,000 pixels on the long side, which looks soft on anything larger than a small print. ### ### What happens if a generation fails? You are only charged when an image comes back. If the model fails or times out, nothing is deducted and you can simply run it again. ### ### Can I use the results commercially? You keep ownership of what you upload and what you generate, on every plan; see the Terms of Service. Free downloads carry a small watermark, paid plans download without one. ## Same photo, new medium Upload at the top of the page and describe the style in a sentence. Try Style Transfer now [See pricing](https://www.aiimagetools.net/pricing) ## Related tools More from Edit, then the rest of the toolkit. - [Background Remover — Cut the subject out, keep clean edges — Edit](https://www.aiimagetools.net/tools/background-remover) - [Text Behind Image — Put poster text behind the subject — Edit](https://www.aiimagetools.net/tools/text-behind-image) - [Photo to Anime — Turn a photo into anime art — Edit](https://www.aiimagetools.net/tools/ai-anime-filter) - [Virtual Try-On — Put a garment on a model photo — Edit](https://www.aiimagetools.net/tools/ai-virtual-try-on) - [Image to Prompt — Turn any picture into a prompt you can reuse — Edit](https://www.aiimagetools.net/tools/ai-image-captioning) - [Christmas Photo — Turn any photo into a festive holiday portrait — Photo Effects](https://www.aiimagetools.net/photo-effects/ai-christmas-photo-generator) [See all tools](https://www.aiimagetools.net/tools)