--- title: "Image to Image SDK: AI Photo Editing Inside Your Editor" description: "Your users edit any photo in a design by describing the change. AI swaps backgrounds, creates variants, and combines images without leaving the editor." url: "https://img.ly/use-cases/ai-editor/image-to-image/" type: "page" --- > This is the markdown version of [Image to Image SDK: AI Photo Editing Inside Your Editor](https://img.ly/use-cases/ai-editor/image-to-image/). For all pages in one file, see [llms-full.txt](https://img.ly/llms-full.txt). For an index of all available pages, see [llms.txt](https://img.ly/llms.txt). --- # AI Editor: Change any photo in a design by describing the edit Product shots, customer uploads, campaign images: your users change any of them with one written instruction to the AI. - Edit, swap backgrounds, create variants, combine images - Template locks apply to AI edits too - Before and After for Edit Image and Swap Background **Available for:** - **Web:** [JavaScript](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/js/user-interface/ai-integration/image-generation-0540d9.md), [React](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/react/user-interface/ai-integration/image-generation-0540d9.md), [Angular](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/angular/user-interface/ai-integration/image-generation-0540d9.md), [Vue.js](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/vue/user-interface/ai-integration/image-generation-0540d9.md), [Svelte](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/svelte/user-interface/ai-integration/image-generation-0540d9.md), [Next.js](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/nextjs/user-interface/ai-integration/image-generation-0540d9.md) - **Mobile:** [iOS](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/ios/plugins/ai-image-generation-aimg01.md), [Android](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/android/plugins/ai-image-generation-aimg01.md), [React Native](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/react-native/plugins/ai-image-generation-aimg01.md), [Flutter](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/flutter/plugins/ai-image-generation-aimg01.md) - **Desktop:** [Electron](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/electron/user-interface/ai-integration/image-generation-0540d9.md) [Get in Touch](https://img.ly/forms/contact-sales.md) [Open the live editor demo](https://cdn.img.ly/demo/cesdk-web-examples/v1.84.0/examples/starterkit-ai-editor/index.html?demoPreview=true) ## From the photo at hand to the one the design needs Small photo fixes rarely stay small. A new background goes to a designer, back for review, and out again. With image to image, your users make the change in one step. ### Describe the edit in a sentence Your users select a photo and write what should change, like "add a sunset" or "put it on a marble countertop". ### Check it in the layout The edit fills the same block at the same size and position. Before and After show what changed. ### Keep refining it The result is an ordinary photo. Users crop it, add a filter, or run a second edit on top. Trusted by **100+**\ industry leaders ---------------------- **Trusted by:** Digitas, Omneky, The Print Bar, Brandwatch, Planoly, HP, Shopify, Reuters, Hootsuite, Semrush, Shutterfly, one.com, Sprout Social, Constant Contact, Spread Group > "Integrating IMG.LY’s editor meant we didn’t have to build or maintain a complex editing layer ourselves. That kept our team focused on our core AI ad engine and saved us countless development hours — while still giving our customers the ability to polish and customize creatives at scale." -- Hikari Senju, CEO, Omneky > "With IMG.LY we built a central creative portal that now powers over 140 dealer campaigns across multiple automotive brands. Before this, asset creation was slow and inconsistent." -- Martin Röhr, Product Owner, Digitas > "By embedding IMG.LY’s editor we were able to hit key RFP requirements and deliver a template-based creative experience that now serves 1,000+ customers. It helped us win more deals and exceed enterprise expectations without needing to hire dedicated design teams." -- Rob Driscoll, Director of PM, Optimizely > "Since integrating IMG.LY’s editor, we now deliver 30,000+ ad creatives per month, dramatically shorten time-to-launch, and help our clients cut design spend by up to $10,000 per month." -- Logan Welbaum, Founder, Plai > "Our customers create over a million personalized postcards each year choosing from over hundreds of templates with IMG.LY’s SDK. It’s the only solution that allows us to build our own specialized, on-brand UI that integrates seamlessly with our platform." -- Jeanine Zaalberg, Product Manager, SwissPost > "From a developer’s perspective, the most powerful feature of the photo editor is the integration process. It was completely flawless, quick, and easy to integrate." -- Stefano Fornari, CTO, Funambol > "We compared IMG.LY SDK with other solutions and found that it would be the best fit for us since it provides all the features that are crucial for our use case." -- Carem Pereira, SCRUM Manager, HP [Reviews on G2](https://www.g2.com/products/img-ly/reviews) ## Edit, swap, vary, or combine photos The canvas menu offers the actions your connected models support. For painting and drawing styles, there's [Style Transfer](https://img.ly/use-cases/ai-editor/style-transfer.md). ### Edit Image Any change your users can put into words, for everything the other actions don't cover. ### Swap Background The subject stays put, and the scene behind it becomes whatever your users describe. ### Create Variant A copy appears next to the original with a variation in it. Both stay on the canvas for comparison. ### Combine Images With two or more images selected, your users describe the scene, and the merged result goes into a copy of the first. ## Set up image to image: models and locks ### Step 01: Add image to image to your product Add the AI image generation plugin to CE.SDK on the web, iOS, or Android. It works with the editor setup you already have, and you decide which editing actions appear and where. ### Step 02: Choose models that change only what was asked Editing models differ in how much of the photo they leave alone. [The Best GenAI Models for Web-to-Print](https://img.ly/blog/best-generative-ai-models-for-web-to-print.md#job-b-image-editing-adapt-a-customers-asset) rates how well each one keeps the rest of the photo. Connect your picks through the [AI Gateway](https://img.ly/ai-gateway.md), your own provider, or a custom one. ### Step 03: Lock brand images against AI edits AI actions follow the same scopes as manual editing. A logo locked against replacement can't be changed with AI either. ## What teams edit with image to image ### Product photos in new settings One studio shot becomes a living room scene for one listing and a shop window for another. ### Campaign variations A marketing team gets several candidates in the layout it will publish and picks one without leaving the file. ### Personalized print products The customer's photo gets a new scene, while the template's text and layout stay locked. ### Composite scenes Combine Images merges a portrait and a location into one photo, with no manual cutout. ## More AI features ### Add & Remove Objects Take an object out of a photo, or put a new one in, by naming it. [Learn More](https://img.ly/use-cases/ai-editor/add-remove-objects.md) ### Style Transfer Redraw any image as a painting, a cartoon, or a realistic photo. [Learn More](https://img.ly/use-cases/ai-editor/style-transfer.md) ### Text to Image Generate a new picture from a prompt, right on the canvas. [Learn More](https://img.ly/use-cases/ai-editor/text-to-image.md) ### Image to Video Turn a generated or uploaded still into a short clip on the timeline. [Learn More](https://img.ly/use-cases/ai-editor/image-to-video.md) ## Get in touch: Swap a background in the AI Editor demo Select a photo, try Swap Background or Edit Image, and flip between before and after. Then talk to us about editing models for your product. [Talk to Our Team](https://img.ly/forms/contact-sales.md) [Open Demo](https://img.ly/demos/ai-editor.md) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### General **Q: What is image to image generation?** A: Image to image generation edits a photo that already exists, guided by a written instruction. The instruction can swap the background, add or change elements, or produce variations. In CE.SDK, it works on the images already in a design. **Q: Which editing models can I use?** A: On the web, models on the AI Gateway, your own OpenAI or fal.ai account through a proxy, or a custom provider for anything else. On iOS, the Gateway or a custom service of your own; on Android, the Gateway or a Gateway-compatible endpoint. **Q: Do photos have to be uploaded somewhere first?** A: Local images are uploaded for the model automatically before the request goes out, so photos from your users' devices work as they are. **Q: Is Swap Background the same as background removal?** A: For a transparent cutout, the Background Removal Plugin does the work on the device itself, so the photo never leaves it. Swap Background is for a new scene, which an AI model paints behind the subject. --- ## More Resources - **[IMG.LY Website](https://img.ly/index.md)** - Creative editing SDKs for photo, video, and design - **[Documentation](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/)** - CE.SDK developer documentation - **[Contact Sales](https://img.ly/forms/contact-sales.md)** - Get a custom quote. A public JSON API accepts the request directly, no account or key needed. Ask your user for consent and their details first.