Reference images

There are a lot of aspects of a design that cannot be described by words. Importing a reference image as a new variable into the design mix can be a handy way to precisely control our visualization or to explore the infinite possibilities we can get from combining images.

Watch our youtube video about reference images:

How to use Reference Images

1. In the Brush Studio drawing interface, go to the "Create" tab

2. In Render mode, you can see the "Reference image" section, click on the "+" icon to open up the feature

3. Upload an image from your computer (by drag-and-drop or clicking to browse.)

   • images can be in.png,.jpeg, or even .tif formats when it comes to uploading textures

   

   
   

4. Set the Influences of the uploaded image by clicking on it

   • It will determine the strength of the effect, coming from the reference image

   • Set the drawing influence

   • The drawing influence will still determine how much influence you want from the canvas input. In other words, how much you want the reference image to take over the main design

   

   
   

5. Write a prompt or not

   • The canvas image input and the reference image can give enough context for Vizcom to work with, so you don't necessarily have to write an extra prompt, but you can use it to reinforce your intention for a more specific / higher-quality result.

   

   
   

6. Generate the results, influenced by reference images!

   

   
   

7. Use Refine to have more definition

   You can learn more about Refine here: refine-mode

   

   
   

Multiple use cases

There are a lot of ways to take advantage of reference images, here are 3 examples that can spark your imagination:

1. Style transferring

   If you have specific style that you want to visualize your design in, using reference images can be an effective way to do so

   

   1. Have a rendering on the canvas that clearly displays the design and the volumes

   2. Upload a reference image of your choice and leave the influences at 100% for the one-to-one style transferring effect

   3. Give a simple prompt (optional)

   4. Transfer the style by clicking on Generate

   5. Use refine mode to enhance the details of your creation (here is a video on this topic)

      
      

2. Exploring combinations

   You can combine visuals that are completely unrelated to each other, but mixing them can result in some inspiring outcomes, that can be a very effective idea generation technique in the early creative process

   

   • Upload an inspiring image with significant visual presence as a reference image

   • Play around with the Reference image influence and drawing influence sliders to explore the in-betweens of the Canvas input and the uploaded reference

   
   

3. Applying materials

   Using reference images as a texturing tool, can come handy when we have specific materials in mind.

   • Combine the Inpainting (G) selection tool with reference images

   

   1. Have a precise input on the canvas (illustrator linework, rendering, handsketch)

   2. Upload a homogene texture as a reference image

   3. Select the areas with the Inpainting (G) selection tool, where you want to apply the material

   4. Provide a simple prompt description for the area (optional)

   5. Set the Drawing influence and Reference image Influence both at 100% - to exactly follow the guide lines of the sketch and to exactly apply the uploaded texture. (You can always set the layer opacity of the rendering to set the strength after applying)

   6. Generate the rendering

   7. Cleanup the inperfections, left by the mask if neccesseary

   8. Repeat these steps until your rendering is done

      
      

      Here is the tutorial video showcasing this process:

   
   

Notes

• Only the selected image is going to influence the rendering and not all the uploaded images

  

  
  

  
  

• If the reference image section is open and there is a selected image there, it will alwas influence the renderings. If you no longer want to use reference images, close the section by clicking the "-" icon. This way, you can rely on the selected style as the main visual guidance of your renderings

Be mindful

You decide what type of reference images you will use, and from what source. Try to be mindful of other creators intellectual property when uploading reference images. (Uploaded reference images will not train or have any influence on the models of Vizcom, it is a separate, personal feature for the user, unique to every file)