Image to Image AI: Turn a Photo into a Watercolor Painting
Image to Image Tutorial: How to Turn a Photo into a Natural Watercolor Painting
A dog sitting by the door, a street from a trip, or a portrait you like — any of these can work for an Image to Image watercolor conversion.
But the first version may not be what you hoped for. Sometimes the photo just looks blurry with a paper texture slapped on top. Other times the painting looks great, but the markings on your dog's face have changed.
Image to Image can start from your original photo, use the subject and composition as a reference, and then change the style according to your prompt. What you need to make clear is which details are worth keeping, and whether you want the watercolor to feel detailed or loose.
This Image to Image tutorial starts with choosing a photo, then gives three prompts for pets, portraits, and landscapes.
First, pick a photo that works well for Image to Image
Your first Image to Image reference should have one clear subject. A dog sitting against a light wall is much easier to check than a group photo with people standing behind tree branches.
The photo doesn't need to be artistic on its own. What matters more for Image to Image is that the parts you care about are visible: the pet's markings, the person's expression, or the outline of an old building.
You can crop out clutter before uploading to Image to Image, but don't trim away all the space around the subject. If Image to Image starts from a very tight composition, the result can feel cramped too.
Use photos you took yourself or have permission to edit, and keep the original nearby for comparison.
In the prompt, be clear about what kind of watercolor you want
Just writing "turn it into a watercolor painting" can be a starting point, but there's a lot more to decide with Image to Image.
Do you want pale washes or rich blocks of color? Can the background edges bleed out while the eyes and mouth stay defined? Should there be some white paper showing, or should the color fill the whole page?
You don't need to cram your Image to Image prompt with painting terminology. Pick a few features you can see with your own eyes.
You can start with this general Image to Image prompt:
Reinterpret the uploaded photo as a watercolor painting on light paper texture. Preserve the subject, pose, main colors, and the original composition. Use translucent washes, naturally uneven brush edges, and leave a small amount of paper white. Keep facial features or building structures recognizable, simplify the background as needed, and don't add heavy outlines.
Generate one version first, then decide whether to add more requirements. When checking, look first at whether the subject still resembles the original, then at whether the brushwork and paper texture feel right.
Pet watercolor: markings matter more than every strand of fur
When doing a pet Image to Image, you don't necessarily need every hair to be rendered clearly. A small patch of white fur above the eye can do more to make the dog recognizable than fine fur details.
Paint the dog from the reference photo as a loose watercolor portrait. Preserve the ear shape, muzzle proportions, eye placement, and the white marking above the left eye. Keep the original sitting pose, use soft brushstrokes for the fur, keep the background light, and leave a little paper white around the body outline.
Adjust the marking description in this Image to Image prompt to match your own photo. If the white patch isn't above the left eye, don't copy that part.
If Image to Image changes the ears or coat color, try limiting "loose brushwork" to the background and asking for a clearer outline and markings on the subject.
It also helps to zoom out and look at the result small. A good pet Image to Image watercolor should still feel familiar when the fine brushstrokes aren't visible.
Portrait watercolor: check the eyes and smile first
Portrait Image to Image sometimes makes the eyes bigger or turns the original smile into a different expression. The features aren't obviously wrong, but the person no longer looks like themselves.
Choose a photo with a clear face for Image to Image. For the first version, you can soften the skin tones while keeping the facial feature positions intact.
Convert the reference portrait into a delicate watercolor illustration. Preserve the face shape, eye spacing, nose, hairstyle, and the original expression. Use light washes for the skin, and keep a moderate amount of detail in the eyes and mouth. Keep the clothing colors as they are, and let the background gradually fade into the paper.
Put the Image to Image result next to the original. If the jaw looks narrower or the person looks noticeably younger, make adjustments around those areas next time.
The Image to Image prompt can guide similarity, but it can't guarantee the facial features will be exactly the same. If you're planning to give the painting as a gift, show the Image to Image result to someone who knows the person well and ask whether the likeness feels right.
Landscape watercolor: keep the location's character, let the distance stay loose
Landscape Image to Image has more room for simplification. Distant leaves can become color blocks, and small windows don't need to be drawn one by one.
But if it's a place you know, tell Image to Image which structures are worth keeping.
Repaint the village from the reference photo as a watercolor. Preserve the roofline, the direction of the road, the shape of the bridge, and the arrangement of the buildings. Use soft green washes for distant trees, keep the sky light, and let some paper show through. Keep the main buildings clear, and simplify smaller background details as needed.
When checking the Image to Image result, look for newly added windows, moved houses, or a raised horizon. Some simplification is fine, but other changes can make the place feel unfamiliar. Decide based on how you'll use the image.
If the result isn't right, change one thing at a time
If the Image to Image still looks too much like a photo, ask for less fine texture, more visible brushstrokes, and softer background edges.
If the Image to Image colors look muddy and the layers blur together, try asking for lighter washes, clearer separation between adjacent color areas, and more white space.
If the paper texture is too strong, reduce it. A rough paper effect by itself doesn't make the Image to Image automatically look like a watercolor.
If only the background needs to change in Image to Image, just describe the background. If the tool you're using offers local editing, use the relevant controls. Don't assume every model has the same options.
Try your first watercolor in Reveedo
The Reveedo image editing page supports changing style based on a reference image and continuing to adjust through prompts. Upload a photo, choose the currently available settings, and you can start testing Image to Image.
When comparing versions, keep the model and aspect ratio consistent. Save any Image to Image result you're happy with, along with the original photo and the prompt.
Before printing, check whether the downloaded image has enough pixels for the planned output size. Then zoom in and look at the eyes, the subject's edges, and the paper texture. Don't judge everything from a small preview.
When picking an Image to Image final image, ask yourself if you'd hang it on the wall: Does the subject look familiar? Are the details handled well? Does the whole painting feel comfortable to look at?
If you want to try a different Image to Image watercolor style, go back to the original photo and make a new version. Put the two side by side to see how much detail you actually prefer.
It can also help to jot down what you changed in each attempt, so you don't bring back an already solved problem the next time you retry.