Edit images using text prompts

This page describes mask-free editing by using only text prompts. Mask-free editing lets you edit an image without a mask. This method of editing is useful for edits that pertain to the entire image, or when the location of the edits is not as important for your use case.

Mask-free (entire image) editing example

You can edit a base image (generated or uploaded) using only a text prompt. You don't have to specify the area to modify, and the update is applied to the entire image (also called mask-free editing).

To make a mask-free edit, use a prompt describing what you want to see instead of instructions of what to change. For example, consider an existing image of a cat you want to change to a dog. An mask-free edit prompt of "a dog" might be more effective than "change the cat to a dog". Similarly, consider an image you generate with the prompt "a cat at the beach". To change this image, use an edit prompt "a dog at the beach".

View Imagen for Editing and Customization model card

Before you begin

Sign in to your Google Cloud account. If you're new to Google Cloud, create an account to evaluate how our products perform in real-world scenarios. New customers also get $300 in free credits to run, test, and deploy workloads.

In the Google Cloud console, on the project selector page, select or create a Google Cloud project.

Go to project selector

Verify that billing is enabled for your Google Cloud project.

Enable the Vertex AI API.

Enable the API

In the Google Cloud console, on the project selector page, select or create a Google Cloud project.

Go to project selector

Verify that billing is enabled for your Google Cloud project.

Enable the Vertex AI API.

Enable the API

1. Set up authentication for your environment.

   Select the tab for how you plan to use the samples on this page:

   Console

   When you use the Google Cloud console to access Google Cloud services and APIs, you don't need to set up authentication.

   Python

   To use the Python samples on this page in a local development environment, install and initialize the gcloud CLI, and then set up Application Default Credentials with your user credentials.

   Install the Google Cloud CLI.

   If you're using an external identity provider (IdP), you must first sign in to the gcloud CLI with your federated identity.

   If you're using a local shell, then create local authentication credentials for your user account:

   gcloud auth application-default login

   You don't need to do this if you're using Cloud Shell.

   If an authentication error is returned, and you are using an external identity provider (IdP), confirm that you have signed in to the gcloud CLI with your federated identity.

   For more information, see Set up ADC for a local development environment in the Google Cloud authentication documentation.

   REST

   To use the REST API samples on this page in a local development environment, you use the credentials you provide to the gcloud CLI.

   Install the Google Cloud CLI.

   If you're using an external identity provider (IdP), you must first sign in to the gcloud CLI with your federated identity.

   For more information, see Authenticate for using REST in the Google Cloud authentication documentation.

Use mask-free editing

Use the following samples to edit an entire image without a mask area.

import vertexai
from vertexai.preview.vision_models import Image, ImageGenerationModel

# TODO(developer): Update and un-comment below lines
# PROJECT_ID = "your-project-id"
# input_file = "input-image.png"
# output_file = "output-image.png"
# prompt = "" # The text prompt describing what you want to see.

vertexai.init(project=PROJECT_ID, location="us-central1")

model = ImageGenerationModel.from_pretrained("imagegeneration@002")
base_img = Image.load_from_file(location=input_file)

images = model.edit_image(
    base_image=base_img,
    prompt=prompt,
    # Optional parameters
    seed=1,
    # Controls the strength of the prompt.
    # -- 0-9 (low strength), 10-20 (medium strength), 21+ (high strength)
    guidance_scale=21,
    number_of_images=1,
)

images[0].save(location=output_file, include_generation_parameters=False)

# Optional. View the edited image in a notebook.
# images[0].show()

print(f"Created output image using {len(images[0]._image_bytes)} bytes")
# Example response:
# Created output image using 1234567 bytes

POST https://LOCATION-aiplatform.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/LOCATION/publishers/google/models/imagegeneration@002:predict

{
  "instances": [
    {
      "prompt": "TEXT_PROMPT",
      "image": {
        "bytesBase64Encoded": "B64_BASE_IMAGE"
      }
    }
  ],
  "parameters": {
    "sampleCount": EDIT_IMAGE_COUNT
  }
}

curl -X POST \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" \
     -d @request.json \
     "https://LOCATION-aiplatform.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/LOCATION/publishers/google/models/imagegeneration@002:predict"

$cred = gcloud auth print-access-token
$headers = @{ "Authorization" = "Bearer $cred" }

Invoke-WebRequest `
    -Method POST `
    -Headers $headers `
    -ContentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8" `
    -InFile request.json `
    -Uri "https://LOCATION-aiplatform.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/LOCATION/publishers/google/models/imagegeneration@002:predict" | Select-Object -Expand Content

{
  "predictions": [
    {
      "bytesBase64Encoded": "BASE64_IMG_BYTES",
      "mimeType": "image/png"
    },
    {
      "mimeType": "image/png",
      "bytesBase64Encoded": "BASE64_IMG_BYTES"
    }
  ]
}

What's next

Read articles about Imagen and other Generative AI on Vertex AI products:

• A developer's guide to getting started with Imagen 3 on Vertex AI
• New generative media models and tools, built with and for creators
• New in Gemini: Custom Gems and improved image generation with Imagen 3
• Google DeepMind: Imagen 3 - Our highest quality text-to-image model