New Feature: How to Restyle Any Reference Image in AI Video and AI Image Generator

Restyle Any Reference Image  –  Choose a Style Before You Generate

When you create an AI video, you usually start with a clear vision. You know what should appear on screen, how it should move, and the overall mood you’re aiming for. The hard part has always been keeping the style consistent.

Even with a good reference image, results could drift. One clip might look slightly different from the next, especially if you’re generating multiple scenes or working toward a specific visual direction. That’s exactly what Reference Image Restyle in Renderforest’s AI Video Generator is designed to fix.

With this update, you can upload any reference image, choose a video style, and have the image restyled first  –  before animation even begins. The system adapts your image to match the selected style, then animates it. 

Why this changes the workflow

Before this update, your reference image had a strong influence on the final look.
A photorealistic photo often produced realistic results. An illustration usually led to something stylized  –  but not always in the style you actually wanted.

Now, you can clearly separate:

• What the AI should follow (your reference image)
• How it should look (the style you choose)

This unlocks a few big advantages:

• Style consistency
  Generate multiple clips in the same visual style, even when your reference images vary.
• Better accuracy
  If the result doesn’t closely match the real subject, you can anchor it by uploading an actual reference photo.
• A smoother creative process
  Instead of searching for a reference image that already fits your desired style, you can upload what you have and let the system restyle it automatically.

The 5-step flow: Reference Image + Restyle

This is the exact workflow you’ll use to generate a video in a specific style  –  with more control and more consistent results.

Step 1: Select the model and set your parameters

Start by choosing the model and setting the basics for generation, such as duration and resolution. This ensures the output matches your quality and format needs from the beginning.

Step 2: Upload a reference image

Add your image in the Reference Image section. The goal here is to give the AI a clean visual anchor for shape, composition, and key details.

Step 3: Restyle the image

Click Restyle Image to adapt your reference image into the style you want before animation begins.

Step 4: Write the prompt

Use the Prompt field to describe what should happen in the scene. Keep it simple, visual, and action-focused.

Include:

• motion: what moves (camera, subject, background)
• mood: calm, energetic, premium, playful
• constraints: what must stay consistent (colors, logo placement, key objects)

Step 5: Generate and refine

Click Generate to create your clip and preview the result. If it’s not perfect yet, don’t restart  –  use Re-generate to refine faster.

The quickest ways to improve results:

• Keep the same reference image, switch styles
  Try Cinematic → Cartoon / Trendy Vector / Whiteboard to explore new looks without changing your input.
• Tighten the prompt
  If the result feels generic, shorten the prompt and add 1–2 clear constraints.
• Swap the reference image only when needed
  If the subject is unclear or the image is low quality, replacing it can significantly improve accuracy.

The same workflow works in the AI Image Generator

Reference Image Restyle isn’t limited to video. The AI Image Generator follows the same logic: start with a reference image, choose a style, and restyle it before generation.

This is especially useful when you want multiple visuals that feel like they belong together  –  social posts, ads, thumbnails, or brand illustrations  –  without redesigning everything from scratch.

How it works in the AI Image Generator

The process follows a simple, visual-first flow that mirrors what you see in the editor.

Step 1: Choose the model

Start by selecting a model from the dropdown. This determines how the image will be generated and styled.

Step 2: Write your prompt

In the Describe your image field, explain what you want to generate. Focus on the subject, mood, and overall idea.

You can describe:

• the main subject or scene
• lighting and atmosphere
• style cues or visual details

Step 3: Select the image size

Choose your preferred size. This controls the format and proportions of the final image.

Step 4: Select a style

Click Style → Select to open the style picker. Choose the visual style you want the image to follow, such as Trendy Vector, Digital Art, Anime, Low-poly, Photorealistic, and more.

This style becomes the main visual rule for the final result.

Step 5: Upload a reference image

Upload up to three reference images to guide the AI. Reference images help preserve:

• subject appearance
• composition and layout
• key visual details

This is especially useful when accuracy or consistency matters.

Step 6: Generate and Modify

Click Generate to create your image. If the result isn’t quite right, you can Modify the image by refining the prompt or changing the style – without starting from scratch.

You can also Animate the image after it’s generated.

Once your result is ready, click Animate to turn the still image into a short motion clip. This makes it easy to go from AI Image → AI Video in one seamless step, without re-uploading or starting over.

The biggest advantage of Reference Image Restyle is how easy it makes AI video and AI image creation . If the first result isn’t quite right, you can quickly adjust the style or refine your prompt without rebuilding the project.

Try Reference Image Restyle in Renderforest’s AI Video Generator  –  and in the AI Image Generator  –  and see how many different looks you can create from the same reference image.