AI-powered image editing via tools/image_edit.py. The model depends on the deployment:
| Deployment | Model | License | Defaults | Max inputs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
--cloud modal (default) |
Qwen-Image-Edit-2511 | Apache-2.0, commercial OK | 8 steps, guidance 1.0 | 3 images |
--cloud modal, app deployed with IMAGE_EDIT_MODEL=qwen-image-2.1 |
Qwen-Image-2.1 (2026-09, unified gen+edit, 7B DiT, RGBA) | Qwen Research License -- non-commercial ("research or evaluation purposes only") | 40 steps, guidance 1.0 (no CFG) | 10 images |
--cloud runpod |
Qwen-Image-Edit-2511 + Lightning LoRA | Apache-2.0, commercial OK | 8 steps, guidance 1.0 | 3 images |
The tool prints Model: and Steps: after each edit, so you can tell which model the Modal app
runs and how many steps it took. Without --steps, each model runs its own default above.
Opt in with IMAGE_EDIT_MODEL=qwen-image-2.1 uv run modal deploy docker/modal-image-edit/app.py;
deploy again without it to switch back.
Status: Evolving - learnings being captured as we experiment. The prompt
patterns and parameter findings in examples.md / parameters.md were measured
on 2511; re-check them on 2.1 before relying on the exact numbers.
Qwen-Image-2.1 specifics (Modal opt-in)
- Not step-distilled -- 40 steps is the model card default. The old 8-step default was tuned for 2511's Lightning LoRA, which 2.1 doesn't have here, so expect low step counts to cost quality (untested).
- Sampled without guidance.
--guidance 1.0(default) is how the model is meant to run.>1switches on true CFG (blank negative prompt if you pass none) and doubles the cost of every step. - Multi-image: the first
--inputis the image being edited ("image 1"); the rest are references in order ("image 2", ...). Up to 10. Output size follows the first image's aspect ratio at ~1MP. - Local edits: draw a circle or paint an annotation on the image, or pass a
separate mask as an extra
--input, and say what to change there (e.g. "Remove the watch inside the red circle"). - RGBA: transparent PNG inputs keep their alpha. For a cut-out, prompt
"This is an RGBA image with transparency. <subject>. The image has alpha channel and the background is transparent."-- the result comes back as an RGBA PNG only when the model actually produced transparency.
When to Use This Skill
Use when the user wants to:
- Edit/transform photos while preserving identity
- Reframe cropped images (fix cut-off heads, etc.)
- Change clothing, add accessories
- Change pose (arm positions, hand placement)
- Apply style transfers (cyberpunk, anime, oil painting)
- Adjust lighting/color grading
- Add/remove objects
- Character transformations (Bond, Neo, etc.)
When NOT to Use
- Background replacement (single image) - creates cut-out artifacts, halos
- Face swapping - cannot preserve identity from reference
- Outpainting - can't extend canvas reliably
Use With Care
- Multi-image compositing - CAN work with explicit identity anchors (see examples.md for prompt patterns). Requires describing distinctive features (hair texture/color, ethnicity, outfit) and using guidance ~2.0
- Camera angle changes - Inconsistent results. Vertical angles (low/high) work better than rotational (three-quarter view)
Quick Reference
# Basic edit
uv run tools/image_edit.py --input photo.jpg --prompt "Add sunglasses"
# With negative prompt (recommended)
uv run tools/image_edit.py --input photo.jpg \
--prompt "Reframe as portrait with full head visible" \
--negative "blur, distortion, artifacts"
# Style transfer
uv run tools/image_edit.py --input photo.jpg --style cyberpunk
# Background (use cautiously - often fails)
uv run tools/image_edit.py --input photo.jpg --background office
# Higher quality (RunPod / 2511 -- on Modal / 2.1 the 40-step default already is)
uv run tools/image_edit.py --input photo.jpg --prompt "..." --steps 16 --guidance 3.0 --cloud runpod
# Extract the subject onto a transparent background (Modal / 2.1)
uv run tools/image_edit.py --input product.jpg --prompt "This is an RGBA image with transparency. The product from the photo. The image has alpha channel and the background is transparent." --output product_cutout.png
# Multi-image composite (identity-preserving) -- settings tuned on RunPod / 2511
uv run tools/image_edit.py --input person.jpg background.jpg \
--prompt "The [ethnicity] [gender] with [hair description] from first image is now in [scene] from second image. Same [features], [outfit]." \
--negative "different ethnicity, different hair color, different face shape, generic stock photo" \
--steps 16 --guidance 2.0 --cloud runpod
# Multi-image composite on Modal / 2.1 -- up to 10 references, defaults usually suffice
uv run tools/image_edit.py --input person.jpg outfit.jpg shoes.jpg background.jpg \
--prompt "The person from image 1 wearing the outfit from image 2 and the shoes from image 3, standing in the scene from image 4. Same face and hair."
Key Files
prompting.md- Prompt patterns and structureexamples.md- Good/bad examples from experimentsparameters.md- Tuning steps, guidance, negative prompts
Tool Location
tools/image_edit.py - CLI wrapper for the Modal (docker/modal-image-edit/) and RunPod
(docker/runpod-qwen-edit/) endpoints
Related Docs
docs/qwen-edit-patterns.md- Character transformation patterns.ai_dev/qwen-edit-research.md- Research notes