> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vizcom.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Reference Images

Use visual references to guide style and material influence in your designs — keeping your work consistent, intentional, and visually aligned with inspirational imagery.

Reference Images allow you to bring in external imagery as stylistic guides within Vizcom. These images inform the look and feel of your renderings or material transfer, helping you explore design directions while preserving coherence and influence from real-world examples.

## When to use Reference Images

Designers, illustrators, and product creatives use Reference Images when they want to **infuse specific visual style, materials, or aesthetic cues** into their Vizcom outputs. This feature is especially useful when:

* You want to **influence style based on existing artwork or product photography**
* You’re exploring **new materials or surface qualities**
* You need consistent visual cues across multiple iterations
* You’re visualizing **brand-aligned aesthetic direction** or **materiality** in renderings

Reference Images serve as stylistic anchors that shape render outputs and material interpretation without changing the underlying design intent.

## How to use Reference Images

### Stylistic Reference (Guiding Visual Style)

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open or create a project.">
    Start a new file or open an existing canvas where you have a base image or sketch.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload your base image. ">
     Drag and drop your sketch or image into Vizcom to establish the main visual content.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload reference images. ">
    In the Reference panel, click **Upload Reference Image** and choose the style image(s) you want Vizcom to consider. Only selected images will influence the rendering.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Adjust influence sliders. ">
    Use the reference strength and drawing influence sliders to control how strongly the reference image style should affect your output.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate your styled reference. ">
    Click *Generate* to apply the reference image’s aesthetic influence to your base image.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Material Transfer with Reference Images

*(For applying material qualities or surfaces from a reference image)*

<Steps>
  <Step title="Prepare a rendered image on your canvas.">
    This should have depth (material shading/volume), as sketches without depth won’t transfer materials.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload a reference image and enable Material Transfer.">
    Choose an image that represents the material or finish you want and check the *Material Transfer* option.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add context with a prompt.">
     Provide a brief prompt describing the scene or material application goal.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the area for material application.">
    Use Vizcom’s selection tools: if nothing is selected, the material transfers to the entire image.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set strength and influence.">
    Stronger values give the reference image more visual impact; lower influence lets the original design remain more dominant.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate and refine.">
    Apply the material transfer, adjust settings, and re-generate until the result meets your design intent.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Tips & FAQ

<Tip>
  Use high-quality, well-lit reference images that clearly show the style or material you want to influence — clearer references lead to more predictable results.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  Reference Images influence style and finish but do not override your base design’s core structure unless drawing influence is set very high.
</Tip>

## FAQ

* **Can I upload multiple reference images?**\
  Yes, you can upload several, but only the selected reference(s) will actively influence your render.
* **Will Vizcom use my reference images to train models?**\
  No, uploaded reference images do not train or influence Vizcom’s underlying AI models; they are personal to your file and influence only that design.
* **Do reference images replace styles?**\
  No styles and reference images work together. A style sets overall aesthetic direction, while reference images provide stylistic cues.

## Next Steps

* **Combine with styles** to build coherent visual systems across projects.
* **Use Selection Tools** to apply reference influences selectively to specific design areas.
* **Explore Material References** by trying different photographic sources for material transfer effects.
* **Generate multiple variants** with varied influence settings to compare visual impact.\\