Claude Image Editing, With a Model That Actually Renders
Claude is genuinely good at the thinking around an edit: it reads the image you upload, spots what is wrong, and writes a precise instruction. What it cannot do is repaint the pixels.
Claude Imagine supplies that missing half. Upload the picture, describe the change, and one of four image-to-image models returns the edited file.
Live product
Edit Your Image Here
This is the real Claude Imagine editor, opened on the image-to-image tab with Nano Banana 2 preselected. Upload the picture you want changed, describe the edit in plain language, and generate. It uses the same account balance as the web generator, the MCP connector, and the Claude Code Skill.
Generate multiple images per click on Pro and Studio. Upgrade
Tips for better results
- • Be specific about colors, lighting, and style
- • Mention art styles like "photorealistic", "anime", "oil painting"
- • Add quality keywords like "high resolution", "detailed"
Made with Claude Imagine — click a sample to try its prompt. Your result will appear here.
Real edits
Four Edits, Start to Finish
Every pair below was produced with the editor on this page. The left image is the input; the right image is what came back.
Swap the background
"Replace the background with a clean seamless white studio backdrop. Keep the sneaker exactly as it is." — the shoe keeps its shape, angle, laces, and sole texture.
Remove text from a sign
"Remove all lettering from the hanging wooden sign." — only the hanging sign is blanked. The chalkboard, street, and passers-by are untouched.
Change the style
"Turn this photograph into an oil painting with visible thick brushstrokes." — same valley, same river, same composition, repainted.
Add something to the scene
"Add a ginger tabby cat curled up asleep on the middle of the bench." — the bench, path, leaves, and overcast light stay as they were.
Generated September 1, 2026 with Nano Banana 2 at 4:3, one attempt each, no retouching afterwards. The input images were themselves generated with Claude Imagine, so every pixel on this page is ours to publish.
Is Claude Good at Image Editing?
Yes and no, and the split matters. Claude is strong at everything except the rendering step.
It Reads Your Image Well
Claude can look at an uploaded photo, describe what is in it, and identify the specific thing you want changed. Image understanding is a native Claude capability.
It Writes the Edit Brief
Claude turns "make this look more professional" into a detailed, preservation-aware instruction — what to change, what to leave untouched, which details matter.
It Reviews the Result
Paste the edited image back and Claude will compare it against the original to catch drifted faces, lost text, or altered details you wanted preserved.
It Cannot Repaint Pixels
Claude has no image-generation model of its own. Anthropic's documentation is explicit that Claude does not produce photos or illustrations, so an external renderer has to do the actual edit.
Claude Imagine Renders It
The web editor on this page accepts your upload and prompt, then returns the edited image from a real image-to-image model in seconds.
One Balance Across Surfaces
Edits, text-to-image generations, MCP calls, and Skill calls all draw from the same Claude Imagine credit ledger.
Which Model Should Edit Your Image
Four models accept a reference image. Credit costs come from the live pricing catalog; two of them require a Pro plan.
Nano Banana 2 — 3 credits
The default editor and the safest first try. Handles object edits, style changes, and background swaps while holding the rest of the frame steady. Available on every plan.
GPT Image 2 — 2 credits
The cheapest edit on the account, available on every plan. Two credits also means your 3 signup credits cover one edit with a credit left over.
Seedream 4.5 — 4 credits, Pro
Higher-fidelity editing for photographic subjects. Requires a Pro plan or above.
Flux 2 Pro — 5 credits, Pro
The most expensive editing route, for detailed composition work. Requires a Pro plan or above.
Z-Image Cannot Edit
Z-Image is the fast draft model, but it is text-to-image only. It will not appear as an option once you switch to the image-to-image tab.
Failed Edits Are Refunded
When an edit task reports a failed state, the deducted credits are returned to your balance automatically.
Editing Skills and MCP for Claude: What Actually Works Today
If you came looking for a downloadable Claude image-editing skill, here is the honest state of what we ship — and what we do not.
Editing Runs on the Web
Image-to-image editing is available in the web editor above. That is the only Claude Imagine surface that accepts an uploaded image and returns an edited one.
Our MCP Image Tool Is Text-to-Image
The Claude Imagine MCP connector generates images from a prompt inside Claude. Its image tool does not accept a reference image for editing today.
Our Skill Is Text-to-Image
The open-source Nano Banana Claude Skill generates from a prompt. We do not currently publish an editing skill, and we would rather say so than imply one exists.
The Public API Is Text-to-Image
The /api/v1/images/generations endpoint accepts a prompt and returns image URLs. It does not accept an uploaded reference image.
MCP Can Animate an Existing Image
One exception worth knowing: the MCP video tool does accept an image URL and turns that existing image into a video, directly inside a Claude conversation.
A Workflow That Works Now
Ask Claude to study your image and write the edit prompt, paste that prompt into the editor above, then bring the result back to Claude for review. You get Claude's judgment and a real renderer.
What You Can Upload
Current input limits in the web editor.
Up to 9 Reference Images
Attach a single photo to edit, or several images when the edit needs more than one input.
5 MB per Image
Each uploaded file must be 5 MB or smaller. Larger files are rejected before any credits are spent.
2,000-Character Prompt
Enough room for the detailed, preservation-aware instruction Claude writes for you.
Five Aspect Ratios
1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, and 9:16 are available for the output.
3 Signup Credits, No Card
A new account starts with 3 credits. That covers one GPT Image 2 edit with a credit left over, or one Nano Banana 2 edit exactly.
6 More With MCP
Connecting the MCP server and authenticating once unlocks 6 additional credits, for up to 9 free before you pay anything.
Claude Image Editing: Common Questions
Have another question? Email us at support@claudeimagine.com.
Model availability and credit costs verified September 1, 2026 against the live pricing catalog. Claude's own capability boundary is documented at Claude Help Center: Can Claude produce images?
Let Claude Plan the Edit. Let a Real Model Render It.
Upload an image and make your first edit with 3 signup credits — no card required.