Model Capabilities

Image Editing

Edit an existing image by providing a source image along with your prompt. The model understands the image content and applies your requested changes.

[!WARNING]

The OpenAI SDK’s images.edit() method is not supported for image editing because it uses multipart/form-data, while the xAI API requires application/json. Use the xAI SDK, Vercel AI SDK, or direct HTTP requests instead.

With the xAI SDK, use the same sample() method; just add the image_url parameter:

import base64
import xai_sdk

client = xai_sdk.Client()

# Load image from file and encode as base64
with open("photo.png", "rb") as f:
    image_data = base64.b64encode(f.read()).decode("utf-8")

response = client.image.sample(
    prompt="Render this as a pencil sketch with detailed shading",
    model="grok-imagine-image-2.0",
    image_url=f"data:image/png;base64,{image_data}",
)

print(response.url)

# Using a public URL as the source image
curl -X POST https://api.x.ai/v1/images/edits \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $XAI_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "model": "grok-imagine-image-2.0",
    "prompt": "Render this as a pencil sketch with detailed shading",
    "image": {
      "url": "https://docs.x.ai/assets/api-examples/images/style-realistic.png",
      "type": "image_url"
    }
  }'

import { xai } from "@ai-sdk/xai";
import { generateImage } from "ai";
import fs from "fs";

// Load image and encode as base64
const imageBuffer = fs.readFileSync("photo.png");
const base64Image = imageBuffer.toString("base64");

const { image } = await generateImage({
    model: xai.image("grok-imagine-image-2.0"),
    prompt: {
        text: "Render this as a pencil sketch with detailed shading",
        images: [`data:image/png;base64,${base64Image}`],
    },
});

console.log(image.base64);

You can provide the source image as:

• A public URL pointing to an image
• A base64-encoded data URI (e.g., data:image/jpeg;base64,...)
• A file_id from the Files API — see Imagine → Files API Integration

Multi-turn editing

Chain multiple edits together by using each output as the input for the next. This enables iterative refinement; start with a base image and progressively add details, adjust styles, or make corrections.

Style transfer

The grok-imagine-image-2.0 model supports a wide range of visual styles, from ultra-realistic photography to anime, oil paintings, and pencil sketches. Transform existing images by describing the desired aesthetic in your prompt.

Related

• Image Generation — Generate images from text prompts
• Multi-Image Editing — Edit with multiple source images
• API Reference — Full endpoint documentation
• Imagine API Landing Page — Showcase of the Imagine API in action

Last updated Oct 08, 2026