# Chat Bar: Generating Images

The chat bar is the floating prompt composer for generating images (and video / 3D) on the canvas. This page covers image generation: writing prompts, picking models, and feeding in references, LoRAs, and aspect ratios.

## Generate an image (text-to-image)

To make an image from just a prompt:
1) Make sure the category pill (top-left of the bar) shows **Image**. With nothing selected on the canvas its icon is a **T** (text-to-image).
2) Type your prompt in the input.
3) Press the **Send** button (the round arrow-up button, bottom-right) or hit **Ctrl/Cmd+Enter**. Plain Enter inserts a newline — it does not send.

The result appears as a node on the canvas.

## Image-to-image

To generate from an existing image:
1) Select one image node on the canvas. The category pill icon changes to a single image (one selection) or stacked images (2+); the mode is now image-to-image.
2) Selected images show as thumbnails in the **selection strip** above the prompt.
3) Type your prompt and Send.

With **2 or more** images selected, the `@` key in the prompt switches to image references — type `@image1`, `@image2`, etc. to refer to a selected image by index.

## Category selector (Image / Video / 3D / Enhance / Framo)

The leftmost pill picks what you generate:
- **Enhance** — upgrade the live scene render (image-to-image over the framed canvas view). See aspect ratio to reframe before generating.
- **Image** — stills from your prompt.
- **Video** — animate from a prompt (and optional input image).
- **3D** — generate a mesh.
- **Framo** — hands the task to the conversational AI agent (opens the full agent surface).

In the Pixi 2D editor the category is locked to **Image**.

## Generation mode indicator

The Image pill's icon doubles as a live indicator of what will be generated:
- **T** — text-to-image (no canvas selection)
- single image — image-to-image with one reference
- stacked images — multi-image input
- dotted box — inpainting (a selection has been drawn in the Pixi editor)

## Model picker (override per prompt)

Next to the category pill is the **active model** pill — the model the chat will actually call, auto-suggested from your category, references, LoRAs, and image inputs.
- Click the model name to **override the model for this prompt** (a popover lists compatible candidates, cheapest first, with credit cost on hover).
- **Auto** at the top lets the suggestion engine pick.
- Click the **pin** on any row to set it as your default for the current mode (text-to-image, image-to-image, multi-image, etc.). Overrides last for the session; pins persist.

## Prompt favorites & history

In the centered icon cluster (top row):
- **Star** (Sparkle icon) — toggles saving the current prompt to favorites; click the favorites popover to refill the input from a saved prompt. Favorites are scoped to the current mode.
- **Clock** — prompt history; click any entry to refill the input.

## Presets

The chat bar has one-click presets to fill your prompt with curated starting points. Presets exist per mode — text-to-image (T2I), image-to-image (I2I), enhance, and inpainting each have their own preset library.

To apply a preset:
1) Click the **BookHeart** icon (next to the model selector, top-left cluster).
2) Pick a preset from the popover. Cards with images flip on click to reveal the full prompt text.
3) Click **Select preset** to fill the input with the preset's prompt.

The preset bubble then shows the preset's name. Once you edit the prompt, the bubble auto-clears — a visual cue that you've drifted from the saved preset.

Presets are also available on node toolbars in the graph. Click the BookHeart icon on any generation node to browse presets for that mode.

### Share a saved prompt with your org

From the **Prompt Favorites** popover (Sparkle icon, top-right cluster):
1) Right-click any saved prompt card or click the organization button on hover.
2) Toggle the **Building2** icon (org logo or building icon) to share / unshare with your organization.
3) Shared prompts appear in the **org** filter tab at the top of the favorites popover, visible to all members of your workspace.

## Refine with AI (prompt enhancement)

Click the **wand** (Wand2) icon in the top-row cluster to open a chat-style prompt-refinement surface. You converse with the AI to improve your prompt, then accept a result to drop it back into the input. This is a Pro feature — free users are prompted to upgrade. See [Sketch pipelines & prompt tools](/docs/product/sketch-pipelines) for the full enhancer.

## Auto-enhancement (Enhance ON/OFF)

The **Enhance** toggle pill in the bottom row (scroll on it or click to flip) turns on a vision pre-pass: for image-to-image, the input image is analyzed and your prompt is reconciled before generation. Off by default. (Distinct from the **Enhance** category, which upgrades the scene render.)

## The "+" menu: Design reference, LoRA, Look, Matrix

The **+** button (bottom row, left) adds optional capability panels:

### Design reference
An image the model uses alongside your prompt to adopt color, composition, or structure (model-dependent).
- Add via **+ → Design reference**, then click the panel to pick an image, drag a node in, or use the eyedropper to pick from the canvas.
- Shortcut: hold **Alt** and click any image/video/model node on the canvas to set it as the reference.
- **Strength** (header pill, ~0.20 loose to ~1.00 close): scroll to adjust or click for a slider.

### LoRA
- Add via **+ → LoRA** (up to 4). Each LoRA bubble lets you pick a trained model, set its scale, and open its details.
- Picking your first LoRA on an empty prompt drops in the trigger-word phrasing as a starting point.
- When a LoRA is configured, type `@` in the prompt to mention its trigger word.

See [Training & using LoRAs](/docs/product/lora) for training and trigger words.

### Look (camera / lens / film)
Stacks cinematography modifiers onto your prompt. Add via **+ → Look**.
- A **Combo** dropdown applies curated presets (Cinematic, Epic, Portrait, Street, Dreamy, Anamorphic).
- Three slots — **Camera**, **Lens**, **Film** — set independently. Click a slot for its picker, or wheel-scroll over it to cycle.
- The **dice** randomizes all three.
- Shares state with the AI sidebar's modifier bar. Warns if your prompt already mentions camera/lens/film info.

### Matrix (variations grid) — image only
Generates a grid of variations in one call. Add via **+ → Matrix**.
- **Composition**: 2×2, side-by-side, stacked, triple side-by-side, triple stacked.
- **Creativity**: Subtle, Balanced, Wild.

## Aspect ratio

The ratio pill (bottom row) sets output width-to-height. Click for a grid of ratios, or scroll on the pill to cycle. The picker only shows ratios the resolved model supports, and may snap to the model's default when you switch models. **Auto** (when offered) matches the input image's dimensions. Hidden in the Pixi editor (output is sized from the canvas).

## Number of images & parameter variation

The **N image(s)** pill (bottom row, Pro/admin only) sets how many images per prompt (1–4). Scroll to adjust or pick in the popover. Cost scales linearly.

When set to **2 or more**, a **Vary across batch** section appears: click the eyedropper, then click any varyable setting pill in the bottom row to vary it; set a ± range and the values are spread evenly across the batch (one image per step).

## Model parameters (quality / guidance / steps / seed, etc.)

Each model exposes its own inline **setting pills** in the bottom row (e.g. steps, guidance, resolution, seed). Click a pill for its control (slider, segmented buttons, or a Random/Fixed seed toggle), or scroll on the pill to adjust. A pill's value turns the category color when it differs from the model default; each has a per-pill reset.

## Estimated cost

A **coins** count sits left of the Send button showing the estimated credit cost for the current configuration (model, image count, parameters).

## Reset

- **Reset props** (circular arrow, bottom row) — snaps model parameters, image count, and aspect ratio back to defaults. Only shows when something has changed.
- **Reset all** (circular arrow, top-right) — also clears the prompt and removes all LoRAs. Canvas selection and the Design reference / Look / Matrix panels are left untouched.

## Help mode

Click the **?** (CircleHelp) icon in the top-row cluster. While on, hovering any pill shows a description of what it does instead of opening its editor. Press **Esc** to exit.

## Voice input

When the prompt is empty, the Send button shows a waveform (voice) icon — click it to dictate. Recording transcribes on-device and fills the prompt. Click the stop square to finish.

## Collapse / expand & docking

- Press **Tab** (when not typing in the prompt) to collapse or expand the bar, clearing it off the canvas.
- The dock toggle (top-right settings icon) switches the bar between **bottom** and **left** orientation. In the Pixi 2D editor the bar is force-docked left and this toggle is hidden.

## Pixi editor: source switch ("Current View")

When editing an image in the Pixi 2D editor, the selection strip is replaced by a source switch:
- **Current View** — generate from the visible canvas composite (image-to-image), or inpaint within a drawn selection.
- **New image** — ignore the canvas and generate text-to-image.

A caption under the switch states what Send will do. Drawing a selection always takes priority and inpaints within it.