## 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)

1. **Open or create a project.**  
   Start a new file or open an existing canvas where you have a base image or sketch.

2. **Upload your base image.**  
   Drag and drop your sketch or image into Vizcom to establish the main visual content.

3. **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.

4. **Adjust influence sliders.**  
   Use the reference strength and drawing influence sliders to control how strongly the reference image style should affect your output.

5. **Generate your styled reference.**  
   Click _Generate_ to apply the reference image’s aesthetic influence to your base image.

### Material Transfer with Reference Images

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

1. **Prepare a rendered image on your canvas.**  
   This should have depth (material shading/volume), as sketches without depth won’t transfer materials.

2. **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.

3. **Add context with a prompt.**  
   Provide a brief prompt describing the scene or material application goal.

4. **Select the area for material application.**  
   Use Vizcom’s selection tools: if nothing is selected, the material transfers to the entire image.

5. **Set strength and influence.**  
   Stronger values give the reference image more visual impact; lower influence lets the original design remain more dominant.

6. **Generate and refine.**  
   Apply the material transfer, adjust settings, and re-generate until the result meets your design intent.

## Tips & FAQ

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.

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

### 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.