How to generate and edit images with AI in Linearity

Linearity Image Mode lets marketers and creative teams generate images with AI, refine them through follow-up instructions, and continue editing the result as part of a complete visual workflow.

A first draft is rarely the final asset. The composition may be right while the color is wrong. The subject may work, but the background needs more space for a headline. Traditional AI image generators often make you restart the prompt and hope the next result is closer. Linearity AI's Image Mode is designed for a more practical process: generate, review, edit and keep moving.

That matters when you are creating campaign graphics, social posts, ads, email banners, or presentation visuals. You need more than an attractive image. You need an image that fits the message, format, and brand around it.

What is AI Image Mode?

Image Mode is an AI image generation and editing workflow inside Linearity. Describe the visual you want, generate a starting point, and use clear instructions to change the image without rebuilding the idea from scratch.

You can explore a direction quickly, then make deliberate refinements. Ask for a different background, adjust the mood, simplify the composition, change an object, or create room for campaign copy. AI starts the asset. You stay in control.

How to generate an image with AI

1. Start with the purpose

Before describing the scene, decide what the image needs to do. A homepage hero, square social post, product announcement and email banner all need different compositions. Naming the intended use helps you write a more useful prompt.

2. Describe the subject and composition

A strong prompt gives the model a subject, setting, visual direction, and layout. Be specific about what matters, but leave room to explore.

For example: A bright editorial photograph of a reusable water bottle on a stone surface, soft morning light, restrained green palette, generous negative space on the left for campaign copy.

3. Choose the right format

Select an aspect ratio that matches the destination whenever possible. Starting close to the final format reduces unnecessary cropping and gives the main subject room to breathe.

• 1:1 for square social posts and thumbnails
• 4:5 for portrait social content
• 16:9 for presentations, video covers, and wide banners

4. Generate and evaluate

Look beyond whether the result is visually impressive. Check whether it supports the message. Is there enough space for text? Does the subject remain clear at a small size? Does the visual direction fit the rest of the campaign?

How to edit an AI-generated image

Good image editing prompts are direct. State what should change and what should stay the same. This gives the model a clearer job and helps preserve the parts that already work.

Useful follow-up instructions include:

• Keep the product and camera angle, but replace the background with a warm studio gradient.
• Remove the small objects on the right and leave that area empty for text.
• Make the lighting softer while preserving the colors and composition.
• Change the jacket to dark blue and keep everything else unchanged.
• Extend the scene vertically for a 9:16 social format.

Work in focused steps instead of requesting every change at once. Review each result, keep what works, and make the next instruction precise. The process feels less like rolling the dice and more like directing a visual.

From one image to a usable marketing asset

A generated image is usually one layer of the final design. Bring it into the wider Linearity workflow to add editable text, layouts, logos, colors, and vector elements. Then adapt the composition for the channels your campaign needs.

This is where an integrated workflow becomes more valuable than a standalone AI image generator. The image provides a strong starting point. The surrounding design remains structured, adjustable, and ready to reuse. Prompted in seconds. Editable where it matters.

AI image prompting tips for better results

• Lead with the subject. Make the main idea easy to identify.
• Describe the composition. Mention placement, camera angle, and negative space.
• Name the visual direction. Editorial, cinematic, minimal, playful, or documentary communicates more than vague words such as beautiful.
• Use concrete lighting cues. Try soft daylight, dramatic side light, or diffused studio lighting.
• Explain the intended use. A visual for an ad needs different priorities from an illustration for an article.
• Edit one concern at a time. Focused instructions make it easier to compare results.

Create more without losing the idea

Image Mode shortens the distance between an idea and a visual you can actually use. Generate a direction, refine the details, and move the result into a complete design without breaking your creative flow.

For marketers, that means faster campaign exploration. For designers, it means better starting points and less repetitive production work. For teams, it creates a shared way to turn an idea into content while keeping people in control of the final result.

Continue with how AI vector generation works or compare both approaches in the technical guide to image and vector generation.