# Style presets

The Style tab in Visualize mode has a picker with a small named set of preloaded looks, plus an option to upload an image and create a style from it. Pick a preset to apply a consistent surface treatment across renders without writing the descriptive language yourself.

## Watch

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nnIxGvckNc>" %}

![Visualize mode with the Style tab active and the Digital Illustration preset applied to a battleship scene](/files/ymc6jDoQNcqMKPzs03jJ)

## What it does

A render's surface treatment is what separates "the same scene" rendered as a photoreal still versus an anime cel versus a storyboard sketch. Authoring the descriptive language for each style takes practice and a feel for which words the model honors. Style presets bundle that prose into a one-click selection.

## How to use it

1. **Click the Style tab** in the right-hand visualizer panel.
2. **Click the picker.** A grid of preset thumbnails opens, each showing a sample render in that style.
3. **Pick a preset.** The Style block populates with the preset's prose. The next generate uses that style.
4. **Iterate by swapping.** Pick a different preset, generate again. The composition stays put; the style changes.

![Select Style Preset modal with a category filter dropdown open showing the All / Factory / Custom filters](/files/aO1ElVLnEVMxJg5Eo7XJ)

## What's in the working set

The named presets in the picker today:

* **New Style** – the entry point for uploading an image and creating a custom style from it. See [Custom styles](/visualize/custom-styles.md).
* **Photograph** – photoreal, naturalistic surface treatment.
* **Graphic Novel** – stylized illustrated rendering with linework and flat color planes.
* **Storyboard Concept** – sketch-style rendering with rough shading.

The set evolves; check the picker for the current options. To go beyond the named set, upload an image via **New Style** and the visualizer derives a style from it. See [Custom styles](/visualize/custom-styles.md).

## How a preset interacts with lighting

The Style tab and the Lighting tab are separable. A photoreal style with a stormy lighting preset gives you photoreal stormy footage. The same photoreal style with a tropical-sunset lighting preset gives you photoreal tropical footage. Mixing styles and lighting lets you cover an unusual amount of look-development ground without re-authoring prose.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A[Style preset: photoreal] --> C[Composite render]
    B[Lighting preset: stormy coastal tempest] --> C
```

The same composition can run through every combination of style and lighting in the picker by re-clicking and regenerating. Useful for client review where you want to show range.

{% hint style="info" %}
Style is the surface; lighting is the atmosphere. Don't put atmospheric descriptors ("misty", "stormy") in the Style tab – put them in Lighting. Mixing them confuses the model and makes iteration messier.
{% endhint %}

## When to reach for it

* **Early in look development.** Before you commit to a final treatment, cycle through presets to feel out what the brief calls for.
* **Cross-shot consistency.** Pin a single style preset for the project; every shot uses it. The result reads as one coherent piece.
* **Client review.** Show two renders of the same shot with different presets to make a comparative look-development conversation concrete.

When not to reach for it:

* **You already know exactly what you want.** Edit the Style tab text directly without picking a preset. Custom prose at this point is more precise than a working-set preset.
* **You have a custom style.** Use [Custom styles](/visualize/custom-styles.md) to upload your own and pin it to the project.

## Limits and known issues

* **Some models honor presets more strongly than others.** Photographic presets work cleanly across all the image models. Stylized presets (Graphic Novel, Storyboard Concept) honor better on some models than others; cycle through a couple if the first render flattens the look.
* **Presets aren't editable in place.** Pick a preset, the Style block fills with its prose. To customize, edit the prose after applying – at that point you've forked off the preset.
* **No multi-preset blending.** Pick one preset at a time. To combine looks, use a custom style.

## Related

* [Lighting presets](/visualize/lighting-presets.md)
* [Custom styles](/visualize/custom-styles.md)
* [Scene context](/visualize/scene-context.md)
* [Generate image](/visualize/generate-image.md)
* [Models](/visualize/ai-models.md)


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