Frequently asked questions.
Everything about Photolaria in one place – jump to AI photo editor, AI image generator, pricing & credits or account & general.
AI Photo Editor
Is there a free online AI photo editor?
Yes – Photolaria currently offers bonus credits, as a guest courtesy and a larger allowance with a free account, with no expiring trial and no visible Photolaria watermark, spendable on every model except Nano Banana 2.1, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Seedream 5.0 Flash and Flux 3, which need a plan. Bonus credits are a temporary promotion, and free generation remains subject to fair-use and abuse protections. For more volume, see pricing.
What can I edit with an AI photo editor?
You can describe almost any change in plain language – it is not a fixed menu of effects. Typical examples: enhance a photo, retouch a product shot, restyle an interior photo, change a background or outfit, remove objects or people, restore an old photo, or extend the frame. Results depend on the source photo, prompt and model, so a complex edit may take more than one attempt.
How does prompt-based photo editing work?
Instead of tools and sliders, you describe the change in plain text – "remove the person on the left", "make the sky sunset orange" – and the AI applies it while aiming to preserve the rest of the photo. If you're not sure how to phrase it, the Prompts tab has ready-made prompts you can apply to your own photo.
Which AI models power the editor?
Photolaria runs on several leading models – Nano Banana, Nano Banana 2, Nano Banana 2.1, Nano Banana Pro, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Seedream 5.0 Flash, Flux 3, GPT Image 2 and GPT Image 2.5 – and you pick the one for each edit; each has its own credit cost, shown on the button before you generate. There's also a dedicated Remove Background model that cuts the background to transparency without writing any prompt.
What does a free account add?
A free account gives you 10 extra bonus credits right away (the sign-up bonus stays spendable for 30 days) and a private Library that syncs across devices with unlimited image history.
Are my photos private?
Yes. Your uploads and results are private on every plan, including Free. You can delete individual images, or use "Delete my data" in the Bin tab on every tool – guests and accounts alike – to remove all images and generation history from live systems after confirmation. If you have an account, "Delete my data" is also in your profile, where you can delete the account itself and all of its data. Short-lived backup copies expire on their rotation schedule. Guest photos expire automatically 7 days after creation.
Can I use edited photos commercially?
Yes – commercial usage rights are included for everyone, on every plan, free or paid. Results have no visible Photolaria watermark, though providers may include invisible provenance metadata. You remain responsible for applicable law, third-party rights and provider policies – see the Terms for details.
What is the best AI photo editor?
Results depend on the source photo and the edit, so no single model is best at everything. Photolaria offers Nano Banana, Nano Banana 2, Nano Banana 2.1, GPT Image 2, GPT Image 2.5, Flux 3, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Seedream 5.0 Flash and Nano Banana Pro in one editor, letting you choose the balance of speed, detail and subject consistency for each edit.
Which photo editor uses AI?
Traditional editors center on manual tools and sliders, sometimes with AI features added on. Photolaria is AI-first: most edits – from object removal to restoring old photos – begin with a plain-language prompt, while the dedicated Remove Background model is a one-tap tool that needs no prompt.
Which AI photo editor gives natural results?
Natural-looking results depend on how well a model preserves faces, lighting and texture while following the requested change. Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2.5, GPT Image 2 and Seedream 5.0 Pro are strong options in Photolaria. You can re-run the same prompt with another model and compare the results in your Library, with each run charged separately.
AI Image Generator
What is the best AI image generator?
No single model wins at everything. Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2.5, GPT Image 2, Flux 3 and Seedream 5.0 Pro each have different strengths in realism, prompt accuracy, text and style, and results depend on the image you want. Photolaria lets you compare them in one place and pick a model per image.
Is there a free AI image generator?
Yes – Photolaria currently offers bonus credits, as a guest courtesy and a larger allowance with a free account, with no expiring trial and no visible Photolaria watermark, spendable on every resolution and every model except Nano Banana 2.1, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Seedream 5.0 Flash and Flux 3, which need a plan. Bonus credits are a temporary promotion, and free generation remains subject to fair-use and abuse protections. For more volume, see pricing.
How do I generate images from a text prompt?
Type a prompt describing the image – subject, style, lighting, composition – pick a model and generate. With a free account, "Use image" on a result opens the AI photo editor with that image ready for your next change (on mobile, tap the image first, then "Use image"). "Use prompt" loads the exact prompt that created it so you can tweak and rerun it in the generator. Plain language is enough – no prompt-engineering experience is needed, and the Prompts tab has ready-made prompts to start from.
Which AI models power the generator?
Ten models are available for generation: Nano Banana, Nano Banana 2, Nano Banana 2.1, Nano Banana 2 Lite, Nano Banana Pro, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Seedream 5.0 Flash, Flux 3, GPT Image 2 and GPT Image 2.5 – you choose one per image. Nano Banana 2 Lite prioritizes speed for drafts, while the other models offer different balances of detail, prompt accuracy and realism. Every model is available on every plan – each has its own credit cost, shown on the button before you generate.
What is the Nano Banana AI image generator?
Nano Banana is Google's image generation model family: Nano Banana, Nano Banana 2, Nano Banana 2.1, Nano Banana 2 Lite and Nano Banana Pro. Nano Banana and Nano Banana 2 are everyday models; Nano Banana 2.1, the newest, follows prompts more closely and keeps subjects consistent across edits; Nano Banana 2 Lite is the speed-focused draft option; Nano Banana Pro offers stronger fine detail and text rendering. You can run all five in Photolaria – pick one per image.
Can I upload an image to the AI image generator?
The generator itself is text-to-image only – it creates new images from a prompt, with no upload step. To work from your own photo, use the AI photo editor: upload up to 6 reference images per edit and describe the change or the new scene to build around them. The tools share your account and credit balance and offer many of the same models.
What's the difference between an AI image generator and an AI photo editor?
A generator creates a brand-new image from a text prompt; an editor changes a photo you already have – removing objects, swapping backgrounds or enhancing quality – while aiming to preserve parts you did not ask to change. Photolaria includes both: generate new images here, or open the AI photo editor to transform your existing photos.
AI Image Upscaler
What is an AI image upscaler?
An AI image upscaler increases the resolution of an image while restoring sharpness and detail, instead of just stretching the existing pixels the way a normal resize does. The model predicts what edges, textures, and fine structure should look like at the larger size, so a small or soft image can be printed or shown on a 4K screen without looking blurry. Photolaria runs Topaz Labs models for this – upload an image, pick a target size and a mode, and download the result.
Is Photolaria's image upscaler free?
Yes, it's free to start. You currently get bonus credits – as a guest, and more with a free account – and a Standard upscale to 2K or 4K costs 10 credits, so you can try it with no expiring trial and no visible watermark. The upscaler runs Topaz Labs models and works from your browser with nothing to install. Every size is open to everyone and 8K targets simply cost more credits; Creative mode is available on the monthly plans.
What resolution can I upscale to?
There are three targets: 2K (about 3.7 megapixels, 2560 × 1440 px for a 16:9 image), 4K (about 8.3 megapixels, 3840 × 2160 px), and 8K (about 33 megapixels, 7680 × 4320 px) – the result keeps your image's aspect ratio, so the targets are pixel counts rather than fixed dimensions. A target has to be at least 1.5× your source's width and height (a smaller step isn't worth an upscale) and at most 4×, which means 8K takes a source between about 2 megapixels (for example 1920 × 1080 px) and 14.7 megapixels, 4K between about 0.5 and 3.7 megapixels, and 2K between about 0.23 and 1.6 megapixels. Targets your image can't reach are greyed out after upload – nothing smaller is substituted, and the button's tooltip names the largest size available. Creative 8K is one exception: it upscales to 4K first and then doubles that, so it needs only the 4K minimum. Transparent is the other: there is no target to pick – it always outputs 4× the source, up to 16K (see the transparent question below).
Which mode should I choose?
Standard enlarges the image faithfully without adding detail – pick it for good-quality originals. Enhance rebuilds sharpness and detail, so it suits small, blurry, or heavily compressed images. Creative regenerates textures and detail for the most artistic result, which suits AI art and illustration; it costs the most credits and is available on the Basic, Pro and Studio plans. Transparent is a faithful upscale that keeps the alpha channel for logos, stickers, and cutouts, and it unlocks only when you upload a PNG with transparency.
Does it work on screenshots and text?
Yes. Use Enhance for screenshots and UI text: it rebuilds letters, icons, and edges as it enlarges, so small text stays readable at 4K. In our tests Standard can break up small text, so keep it for photos and other images without fine lettering.
How do I keep a transparent background?
Choose Transparent mode and upload a PNG that actually has a transparent background – the mode unlocks only once the upload shows an alpha channel. The result is a PNG with the transparency preserved, always at 4× the source's width and height – there is no size to pick – up to 16K (about 133 megapixels, 15360 × 8640 px for a 16:9 image). A source above about 8.3 megapixels is reduced to 8.3 megapixels before upscaling, so the output tops out at 16K. Transparent is priced by the source's size, and the exact output size and cost show as soon as you upload. JPEG has no alpha channel, so a JPEG upload can't come out transparent, even if the background looks white.
How many credits does an upscale cost?
Standard costs 10 credits at 2K or 4K and 20 credits at 8K. Enhance costs 10 credits at 2K, 20 at 4K, and 40 at 8K. Creative costs 32 credits at 2K, 80 at 4K, and 112 at 8K. Transparent has no target size – it always renders 4× the source, up to 16K – and is priced by the size of the source image, because that full-size result is what the model bills: 16 credits per 1.5 megapixels of source, rounded up – a 1 MP logo costs 16 credits, a 4 MP one 48, and 96 is the maximum, since a source above 8.3 megapixels is reduced to 8.3 first. The exact figure appears as soon as you upload. Every size is open on every plan and the only limit is your credit balance, except Creative mode, which needs a monthly plan; see pricing. The Standard and Enhance costs are launch promo pricing and may increase – for subscribers, from the next renewal or after 14 days' notice – and the cost shown on the button before you run is always the one charged.
Is the image upscaler safe?
Yes. Nothing is installed on your device – the upscaler runs from your browser, and your uploads and results are private on every plan, free or paid. Photolaria doesn't use your images to train AI models, and you can delete individual images or all of your data at any time from the Bin tab. Guest uploads are deleted automatically after 7 days; with an account they stay in your private Library until you delete them.
Can I use upscaled images commercially?
Yes – you can use upscaled images commercially, on free and paid plans alike. Whether a specific image may lawfully be used is your responsibility: upscaling doesn't change who holds the rights to the source image, so it doesn't make a photo you don't have rights to yours. See the Terms for details.
What files can I upload?
JPG and PNG files up to 10 MB, one image per upscale. The image can be at most 12000 px on its longer side and 50 megapixels in total – larger images are refused. Free accounts run one upscale at a time, while subscribers can run several in parallel (2 on Basic, 3 on Pro, 5 on Studio). Results download as PNG whatever the source format, which is also how a Transparent result keeps its alpha channel.
Pricing & Credits
How many images can I generate with each plan?
Each generation costs credits based on the AI model and resolution you pick – every model is available on every plan, only the cost differs. Current per-image costs:
- Nano Banana – 4 credits (most affordable all-round model).
- Nano Banana 2 Lite – 4 credits (fastest model, available in the image generator).
- Nano Banana 2 – 8 credits in 1K, 12 in 2K, 18 in 4K.
- Nano Banana 2.1 – 10 credits in 1K, 14 in 2K, 30 in 4K.
- GPT Image 2 and GPT Image 2.5 – 6 credits in 1K, 10 in 2K, 16 in 4K.
- Seedream 5.0 Pro – 8 credits in 1K, 15 in 2K.
- Seedream 5.0 Flash – 6 credits in 1K or 2K.
- Flux 3 – 10 credits in 1K, 48 in 2K.
- Nano Banana Pro – 18 credits in 1K and 2K, 36 in 4K.
- Remove Background – 2 credits (one-tap transparent background, in the photo editor).
- Upscales – Standard 10 credits at 2K or 4K (20 at 8K), Enhance 10 / 20 / 40, Creative 32 / 80 / 112, Transparent 16 credits per 1.5 megapixels of the source image (16 to 96 – it has no target size and always renders 4×, up to 16K). Standard and Enhance are launch promo prices that may increase – for subscribers, from the next renewal or after 14 days' notice.
Per-image credit costs can change; the cost shown on the button before you generate is always the one charged.
Your monthly credits:
- Basic – 630 credits a month – about 35 Nano Banana Pro images, or 157 Nano Banana images.
- Pro – 5,400 credits a month – about 300 Nano Banana Pro images.
- Studio – 18,500 credits a month – about 1,027 Nano Banana Pro images.
Divide your credits by the cost above to estimate your images. Credit costs and plan contents are current values and can change – for subscribers, increases apply from the next renewal or after 14 days' notice (see the Terms); the cost on the button before you generate is always the one charged. On top of any plan, bonus credits (see below) currently add a little extra while the promotion runs.
What are bonus credits?
Bonus credits are a small free allowance we currently add on top of everything – spendable just like plan credits on every model and resolution open to you. A free account gets more than a guest session. Your current balance always shows in the credits pill at the top of the page. They don't accumulate: unused bonus credits expire when the allowance refreshes.
They are a temporary promotion, not part of any plan, subject to availability and not guaranteed: the amount and how often it refreshes may change from time to time, and we may change or end the promotion at any time, for guests, accounts and subscribers alike, without affecting your plan's monthly credits. Every generation spends bonus credits first, so your monthly credits last longer while the promotion runs. Free generation remains subject to fair-use and abuse protections.
What happens when my monthly credits run out?
Your monthly credits reset to your plan's amount at every renewal – unused ones don't roll over. If you run out before then, you can upgrade to a bigger plan (upgrades apply immediately, see below), and bonus credits stay available while that promotion runs.
There are no credit packs – subscriptions are the way to get credits.
Can I use every AI model and resolution on every plan?
Yes. There is only one kind of credit: every model – Nano Banana Pro included – every resolution up to 4K, and every upscale size are open on every plan, and the only limit is your credit balance. The cost of your current choice is always shown on the button before you generate. Guests and free accounts can use them too, with five exceptions that are available on the Basic, Pro and Studio plans: the Nano Banana 2.1, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Seedream 5.0 Flash and Flux 3 models and Creative upscaling.
Do prices include VAT?
No. All prices are in US dollars and exclude VAT and other local taxes. Where we are required to collect them, they are calculated and added at checkout based on your billing address, so the total you pay may be higher than the listed price. Your Stripe receipt shows the breakdown.
Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan?
Yes, anytime – you manage it yourself in the Stripe billing portal. What happens to your credits depends on the direction:
- Upgrades take effect immediately. Stripe charges a prorated amount for the rest of your current cycle, and we add credits in proportion to that charge – a partial top-up now, not the full monthly allowance, which arrives at your next renewal.
- Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing cycle. You keep your current plan and all its credits until then – nothing changes mid-cycle and there's no extra charge. At your next renewal you move to the new plan and your credits reset to its amount.
Either way, only your monthly subscription credits change – your bonus credits are never affected.
To make the change, in the Stripe billing portal choose Update plan (sometimes shown as "Change plan"), pick your new plan, and confirm. To open the portal:
- On desktop – click your avatar (the circle with your initial, top-right) → My profile → in the Billing section click Open billing portal.
- On mobile – tap the menu (☰, top-right) → My profile → in the Billing section tap Open billing portal.
Can I cancel my subscription?
Yes, anytime – no questions asked. You cancel it yourself in the Stripe billing portal:
- On desktop – click your avatar (the circle with your initial, top-right) → My profile → in the Billing section click Open billing portal.
- On mobile – tap the menu (☰, top-right) → My profile → in the Billing section tap Open billing portal.
In the Stripe portal, choose Cancel plan (sometimes shown as "Cancel subscription") and confirm.
Your plan stays active until the end of the current billing period, then unused subscription credits end. You keep your account on every device, your private Library and generation history – and bonus credits stay available while that promotion runs.
Do you offer refunds?
Yes. The first payment of your first subscription has a 14-day money-back guarantee, once per customer. Contact us within 14 days and we'll refund it in full – taxes included – as long as you've created no more than 10 images since subscribing – edits and generations both count.
A refund removes what the payment provided – the subscription, the credits it granted, and the images created since. Your account and everything from before it stay intact. If you just want to stop paying, cancel instead: nothing is removed immediately, and your plan remains active until the end of the paid period. See the full refund & cancellation policy.
Why create a free account?
Without one, you use a temporary session tied to this browser, with a small bonus allowance as a courtesy (our abuse protection may limit free generations) and photos that expire after 7 days.
Create a free account – sign in with your email or Google – and you get 10 extra bonus credits right away (the sign-up bonus stays spendable for 30 days), plus cross-device access, unlimited image history and a Library that survives browser resets. Bonus credits are a temporary promotion and may change at any time.
Account & General
How do I delete my images and data?
Every plan has self-serve deletion, including free guest use. The trash icon moves an image to the Bin, where it can be restored for up to 30 days – in guest sessions only until the photo's own 7-day expiry, which the Bin doesn't pause. You can also permanently delete individual items from the Bin immediately. "Delete my data" is in the Bin tab on every tool for everyone, and also in your profile if you have an account. It removes all your images and generation history from live systems at once, after confirmation. Short-lived backup copies expire on their rotation schedule. Deleting your account from your profile also cancels any active subscription and forfeits remaining credits without a refund.
How long does Photolaria store my photos?
With an account – free or paid – your photos stay in your private Library until you delete them; there's no automatic expiry. Guest photos are deleted automatically 7 days after creation – including photos sitting in the Bin, so the Bin's 30-day restore window fully applies only with an account. Deleted content is removed from live systems immediately and purged from short-lived backups on their rotation schedule.
What file formats can I upload?
You can upload JPG and PNG images up to 10 MB each, with up to 6 reference images per edit. Other formats such as WebP, HEIC and GIF aren't accepted – some iPhones may offer a JPEG conversion when you pick a HEIC photo from your library. Most edited and generated images download as PNG; some Remove Background results may be WebP, depending on the provider.
Can I use Photolaria on my phone?
Yes – Photolaria runs in modern mobile browsers with no app install needed, using the same editor, generator and models as on desktop. Signing in to an account syncs your Library and generation history between your phone and computer.
Does Photolaria have an API?
Not yet – Photolaria is currently available through its web app, with no public API for external integrations. If you have an API use case, tell us at [email protected] – it helps us plan what to build next.
How do I contact support?
Email [email protected] – it's the single channel for everything: questions, billing, copyright takedown notices, likeness-removal requests and content reports. If your question concerns a specific image, include it or describe where it appears.
Who owns the images I create?
You do – Photolaria claims no ownership of your uploads or created images, and we pass on to you any rights in generated images that we hold or receive. Copyright in AI-generated images is legally unsettled in many jurisdictions, so see the Terms for what ownership of AI output does and doesn't cover.
What content is not allowed?
Photolaria is for users 18+ and its rules protect real people: no content involving minors, no nude or sexual imagery of any real person, no deceptive deepfakes or impersonation, and no unlawful use – and you need a person's explicit consent before uploading their photo. The full rules are in the Acceptable Use Policy; violations can lead to blocked requests, generation pauses or account suspension, with immediate suspension for serious cases.
Does Photolaria use my photos to train AI?
Photolaria does not use your photos to train AI models and does not sell your data. Photos and prompts are sent to AI providers only to produce the result you asked for; we choose providers and configurations intended to keep your content out of model training, while their own terms govern how they handle it. See the Privacy Policy for the full picture.
What languages does Photolaria support?
You can write prompts in many languages – describe the edit or image in your own words and the models will try to follow it. The site interface is currently available in English.