How to use Instagram’s new Restyle AI tool to reimagine your photos

11 hours ago 7

(Image credit: Instagram Restyle)

Instagram’s new Restyle feature uses Meta AI to edit images and videos for Stories
You can add, remove, or change any element of the uploaded media
There are preset options or you can use your own prompts

Meta has rolled out a new Instagram editing feature in Stories called Restyle, powered by Meta AI, that lets you add, remove, or change images and videos to match a vision in your imagination (or simply remove a photobomber). The tool is rolling out in the U.S., though the video editing option is less widely available than the still image feature.

All you have to do is add a photo or video to your Story, tap the Restyle icon, and transform your post. The significance of this rollout goes beyond just more fun filters; it could be a major entry point for new AI tool users who wouldn't bother with a unique app but regularly share media on Instagram.

How to use Restyle

Here’s how you actually use Restyle. Open Instagram and tap on the plus sign on your profile pic to start uploading a Story. Pick your photo or video from your camera roll and load it up. In the editor for the Story, look for the paint‑brush‑style Restyle icon in the upper right. Then pick whether you want to Add, Remove, or Change something, or select one of the preset styles.

After picking a style or typing your choice, simply hit Done and in a few seconds you'll see the result. You can redo it by hitting the reload icon to get a slightly different take, or tap Undo if you want to go back to the previous version of the image. Once you're ready, tap Done, and you can upload the Story.

There's also an optional Add Yours sticker if you want your friends to join the trend and share your Story.

For videos, the process is similar, but you’ll see preset effects to choose from like Underwater, Snowstorm, or Fire and flames.

As an example, I took a lovely portrait of my dog wearing a bandana and uploaded it. Then I used Restyle to "Remove the bandana", followed by a request to "Add a superhero costume".

Meta AI decided I meant literally the most famous superhero in the world. Intellectual property rules are clearly not the first priority for the AI in its production. Still, as wonderful as she looked, I didn't want my dog's other identity to be Captain Copyright Infringement, so I used Restyle to "Change the superhero emblem to something related to space and dogs."

I was much happier with that image, so I then asked Restyle to "Change the background to a skyscraper rooftop." You can see the result above.

Comical AI

I then turned to the preset choices for Restyle and chose the sketch option. I wasn't very impressed, so I used Restyle to "Change it to look more like a comic book," which went better, then prompted the AI to "Add details of a comic book called 'Cosmic Canine.'" It's not exactly Jack Kirby, but for only a few seconds wait, it's pretty impressive.

Instagram has competition for AI photo editing tools that make Restyle necessary to keep up both in terms of AI and social media. Google Photos can edit with text prompts, and xAI is aggressively pushing Grok tools on X. And Meta itself has used AI tools in its standalone Meta AI app. But embedding Restyle directly into Stories makes for a much larger number of people who might be at least testing it out.

The Add Yours stickers with your restyled image are clearly aimed at making these AI-enhanced pictures and the tools behind them go viral.

Of course, because the tool uses your uploaded photo or video plus text prompts, you are trusting Meta’s model to match your vision, and any AI tool is going to be flawed sometimes, or simply rip off existing trademarks. Still, while the results are nowhere near human-made illustrations or videos in artistic merit, you'll likely see plenty of people try out at least the pre-made options, if only to see how they or their dog looks as a non-copyrighted felt figure.

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Eric Hal Schwartz is a freelance writer for TechRadar with more than 15 years of experience covering the intersection of the world and technology. For the last five years, he served as head writer for Voicebot.ai and was on the leading edge of reporting on generative AI and large language models. He's since become an expert on the products of generative AI models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google Gemini, and every other synthetic media tool. His experience runs the gamut of media, including print, digital, broadcast, and live events. Now, he's continuing to tell the stories people want and need to hear about the rapidly evolving AI space and its impact on their lives. Eric is based in New York City.

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