Openrouter Images

---
name: openrouter-images
description: Generate images from text prompts and edit existing images using OpenRouter's image generation models. Use when the user asks to create, generate, or make an image, picture, or illustration from a description, or wants to edit, modify, transform, or alter an existing image with a text prompt.
source: "https://github.com/OpenRouterTeam/skills"
attribution: "OpenRouterTeam/skills by OpenRouter"
---

> **Attribution:** Sourced from [OpenRouterTeam/skills](https://github.com/OpenRouterTeam/skills) by [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai).

# OpenRouter Images

Generate images from text prompts and edit existing images via OpenRouter's chat completions API with image modalities.

## Prerequisites

The `OPENROUTER_API_KEY` environment variable must be set. Get a key at https://openrouter.ai/keys

## First-Time Setup

```bash
cd <skill-path>/scripts && npm install
```

## Decision Tree

Pick the right script based on what the user is asking:

| User wants to... | Script | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Generate an image from a text description | `generate.ts "prompt"` | "Create an image of a sunset over mountains" |
| Generate with specific aspect ratio | `generate.ts "prompt" --aspect-ratio 16:9` | "Make a wide landscape image of a forest" |
| Generate with a different model | `generate.ts "prompt" --model <id>` | "Generate using gemini-2.5-flash-image" |
| Edit or modify an existing image | `edit.ts path "prompt"` | "Make the sky purple in photo.png" |
| Transform an image with instructions | `edit.ts path "prompt"` | "Add a party hat to the animal in this image" |

## Generate Image

Create a new image from a text prompt:

```bash
cd <skill-path>/scripts && npx tsx generate.ts "a red panda wearing sunglasses"
cd <skill-path>/scripts && npx tsx generate.ts "a futuristic cityscape at night" --aspect-ratio 16:9
cd <skill-path>/scripts && npx tsx generate.ts "pixel art of a dragon" --output dragon.png
cd <skill-path>/scripts && npx tsx generate.ts "a watercolor painting" --model google/gemini-2.5-flash-image
```

### Options

| Flag | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| `--model <id>` | OpenRouter model ID | `google/gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview` |
| `--output <path>` | Output file path | `image-YYYYMMDD-HHmmss.png` |
| `--aspect-ratio <r>` | Aspect ratio (e.g. `16:9`, `1:1`, `4:3`) | Model default |
| `--image-size <s>` | Image size (e.g. `1K`, `2K`) | Model default |

## Edit Image

Modify an existing image with a text prompt:

```bash
cd <skill-path>/scripts && npx tsx edit.ts photo.png "make the sky purple"
cd <skill-path>/scripts && npx tsx edit.ts avatar.jpg "add a party hat" --output avatar-hat.png
cd <skill-path>/scripts && npx tsx edit.ts scene.png "convert to watercolor style" --model google/gemini-2.5-flash-image
```

### Options

| Flag | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| `--model <id>` | OpenRouter model ID | `google/gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview` |
| `--output <path>` | Output file path | `image-YYYYMMDD-HHmmss.png` |
| `--aspect-ratio <r>` | Aspect ratio (e.g. `16:9`, `1:1`, `4:3`) | Model default |
| `--image-size <s>` | Image size (e.g. `1K`, `2K`) | Model default |

Supported input formats: `.png`, `.jpg`, `.jpeg`, `.webp`, `.gif`

## Output Format

### generate.ts

```json
{
  "model": "google/gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview",
  "prompt": "a red panda wearing sunglasses",
  "images_saved": ["/absolute/path/to/image-20260305-143022.png"],
  "count": 1
}
```

### edit.ts

```json
{
  "model": "google/gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview",
  "source_image": "photo.png",
  "prompt": "make the sky purple",
  "images_saved": ["/absolute/path/to/image-20260305-143055.png"],
  "count": 1
}
```

## API Response Shapes

Image generation uses `POST /api/v1/responses` with `modalities: ["image", "text"]`. See the [Responses API reference](https://openrouter.ai/docs/api/reference/responses/overview) and [image generation guide](https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/overview/multimodal/image-generation) for full request details.

The image-specific output item type is `image_generation_call` — this is not obvious from the general Responses API docs:

```json
{
  "type": "image_generation_call",
  "id": "imagegen-abc123",
  "status": "completed",
  "result": "<base64-encoded image data>"
}
```

This appears alongside standard `message` output items in the `output` array. Text and image outputs may each be absent depending on the model and prompt.

## Using a Different Model

The default model is `google/gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview` (Nano Banana 2). To use a different model, pass `--model <id>` with any OpenRouter model ID that supports image output modalities.

Use the `openrouter-models` skill to discover image-capable models:

```bash
cd <openrouter-models-skill-path>/scripts && npx tsx search-models.ts --modality image
```

## Presenting Results

- After generating or editing, display the saved image to the user
- Include the model used and any text response the model provided (printed to stderr)
- If multiple images are returned, show all of them
- When the user doesn't specify an output path, tell them where the file was saved
- For edit operations, mention the source image that was modified