Overview
Refinement Tools let you improve images step by step using operations like inpainting, outpainting, adding or removing objects in the image, camera-angle change, and upscaling—instead of starting over from scratch.
Who it is for: Users who want to improve good images without regenerating everything; those who need local edits (objects, background, composition); people preparing images for review, presentation boards, or print.
When to use it: Use Refinement Tools when you have a near-good image with a few small issues, want to keep the current composition/mood and change only one area, need to extend the frame without rebuilding the scene, or need to upscale a selected image for final presentation.
What It Solves
User problem(s): Many images are off by only a few details, but regenerating from scratch wastes time, credits, and can lose a good composition or mood.
Why this feature exists: Refinement Tools let you build on existing good results instead of discarding and redoing. You can adjust step by step, compare before/after, and keep context within the same board/workflow.
Expected outcome: You can take a near-correct image and refine it until it better matches your design intent—right in the same workflow, without switching tools.
Key Capabilities
- Image edit workflows (inpaint / outpaint).
- Add or remove objects in the image.
- Camera-angle change or camera-sync tools (per workflow).
- 4K upscaling for selected images.
- Refinement history per step for comparison and rollback when needed.
How It Works (Workflow)
Step 1 /7
Select a result image on the board.
Step 2 /7
In the New workflow modal, select the Edit image option.
Step 3 /7
Choose the right refinement tool: Edit (inpaint/outpaint), add/remove objects, Camera change/sync, or Upscale.
Step 4 /7
(If needed) Draw a mask to define the area to edit.
Step 5 /7
Use Maskbox or the Brush tool to draw the mask zone, then click Use Mask.
Step 6 /7
Enter a short, focused refinement prompt describing the change you want.
Step 7 /7
Compare the new image with the original on the board.
Inputs
- Existing result image on the board.
- Mask region (per operation).
- Refinement prompt/description (per operation).
- Tool settings (e.g. upscale factor, edit mode).
Outputs
- New images linked to the original in the workflow.
- Updated board history for each refinement step.
- Results available for further refinement or export.
Controls and Parameters
- Mask — Defines the region to change (especially for inpainting/outpainting). Clear, compact masks give more controllable results.
- Refinement prompt — Describes the change you want. Keep it short, specific, and focused on one main change. Examples: "remove parked cars, keep façade materials"; "extend foreground pavement, keep same lighting".
- Upscale factor — Controls target resolution when upscaling. Higher upscale usually means longer processing, more resources/credits (per tier), and is best for images you've already locked in.
Common Use Cases
- Remove distracting cars, people, or signage from an otherwise good façade render.
- Extend the frame to show more surroundings without rebuilding the scene.
- Edit a small material/lighting area instead of regenerating the whole image.
- Upscale a hero image to 4K for presentation boards or print.
- Try a different camera angle while keeping the current design direction.
Limitations and Known Behaviors
- Very aggressive changes can behave more like a new generation than a small refinement.
- Complex or very large masks can make results harder to control.
- Refinement quality depends on source image quality, clarity of the refinement prompt, and the workflow/tool in use.
- Some operations (especially upscale or camera-related) may take longer depending on system load.
Best Practices
- Refine in small steps, one change at a time.
- Use short, clear prompts focused on the goal; avoid asking for too many changes in one run.
- With inpainting, start with smaller masks before editing larger regions.
- Keep the original on the board to compare before and after.
- Only upscale once you've locked in the image direction; avoid upscaling too early during exploration.
Audit Evidence
Refinement Tools are not standalone tools. Users use them in the project, board, and workflow context of NamO Academy Studio. The source image, refinement prompt, mask (if any), and outputs are stored per step so the refinement process can be traced, compared, and reused as part of the overall design workflow.
Operational Notes
At a high level, operations using Refinement Tools are processed through the same infrastructure as other NamO Academy Studio workflows. Requests are tied to the user and project context and may go through a queue or be limited by deployment configuration. Basic success/failure states are shown in the UI; details about retry logic, rate limits, or tier differences depend on product and environment configuration.