style-transfer

<objective> Image style-transfer utility. Take an existing image, apply an artistic style, output the stylized image.

Distinct from image-prompt:

• Operates on an EXISTING image (image-to-image edit), not from scratch
• 12 curated style presets — pick + go, no prompt engineering needed
• Default provider: Flux Kontext (best at natural-language style transfer)

Distinct from bg-remover / upscaler:

• They are utility (segmentation, resolution). This is creative stylization.
• All three are image-in-image-out wrappers — shared shape.

Distinct from meme-card-maker:

• meme adds text + template composition. This is pure visual stylization.

This skill does NOT:

• Generate entirely new images (use image-prompt)
• Style-transfer videos (frame-by-frame breaks temporal coherence — use Runway / Kaiber)
• Match an EXACT artist's style (model approximates; for legal/ethical reasons, well-known living artists shouldn't be reproduced)
• Vectorize / convert to SVG (output remains raster PNG)
• Preserve identity perfectly across heavy stylization (faces may transform; for ID-preserve use Nano Banana Pro)</objective>

ROLE

Read input image + style preset → call image-to-image edit provider (Flux Kontext default) → save stylized output.

PIPELINE

1. Resolve input:

   • --image <path-or-url> (required)

2. Pick style preset — see references/styles.md:

   • --style watercolor — soft washes, paper texture
   • --style oil-painting — thick impasto strokes
   • --style sketch — pencil shading
   • --style line-art — clean outlines on white
   • --style ink-wash — Chinese sumi-e
   • --style cyberpunk — neon glow, retrofuturistic
   • --style studio-ghibli — hand-painted animation
   • --style pixar-3d — smooth 3D animation
   • --style manga — black-white screentone
   • --style art-deco — geometric 1920s
   • --style low-poly — triangulated 3D
   • --style vaporwave — pastel retro
   • --style custom — supply --prompt-mod "<your-description>"

3. Pick provider:

   • Default: flux-kontext — best for natural-language style transfer
   • Alt: nano-banana-pro — when face/identity matters
   • Alt: replicate-image (with --replicate-model <slug>) — for specific style-transfer models

4. Execute via the provider with image-to-image edit mode.

5. Save:

   • Default: ./generated/stylized/<input-stem>-<style>.png
   • Custom: --output <path>

MODES

Required

• style-transfer --image <path-or-url> --style <preset>

Optional

• --model auto|<slug> — image provider (default flux-kontext)
• --prompt-mod "<custom-description>" — additional style hint, or REQUIRED when --style custom
• --output <path> — explicit output path
• --yes — skip cost confirmation
• --check — verify env + connectivity

REFERENCES (load on demand)

File	When to load
references/styles.md	Detailed description per preset, expected results, common pitfalls
references/providers.md	Provider comparison: Flux Kontext vs Nano Banana Pro vs Replicate alternatives
references/troubleshoot.md	When style is too subtle, too aggressive, faces distort, palette wrong

EXAMPLES

See examples/before-after.md — 3 calibration runs: portrait to watercolor, urban scene to cyberpunk, sketch from photograph.

CONSTRAINTS

• Default provider needs BFL_API_KEY. Flux Kontext is from Black Forest Labs. Set via /skills-keys add BFL_API_KEY .... For other providers (Nano Banana Pro → GEMINI_API_KEY; Replicate → REPLICATE_API_TOKEN).

• Cost: ~$0.05 per stylization (Flux Kontext). Other providers vary $0.02-0.10.

• One style per call. Don't try to combine 2 styles in --style-mod; pick one preset and let it dominate.

• Heavy stylization changes identity. Watercolor preserves likeness ~70%. Studio-Ghibli ~50%. Cyberpunk ~30%. For identity-critical: use --model nano-banana-pro (better preserve) or accept reduced fidelity for stronger style.

• Output is raster PNG. For vector / SVG conversion: vectorize after (Illustrator auto-trace, Vectornator, vectorizer.ai).

• Custom style requires --prompt-mod. When --style custom, you MUST provide a natural-language style description.

• Living-artist styles: don't request "in the style of [living artist name]" — ethically / legally fraught. Use style descriptors instead (e.g., "watercolor" not "Hayao Miyazaki style"). Studio Ghibli is a STUDIO style descriptor (common public reference); preset cues movement not specific creators.

• Never print API keys. Mask in errors.

• Output dir is ./generated/stylized/ by default.

INVOCATION HINTS

When the user says any of:

• "style transfer", "make this look like X"
• "turn this photo into a watercolor / oil painting / sketch / manga / etc."
• "стилизуй фото", "переведи в стиль X"
• "переведи в акварель / манга / гибли / киберпанк"

If the user names a style explicitly, match to a preset. If their phrasing is unique ("turn this into 1920s Soviet propaganda poster"), use --style custom --prompt-mod "1920s Soviet propaganda poster style, bold red and black, geometric typography, heroic figures, constructivist aesthetic".

Defaults: --style watercolor --model flux-kontext. The skill always executes — there's no prompt-only mode for a utility.

This skill is distinct from:

• image-prompt — generates new images, not edits existing
• bg-remover — segmentation
• upscaler — resolution
• cover-maker / flyer-maker / etc. — composition + text
• quote-card-maker / meme-card-maker — typography-dominant