# Edit an image with a text prompt using DeepAI's image editing API

DeepAI's photo editor API changes an image you already have from a plain text instruction, such as a new setting, an added object or a different style. Each edit is one `POST https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/api/image-editor` request, billed at $0.08 on the genius tier or $0.25 on super_genius, which renders at 2K. Pay the request's 402 price quote from a wallet, and the response carries `output_url`, a link to the edited image.

## At a glance

- **Endpoint:** `POST https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/api/image-editor`, one edit per request
- **Body:** `image` (the image's URL), `text` (the edit instruction) and `image_generator_version` (`genius` or `super_genius`) are all required. `genius_preference` is an optional style on the genius tier.
- **Price per edit:** genius $0.08, super_genius $0.25
- **Payment:** each request answers with a 402 price quote, paid from a wallet over x402 or MPP. No account or API key is needed.
- **Response:** a JSON object with `id` and `output_url`
- **Card:** a pay-as-you-go call can be paid by card only at $0.50 or more. Prepaid Credits can be bought by card from $0.50.
- **Full purchase flow:** [the buyer skill](https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/SKILL.md)

## Edit an image with a text instruction

1. Optionally, read the operation's contract. This GET is free:

   ```bash
   curl -s https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/services/photo-editor/openapi.json
   ```

   It lists the required fields, the accepted values for `image_generator_version` and `genius_preference`, and the live rates in `x-payment-info`.

2. Send the edit request. The example image is a public-domain NASA photo:

   ```bash
   curl -s -i -X POST https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/api/image-editor \
     -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     -d '{"image": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA23882/PIA23882~medium.jpg", "text": "Place the helicopter on a dusty red desert surface under a pale sky", "image_generator_version": "genius", "genius_preference": "photography"}'
   ```

   The storefront answers with a 402 price quote, with the exact amount in `payment.amountUsd`.

3. Pay the quote with an x402 or MPP client within your spending limit; the client resends the identical request with the proof attached. [The buyer skill](https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/SKILL.md) covers this flow in full.

4. Read the response. It is a JSON object with two strings, `id` and `output_url`:

   ```json
   {"id": "<job id>", "output_url": "<link to the edited image>"}
   ```

   The genius edit in step 2 paid $0.08. Fetch `output_url` to save the edited image.

## Choose a tier and style

Each tier bills its own per-image rate. Both tiers take the same `image` and `text`.

| Purpose | `image_generator_version` | Price per edit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Edits with a style preference | `genius` | $0.08 |
| Edits rendered at 2K | `super_genius` | $0.25 |

`genius_preference` sets the art style on the genius tier. It takes `classic`, `anime`, `photography`, `graphic` or `cinematic`, and defaults to `classic`. Leave it out when you send `super_genius`. A super_genius body looks like this:

```json
{"image": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA23882/PIA23882~medium.jpg", "text": "Place the helicopter on a dusty red desert surface under a pale sky", "image_generator_version": "super_genius"}
```

## Limits

- The photo editor accepts only the tiers `genius` and `super_genius`.
- One request makes one edit and returns one `output_url`. There is no batch call, so ten edits take ten requests and are paid separately.
- The JSON body takes the image as a URL. The endpoint also accepts `multipart/form-data` with the image as a file.
- Card pays a pay-as-you-go call only at $0.50 or more. For smaller edits, either pay over x402 or MPP, or buy Credits (minimum $0.50) and let each edit draw down the balance. Buying Credits needs an agent credential from [auth.md](https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/auth.md).
- A timeout after you pay leaves the outcome uncertain. Check the result before you pay again.

## Errors

| Response | Meaning | Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `402` with a `payment` block | The per-call price quote | Pay within your limit and retry the same request, or stop |
| `400 invalid_request` | The request body is malformed | Fix the JSON and send the request again |
| `settlement_failed` | The payment did not settle. `settlementReason` says why, for example `insufficient_funds`. | Fix the wallet, then send the request again for a fresh 402 |
| `409 payment_request_mismatch` | A payment was reused for a different request | Request a fresh 402 for this request and pay that one |
| `usage_exhausted` | The Credits balance is used up | Top up with `POST https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/extend` and `{"amountUsd": "..."}` |

The storefront forwards a paid call to DeepAI's API. Any error after that point comes back with DeepAI's own status code and body.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I edit an image with DeepAI's API without an API key?

Yes. Each edit is paid on its own through the storefront's 402 price quote over x402 or MPP. No account and no upstream API key are needed.

### How much does one AI image edit cost?

An edit costs $0.08 on `genius` and $0.25 on `super_genius`. The 402 states the exact amount before you pay, and the `zc-billing` header on the paid response confirms what was charged.

### Can I pay for an image edit by card?

Card pays a pay-as-you-go call only when it costs $0.50 or more. For edits below that, buy prepaid Credits by card from $0.50 with an agent credential, or pay each edit over x402 or MPP.

### How is editing an image different from generating one?

The photo editor takes your image together with an instruction and changes that image. To make a new image from text alone, use DeepAI's text-to-image endpoint, `POST https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/api/text2img`.

## Keep reading

- [Buyer skill](https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/SKILL.md): the full purchase flow
- [Photo editor service](https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/services/photo-editor): prices by plan
- [How to pay](https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/payment.md): rails, Credits and top-ups
- [Error reference](https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/errors.md): every error code and the action for each

---

Updated 2026-10-16. All DeepAI guides: https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/guides.md. Storefront: https://deepai.pay.zeroclick.io/zcj/lckj8982dr0k/llms.txt.