You can start an invitation from an image: add it in ShubhLink AI's create box and say in your own words what it's for. Families most often use an image in one of three ways: to follow the look of a card they've seen, to reuse the wording from a printed card or a handwritten note, or to show a photo of the couple or the baby on the invitation. The AI reads the image and your words together and decides how to use it, so the clearer your sentence, the better the result.
If you're new to ShubhLink AI, the AI invitation maker guide covers the basics first.
Three ways to use an image
| You want to | Say something like | Good image to add |
|---|---|---|
| Follow a look | Make our haldi invitation in the style of this card | A clear photo of a design you like |
| Reuse wording | Use the text from this photo of our printed kankotri | A sharp, straight photo of the printed text |
| Show a photo | Put this photo of Riya and Aman on the first page | A good-quality photo of the people |
Following a look
When you've seen a card you love, at a cousin's wedding or on a printed sample, a photo of it tells the AI more about the mood than a paragraph of adjectives could. The AI takes the feel of it: the colours, the kind of motifs, the way the page is framed. It paints a new design in that spirit for your own details, rather than copying the card line for line.
Add a sentence about what you like in it, because a reference image carries many things at once. “Follow the colours and the border, but use lotuses instead of roses” focuses the AI on the parts you care about, and makes it clear what should be different.
Inspired, not copied
Use another design as inspiration for the feel, not to copy it exactly, especially if it's someone else's paid template or an artist's painting. Ask for “in the style of”, and make the details your own.
Reusing wording from a printed card
Many families already have the text: a printed kankotri from an older sibling's wedding, the priest's handwritten note with the muhurats, or a draft typed in another app. A photo of it saves retyping. Say what to keep and what to change: “Use the text from this card, but change the names to Rahul and Priya and the dates to 10 to 12 December.”
- Photograph the text straight on, in good light, with the whole page in frame.
- Avoid glare from glossy cards; tilt the card or move away from the window.
- One page per image reads better than a whole spread.
- Check every line afterwards, especially Gujarati and Hindi, since handwriting and decorative fonts are harder to read.
Showing a photo on the invitation
For a pre-wedding photo, a baby's first portrait or a couple's picture for an anniversary, add the photo and say where it goes: “on the first page, in an arch frame” or “small, beside the names”. The AI sets the photo into the design. Use a photo with good light and a simple background; busy backgrounds compete with the invitation's artwork.
Only use photos you have the right to use, with the permission of the people in them. If the invitation will be forwarded widely, choose a photo everyone is comfortable sharing.
What makes a good reference image
| Good | Less good |
|---|---|
| Sharp and well lit | Blurred or dark |
| Straight on | At a steep angle |
| One design or one page | A whole table of cards |
| The real colours | Heavy filters |
| A clear subject | A crowded background |
Writing the sentence that goes with it
The words matter as much as the image. A good sentence says what the image is, what to take from it, and what's different about your invitation.
This is a kankotri I liked. Follow its maroon and gold colours and the arch border, for our wedding on 12 December in Surat.
This is our printed card. Use its Gujarati text, but change the date to 24 January 2027.
Put this photo of our baby Aarav on the first page of his first birthday invitation, jungle theme.
After the first design
Treat the first result as a draft. Ask the chat for changes one at a time, as the chat editing guide explains, and fix small text details by hand in the editor. If the AI took the wrong thing from your image, say so directly: “Keep the colours from the reference, but not the flowers.”
Privacy
Images you add are used to make your design. The ShubhLink AI page explains how descriptions and designs are handled, and the privacy policy has the details. As with any invitation, check before sharing that the photo and the details are ones you're happy for guests to forward. More AI guides are under ShubhLink AI.
Questions people ask
Can ShubhLink AI copy a card from a photo?
It follows the look and feel of a card you add, such as its colours, motifs and framing, and paints a new design for your details. Use it for inspiration, not exact copies.
Can I reuse the wording from my printed kankotri?
Yes. Add a clear photo of the text and say what to keep and what to change. Check every line afterwards, especially Gujarati and Hindi.
Can I put our photo on an AI invitation?
Yes. Add the photo and say where it should go. Only use photos you have permission to use.
What kind of image works best?
A sharp, well-lit photo taken straight on, of one design or one page, without heavy filters.
Filed under ShubhLink AI
Written by ShubhLink Editorial Team
The team behind ShubhLink's invitation templates and ShubhLink AI. We write down what families ask us most, and check each guide before it goes live.