Create Custom Illustrations With Image Playground in iOS 18.2

Apple released iOS 18.2 on Dec. 11, more than a month after the tech company released iOS 18.1. The latest update brings a handful of new features to all iPhones, like a redesigned Mail app, and it also introduces more Apple Intelligence features to the iPhone 16 lineup, as well as to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. If you have one of those iPhones, you’ll also get a new app called Image Playground. 

Read more: Your iOS 18 Cheat Sheet

This app uses Apple Intelligence to generate custom images on your device. You can choose from a list of suggested prompts, or you can enter your own description of an image and your iPhone will create the image. 

Here’s what you need to know about Image Playground on iOS 18.2. Note that before you use Apple Intelligence, you have to request it for your iPhone. To do so, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and tap Get Apple Intelligence.

Where is Image Playground on my iPhone?

If you have a compatible iPhone with iOS 18.2, Image Playground will be a new app on your home screen. The icon looks like a kitten in a soap bubble. 

You can also access Image Playground in Messages. Here’s how.

1. Open Messages.
2. Tap into a chat.
3. Tap the plus (+) symbol next to your text box.
4. Tap Image Playground.

How does Image Playground work?

Image Playground uses Apple Intelligence on your iPhone and works like other AI image generators. Once you open the app, you can type a description of the image you want to create into the text box, or you can choose suggestions. (Check out CNET’s guide to expert image prompting.)

But you can’t use too many suggested prompts or descriptors. You can only use up to six suggestions and descriptors at once. If you try to use more, Image Playground starts replacing older suggestions with newer ones. If you have too many suggestions or descriptors, you might get a message that says, “Try fewer concepts.” You can add or remove these suggested prompts and descriptors at any time in the creation process as well.

You can also create an image based on a photo in your Library. Tap the plus (+) symbol in the bottom right-hand corner of the app and then choose Choose Photo. This will let you use one of your own images as inspiration for Image Playground. You can also take a photo by tapping Take Photo and your new pic will be used. 

If you tap the plus (+) symbol in the bottom right-hand corner of the app, you can also choose the style your image will be generated in. There are two styles to choose from: the default, Animation, which is like a 3D image; and Illustration, which is more flat and cartoony. Apple might add more styles in the future.

There’s also an option to insert a generated person into these images. Tap the silhouette of a person in the bottom-right corner of Image Playground, tap Appearance twice, and you can generate people to insert into your images.

Once you’re happy with the image, tap Done in the top-right corner of the app and the image will save to the app. 

The next time you open Image Playground, you’ll see all your saved images in one place. Tap the plus (+) symbol across the bottom of the screen to create a new image.

Can I edit generated images in Image Playground after they’re saved?

After you’ve created an image in the app, you can go back and edit it further. Open the app and tap the generated image you want to edit, and tap Edit in the bottom-right corner of your screen. You can choose more suggestions, enter another descriptor or change the art style.

Will Image Playground always make an image?

In a very technical sense, yes, it will always make an image. Whether it’s what you’re looking for is another story. I entered the prompts “chef,” “bowtie” and “volcano” and got an image of a kitchen that had grown a volcano on its countertop. Sadly, there was no chef or bowtie in sight — maybe the volcano got them? 

Apple will likely continue to make improvements to Image Playground in the future so hopefully images will more closely match your descriptors. In the meantime, we have kitchen volcanoes.

For more on iOS 18, here’s what to know about iOS 18.2, how to create custom emoji with Genmoji and what to know about Mail Categories. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet.