How to Use Grok Imagine for Images in 2026: Fast and Cheap

Zoey Zhang

Oct 2026

Grok Imagine is xAI's image model. On Flick it costs 4 credits an image and returned 1280 × 720 for 16:9. It was the most consistently fast model in our tests: every run finished in 11 to 19 seconds on a canvas where most models took a minute or more.

Quick answer: how do you use Grok Imagine?

Add an image node in Generate Image, pick Grok Imagine (the first of the two Grok entries), and write the scene. Then:

  1. Use it to draft. Fast and cheap, it is good for trying compositions.
  2. Write the style into the prompt. It cannot take a Flickpedia style.
  3. Re-render the keeper on a stronger model if the style has to be exact.
SpecGrok Imagine on Flick
MakerxAI
Price4 credits per image
Output we measured1280 × 720 at 16:9
SettingsOutput format (JPEG, PNG, WebP)
Flickpedia stylesNot supported; write the style in the prompt
Run time we saw11 to 19 seconds
PlansAll plans, including Free

Flick lists Grok Imagine twice. The second entry edits an image and needs reference images connected; without them its Run button stays off. All rates are on model credit costs.

Draft a scene in seconds

Try compositions on Grok Imagine, then render the keeper.

How we tested

We wrote each style into the prompt, in October 2026:

A woman in a red coat walks her small dog along a seaside promenade at dusk, with a lighthouse and a ferry in the distance, in an Art Deco illustration style.

The other endings were "as a vintage naturalistic photograph" and "in a pixel art animation style". Ten other models ran the same prompt.

Three written-in styles

Grok Imagine's seaside promenade for three written-in styles: a graphic illustration with a chevron-patterned balustrade and a steamer, a dark moody photograph from behind with waves breaking, and a painted dusk scene with only a faint pixel texture
Grok Imagine's seaside promenade for three written-in styles: a graphic illustration with a chevron-patterned balustrade and a steamer, a dark moody photograph from behind with waves breaking, and a painted dusk scene with only a faint pixel texture
  • Art Deco: a graphic illustration with a chevron balustrade and a steamer. The period detail is there.
  • Vintage photo: dark and moody, shot from behind with waves breaking. Good atmosphere, less "vintage" color.
  • Pixel art: a painted scene with only a faint pixel texture on the dog. If you need real pixel art, Kling Image V3 and Z-Image Turbo drew it.

All three read clearly as the same scene: the coat, the dog, the lighthouse and the ferry are all there.

When to use it, and when not

Use it when: you want quick, cheap drafts to explore a scene, or an illustrated or cinematic look without exact style matching.

Skip it when: the style must be precise, or you need a pinned Flickpedia style across shots (Visual Styles).

Tips

  • Draft, then upgrade. Find the framing on Grok Imagine, then re-run the same prompt on a style-capable model.
  • Pick the first Grok entry for text-to-image. The edit entry needs an input image (Edit Image).

Sources

  • Image generation, xAI developer docs, checked October 21, 2026
  • Prices and settings from Flick's model configuration; images, sizes and timings from our Flick canvas, October 2026

Domande frequenti

How much does Grok Imagine cost on Flick?

How fast is it? 11 to 19 seconds per image on our canvas, the most consistent of the eleven models we tested.

How fast is it?

Why is the Run button disabled? You probably picked the edit entry, which needs reference images. Choose the first Grok Imagine entry.

Why is the Run button disabled?

Can it use Flickpedia styles? No. Write the style into the prompt.