blender · HeyBraza shows you
how to add a reference image in blender
HeyBraza points at the shift+a > image route, the alignment step, and the reference-vs-plane choice - so the image lands facing you and turns up where you expect it.
modelling from a reference means getting the picture into the viewport first. blender adds it as an empty, which is why it shows while you work but never appears in a render - that's expected, not a bug. if you do want the image in the render, you add it a different way, and this page covers both routes.
short answer
line up the view first (numpad 1 for front, 3 for side) because the image is added facing however you're looking. then shift+a > image > reference, set opacity in object data properties, and tick 'in front' if it keeps hiding behind your mesh. that gives you a viewport-only empty - if you need the image to appear in a render, add it as shift+a > image > mesh plane instead, which makes a real textured plane the camera can see.
or do it yourself
- 1line the view up first: press numpad 1 for front or numpad 3 for side - the image is added facing however you're looking.
- 2press shift + a > 'image' > 'reference' and pick your file.
- 3open object data properties (the green image icon) to set 'opacity' so you can see your mesh through it.
- 4tick 'in front' in object properties > viewport display if the reference keeps hiding behind your model.
- 5move and scale it like any object (g, s), then lock it in the outliner (the arrow/filter icons) so you don't select it by accident.
- 6to render the image instead of just modelling against it, add it as shift + a > 'image' > 'mesh plane' - that builds a real plane with the picture as its texture, so the camera can see it.
- 7on a mesh plane, switch the viewport to material preview (z > 'material preview') to check the image is actually on the surface before you hit render.
steps last checked
let HeyBraza do this with you
HeyBraza teaches you software while you're using it. hold a key and ask out loud - an ai tutor that sees your screen walks you through every step in real time, pointing and highlighting on your real work, talking you through it as it goes - not someone else's tutorial.
downloadcommon questions
why doesn't my reference image show up in the render?
because a reference image isn't geometry. shift+a > image > reference makes an empty, and empties are viewport-only by design - the camera has nothing to see. add the picture as shift+a > image > mesh plane instead and it renders like any other object.
how do i render a reference image in blender?
you don't render the reference itself - you swap it for geometry. delete the empty and add the same file with shift+a > image > 'mesh plane', which creates a plane with the image as its material. it now shows in both the viewport and the render, and you can still drop its opacity by lowering the material's alpha.
the image is invisible from one side - why?
an empty image is single-sided. tick 'show in front' and 'side: both' in its object data properties.
how do i import a reference image into blender?
line the view up first with numpad 1 (front) or numpad 3 (side), because the image is added facing however you're currently looking. then shift+a > image > reference and pick the file - importing from the wrong view is why references often end up edge-on and invisible.
