Recraft style_id vs style — what's the difference?

Recraft has two ways to specify style: (1) style + sub_style enum values (built-in styles like realistic_image with natural_light sub_style); (2) style_id (a UUID from your Brand Kit — encodes your custom style + colors + references). Use style_id for brand consistency across projects. Generate style_ids at app.recraft.ai/brand or via POST /v1/styles.

Recraft vs Midjourney for vector/SVG — which is better?

Recraft and Midjourney serve different use cases. Recraft V3 generates true SVG vector output (editable paths), has a brand kit for style consistency, and has an API. Midjourney produces higher-quality photorealistic and artistic images but outputs PNG only (no vector), has no official API, and no brand kit. For UI icons, logos, and brand assets that need to be editable SVGs, Recraft is the only AI tool that does this natively. For artistic photography and illustration, Midjourney is stronger.

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Recraft AI Not Working?

Recraft API returning 401, SVG output looks rasterized, style not applying, brand kit not loading, or credits exhausted? Check live status and fix it fast.

Recraft AI — live status

Updated every 5 minutes. Full history at prismix.dev/service/recraft.

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What's wrong? Diagnose fast

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API 401 — unauthorized

Header: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN. Token generated at app.recraft.ai/settings/api. Base URL: https://external.api.recraft.ai/v1. Tokens start with recraft_... — regenerate if format is wrong.

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Style not applying / wrong look

Pass style and sub_style as separate parameters — not combined. For brand consistency: use style_id UUID from your Brand Kit instead of enum values. Check model page for valid sub_style values per style type.

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SVG output is rasterized (not vector)

SVG is only available for vector_illustration and icon styles. Set response_format: "svg" AND use one of these styles. realistic_image always returns PNG regardless of response_format.

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Credits exhausted

Check app.recraft.ai/settings/billing. Free: 50 images/month. Reset date depends on subscription start date. Buy add-on packs for immediate credits. Pro plans start at $12/mo (200 images).

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Brand Kit / style_id not loading

Brand Kit requires a paid plan. style_id is a UUID — verify it exists via GET /v1/styles. If deleted from Brand Kit, the style_id becomes invalid and returns 404. Re-create the style and update your code.

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Generation slow / stuck

Recraft uses a queue during high demand. Vector/SVG generation is slower than PNG due to path optimization. For complex SVGs, simplify the prompt. For API: poll the job ID returned — generation is async.

Recraft API quick reference

Generate PNG image

curl -X POST "https://external.api.recraft.ai/v1/images/generate" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer recraft_YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "a minimalist logo for a tech startup",
    "style": "realistic_image",
    "sub_style": "hard_flash",
    "width": 1024,
    "height": 1024,
    "n": 1
  }'

Generate true SVG vector

curl -X POST "https://external.api.recraft.ai/v1/images/generate" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer recraft_YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "lightning bolt icon, clean geometric shape",
    "style": "vector_illustration",
    "response_format": "svg",
    "n": 1
  }'
# Response: { "data": [{ "b64_json": "PHN2ZyB4..." }] }
# b64_json is base64-encoded SVG markup

Use brand kit style_id

# List your styles
curl "https://external.api.recraft.ai/v1/styles" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer recraft_YOUR_TOKEN"

# Use style_id for brand consistency
curl -X POST "https://external.api.recraft.ai/v1/images/generate" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer recraft_YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "product launch announcement banner",
    "style_id": "YOUR_STYLE_UUID"
  }'

SVG only works with vector styles

Setting response_format: "svg" with style: "realistic_image" returns an error or rasterized output. SVG requires vector_illustration or icon style.

Recraft V3 style types

Style	SVG?	Use case
realistic_image	No (PNG only)	Photography, product shots, portraits
digital_illustration	No (PNG only)	Flat design, game art, book illustrations
vector_illustration	Yes	Logos, marketing assets, scalable graphics
icon	Yes	App icons, UI icons, symbol sets

Recraft plans — credits overview

Plan	Price	Images / mo	API
Free	$0	50	Limited
Pro	$12/mo	200	Yes
Business	$39/mo	1,000	Yes
Enterprise	Custom	Unlimited	Yes + SLA

Add-on credit packs available. Check app.recraft.ai/settings/billing for current pricing.

Step-by-step fix

1

Check live Recraft status

Visit prismix.dev/service/recraft. If Recraft is operational, the issue is local — move to step 2.
2

Fix API 401 authentication

Generate a token at app.recraft.ai/settings/api. The token format is recraft_.... Use Authorization: Bearer recraft_YOUR_TOKEN. Base URL: https://external.api.recraft.ai/v1.
3

Fix style not applying correctly

Style and sub-style are separate parameters. For example: {"style": "realistic_image", "sub_style": "natural_light"}. For brand consistency across projects, create a style in your Brand Kit (app.recraft.ai/brand) and use its style_id UUID in all API calls instead of enum values.
4

Fix SVG vector output

SVG output requires two things together: (1) style: "vector_illustration" or style: "icon"; (2) response_format: "svg". The SVG comes back as base64-encoded in data[0].b64_json — decode it to get the SVG markup.
5

Fix credits / billing

Credits are checked at app.recraft.ai/settings/billing. The reset date is your subscription anniversary date, not the 1st. Purchase credit add-on packs for immediate use. For teams generating at volume, Business or Enterprise plans have higher monthly quotas.

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