Overview
The VAE Encode node receives the uploaded image and the checkpoint's VAE. Its latent output replaces the Empty Latent Image used in text-to-image. The KSampler, prompts, model, VAE Decode, and preview stages remain in place.
Denoise changes meaning in this context. With an empty latent, 1.0 means remove all the random starting noise. With an encoded image, denoise means how much of the uploaded image should be removed and regenerated.
Denoise 0.0: The result remains the uploaded image; no meaningful change is introduced.
Denoise 1.0: The original image is removed completely, producing a substantially different result.
Denoise 0.3: The output remains relatively similar to the input.
Denoise 0.8: The output differs much more from the input.
At 0.3, the output retains more of the uploaded image's visual structure. At 0.8, the prompt and model replace more of that structure.
A Lightning checkpoint is used with approximately seven steps. This preserves the model's fast-generation behavior while the denoise value controls similarity.