diff --git a/tinygrad/engine/fuse.py b/tinygrad/engine/fuse.py
index 82a2ae11fd..2a25d6f361 100644
--- a/tinygrad/engine/fuse.py
+++ b/tinygrad/engine/fuse.py
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ import sys
 from collections import defaultdict, deque
 from typing import Tuple, List, Dict, DefaultDict
 from tinygrad.ops import UNSAFE_PAD_OPS, MetaOps, ReduceOps, UnaryOps, resolve
-from tinygrad.helpers import DEBUG, FUSE_CONV_BW, FUSE_ARANGE, prod, dedup, all_int, merge_dicts
-from tinygrad.dtype import ImageDType, dtypes
+from tinygrad.helpers import FUSE_CONV_BW, FUSE_ARANGE, prod, dedup, all_int, merge_dicts
+from tinygrad.dtype import ImageDType
 from tinygrad.shape.shapetracker import ShapeTracker
 from tinygrad.engine.lazy import LazyBuffer
 from tinygrad.device import Buffer
@@ -165,15 +165,4 @@ def get_realizes(outs:List[LazyBuffer]) -> Tuple[List[List[Buffer]], Dict[Buffer
         raise RuntimeError(f"can't double realize in one schedule, Buffer is realizing both {dup} and {buf}")
       lazybufs_to_realize[buf.buffer] = buf
       output_groups[reduce_for_op.get(buf, buf)].append(buf.buffer)
-
-      # make things that can't be images not images
-      if isinstance(buf.dtype, ImageDType) and (prod(buf.shape) != prod(buf.dtype.shape) or
-                                                not any(buf.shape[x]%4 == 0 for x in buf.st.unit_stride_axes())):
-        if DEBUG >= 2: print(f"forcing image {buf.dtype} with shape {buf.shape} to float32")
-        buf.dtype = dtypes.float32
-        # hack the underlying buffer too
-        if buf.base is buf:
-          assert not hasattr(buf.buffer, '_buf'), "can't fixup allocated buffer"
-          buf.buffer.dtype = dtypes.float32
-          buf.buffer.options = None
   return list(output_groups.values()), lazybufs_to_realize, assign_targets
diff --git a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
index ed20058d2e..05088d8d9e 100644
--- a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
+++ b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
@@ -49,6 +49,14 @@ def to_uop(buf:LazyBuffer, ctx:ScheduleContext, cache:Dict[LazyBuffer, UOp]) ->
   if buf is not buf.base:
     cache[buf] = ret = to_uop(buf.base, ctx, cache).view(buf.st)
     return ret
+  # make things that can't be images not images
+  if isinstance(buf.dtype, ImageDType) and (prod(buf.shape) != prod(buf.dtype.shape) or
+                                            not any(buf.shape[x]%4 == 0 for x in buf.st.unit_stride_axes())):
+    if DEBUG >= 2: print(f"forcing image {buf.dtype} with shape {buf.shape} to {buf.dtype.base}")
+    # hack the underlying buffer too
+    buf.dtype = buf.buffer.dtype = buf.dtype.base
+    assert not buf.is_realized(), "can't fixup allocated buffer"
+    buf.buffer.options = None
   dtype = buf.dtype.base if isinstance(buf.dtype, ImageDType) else buf.dtype
   # consts are always fused and generated
   if buf.op is MetaOps.CONST: