diff --git a/activestorage/app/models/active_storage/blob.rb b/activestorage/app/models/active_storage/blob.rb
index ff785d4f61..d43049e32c 100644
--- a/activestorage/app/models/active_storage/blob.rb
+++ b/activestorage/app/models/active_storage/blob.rb
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 # If you need to create a derivative or otherwise change the blob, simply create a new blob and purge the old one.
 class ActiveStorage::Blob < ActiveRecord::Base
   class UnpreviewableError < StandardError; end
+  class UnrepresentableError < StandardError; end
 
   self.table_name = "active_storage_blobs"
 
@@ -155,6 +156,31 @@ class ActiveStorage::Blob < ActiveRecord::Base
   end
 
 
+  # Returns an ActiveStorage::Preview instance for a previewable blob or an ActiveStorage::Variant instance for an image blob.
+  #
+  #   blob.representation(resize: "100x100").processed.service_url
+  #
+  # Raises ActiveStorage::Blob::UnrepresentableError if the receiving blob is neither an image nor previewable. Call
+  # ActiveStorage::Blob#representable? to determine whether a blob is representable.
+  #
+  # See ActiveStorage::Blob#preview and ActiveStorage::Blob#variant for more information.
+  def representation(transformations)
+    case
+    when previewable?
+      preview transformations
+    when image?
+      variant transformations
+    else
+      raise UnrepresentableError
+    end
+  end
+
+  # Returns true if the blob is an image or is previewable.
+  def representable?
+    image? || previewable?
+  end
+
+
   # Returns the URL of the blob on the service. This URL is intended to be short-lived for security and not used directly
   # with users. Instead, the +service_url+ should only be exposed as a redirect from a stable, possibly authenticated URL.
   # Hiding the +service_url+ behind a redirect also gives you the power to change services without updating all URLs. And
diff --git a/activestorage/app/models/active_storage/variant.rb b/activestorage/app/models/active_storage/variant.rb
index 90a3605331..915b78162c 100644
--- a/activestorage/app/models/active_storage/variant.rb
+++ b/activestorage/app/models/active_storage/variant.rb
@@ -65,6 +65,10 @@ class ActiveStorage::Variant
     service.url key, expires_in: expires_in, disposition: disposition, filename: blob.filename, content_type: blob.content_type
   end
 
+  # Returns the receiving variant. Allows ActiveStorage::Variant and ActiveStorage::Preview instances to be duck-typed.
+  def image
+    self
+  end
 
   private
     def processed?
diff --git a/activestorage/test/models/preview_test.rb b/activestorage/test/models/preview_test.rb
index 317a2d5c58..bcd8442f4b 100644
--- a/activestorage/test/models/preview_test.rb
+++ b/activestorage/test/models/preview_test.rb
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ class ActiveStorage::PreviewTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
   test "previewing a PDF" do
     blob = create_file_blob(filename: "report.pdf", content_type: "application/pdf")
     preview = blob.preview(resize: "640x280").processed
+
     assert preview.image.attached?
     assert_equal "report.png", preview.image.filename.to_s
     assert_equal "image/png", preview.image.content_type
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ class ActiveStorage::PreviewTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
   test "previewing an MP4 video" do
     blob = create_file_blob(filename: "video.mp4", content_type: "video/mp4")
     preview = blob.preview(resize: "640x280").processed
+
     assert preview.image.attached?
     assert_equal "video.png", preview.image.filename.to_s
     assert_equal "image/png", preview.image.content_type
diff --git a/activestorage/test/models/representation_test.rb b/activestorage/test/models/representation_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..29fe61aee4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/activestorage/test/models/representation_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require "test_helper"
+require "database/setup"
+
+class ActiveStorage::RepresentationTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
+  test "representing an image" do
+    blob = create_file_blob
+    representation = blob.representation(resize: "100x100").processed
+
+    image = read_image(representation.image)
+    assert_equal 100, image.width
+    assert_equal 67, image.height
+  end
+
+  test "representing a PDF" do
+    blob = create_file_blob(filename: "report.pdf", content_type: "application/pdf")
+    representation = blob.representation(resize: "640x280").processed
+
+    image = read_image(representation.image)
+    assert_equal 612, image.width
+    assert_equal 792, image.height
+  end
+
+  test "representing an MP4 video" do
+    blob = create_file_blob(filename: "video.mp4", content_type: "video/mp4")
+    representation = blob.representation(resize: "640x280").processed
+
+    image = read_image(representation.image)
+    assert_equal 640, image.width
+    assert_equal 480, image.height
+  end
+
+  test "representing an unrepresentable blob" do
+    blob = create_blob
+
+    assert_raises ActiveStorage::Blob::UnrepresentableError do
+      blob.representation resize: "100x100"
+    end
+  end
+end