Networks have developed very quickly, allowing the speedy transfer of image information through Internet. However, the openness of these networks poses a serious threat to the security of image information. The field of image encryption has drawn attention for this reason. In this paper, the concepts of 1-dimensional DNA cellular automata and T-DNA cellular automata are defined, and the concept of reversible T-DNA cellular automata is introduced. An efficient approach to encryption involving reversible T-DNA cellular automata as an encryption tool and natural DNA sequences as the main keys is here proposed. The results of a simulation experiment, performance analysis, and comparison to other encryption algorithms showed this algorithm to be capable of resisting brute force attacks, statistical attacks, and differential attacks. It also enlarged the key space enormously. It meets the criteria for one-time pad and resolves the problem that one-time pad is difficult to save.