How to keep AI characters consistent
Character consistency means the same character looks the same in every image and every shot of your AI video. The most reliable starting point is a good AI character reference sheet: several angles of one character, plus a fixed description you reuse in every prompt.
A five-step workflow
- 1
Start from a character turnaround sheet
A turnaround sheet shows the same character from the front, side and back on one image. Used as an AI character reference sheet, it gives the model every angle up front, so a turned head or a walk-away shot does not invent a new face or outfit.
- 2
Add a full-body reference for wide shots
Close-ups mostly need the face and hair. Wide shots need proportions, shoes and accessories, which a single full-body image shows more clearly than a small sheet.
- 3
Write one fixed description and reuse it
Pick a short description of the character and paste it into every prompt unchanged. Change only the scene, action and camera. Rewording the character each time is one of the most common causes of drift.
[Name], [role]. Keep the same face, hairstyle, outfit and colors as the reference images. [scene, action, camera]
- 4
Use the reference as a first frame for video
If your video tool offers image-to-video or a first-frame input, generate a still of the character in the scene first, check it, then animate that still.
- 5
Test one short shot before a sequence
Check the face, hands, clothing and accessories in one image or a short clip. Fix the reference or the description before you spend credits on a longer sequence.
What goes into an AI character reference sheet
- A turnaround sheet with front, side and back views.
- A full-body image with the complete outfit.
- A character artwork or portrait for close-ups.
- A short profile: name, role and personality, which becomes your fixed prompt description.
Every character in our library comes with this set. Browse 112 character turnaround sheets or the anime character sheets collection.
Common consistency problems
- The face changes when the character turns
- Include the side and back views, not only the front artwork. A single front image leaves the model guessing every other angle.
- The outfit or hair color drifts between shots
- Name the key colors and garments in your fixed description, and keep that description identical across prompts.
- Two characters blend into one
- Generate each character separately first, then combine them, and give each one its own reference image and description.
A note on tools
This is a general workflow for tools that accept reference images. Features and results differ between tools and model versions, so test before relying on a result. For pack files and licensing, see getting started with a character pack.