One of the most common frustrations with AI image tools is that a character never looks the same twice. You generate the perfect hero in one image, ask for a second scene, and suddenly the hair, face and clothes have all changed. The good news: with a few habits, you can get far more consistent results.
1. Write a character sheet first
Before you generate anything, describe your character in one fixed block of text and reuse it word for word in every prompt. Include age, face shape, hair colour and style, eye colour, clothing, colours and one or two distinctive details, such as a red scarf or a scar.
A 10-year-old girl with a round face, freckles, curly copper hair in two puffs, big green eyes, wearing a yellow raincoat and red boots.
Small wording changes produce big visual changes, so copy and paste the block rather than retyping it.
2. Create an anchor image
Generate until you have one image you love, then use it as a reference for everything that follows. Most modern tools let you upload or point to a reference image. In Midjourney, the --cref parameter (character reference) followed by an image URL tells the model to keep that character's features, and --cw controls how strictly it follows the face, hair and outfit.
3. Lock the style separately
Consistency isn't only about the character; the art style must match too. Keep your style words identical between prompts (for example, “soft coloured pencil and gouache, warm pastel palette”) or use a style reference such as Midjourney's --sref.
4. Change one thing at a time
When you move to a new scene, change the action and setting but leave the character block and style words untouched. If you change everything at once, the model has no reason to keep the character stable.
5. Fix small drift with editing
If an image is 90% right, don't regenerate from scratch. Use inpainting or the edit feature to repaint just the part that drifted, such as the face or a piece of clothing, and repeat the original description for that area.
Quick checklist
- One fixed character description, copied exactly
- One anchor image used as a reference
- Identical style words or a style reference
- Change only the scene and action per image
- Edit small mistakes instead of starting over