Creating Consistent Characters with AI Art Generators

Updated October 7, 2026. Reference features have changed a lot in AI image tools, so this guide now covers the current options.

AI image generators do not remember your character. Each image starts fresh, so the same prompt can produce a different face every time. Consistency comes from giving the tool something to anchor on: a locked description, reference images, or both.

Method 1: Lock a character description

Write one block that describes the character and never change it. Only change the scene around it.

Mara, a 30-year-old woman with short red hair, round tortoiseshell glasses, a green wool coat and a small scar above her left eyebrow

Paste that block at the start of every prompt. Small synonym changes (“red” to “auburn”) can shift the face, so copy and paste rather than retyping.

Method 2: Use reference images

Reference images are the most reliable approach. Generate a good image of your character, then give it back to the tool as a reference. The 2026 tools handle this like this:

• Midjourney: the Edit Model (August 27, 2026) generates with up to four image references at once. It replaces Omni Reference and Character Reference. See how to use Midjourney.
• Nano Banana 2 (Google): Google says it maintains the resemblance of up to five characters and the fidelity of up to 14 objects in a single workflow. See the Nano Banana review.
• FLUX 3 Image: combines up to ten reference images in one request. See the Flux review.
• Video tools: Kling 3.0’s Omni model lets you upload a reference video so the AI can extract a character’s visual traits and voice, and Seedance 2.0 accepts multiple image, video and audio references. See Kling and Seedance.

Method 3: Build a turnaround sheet first

Before you place your character in action scenes, generate a set against a plain background: front view, three-quarter views, profile and back. Use those images as references for later scenes.

Method 4: Use a seed for comparisons

In Midjourney, --seed reuses a starting point, so changing one word gives a comparable result. Seeds are a testing aid rather than a guarantee of the same character.

A simple workflow

1. Write the locked description.
2. Generate until you have one image you love.
3. Create the turnaround sheet.
4. Attach the best images as references for every new scene.
5. Keep a log of prompts and settings that worked.

Our AI prompt workflow guide shows how to document this so it is repeatable.

Common problems

• The face drifts after several images. Re-anchor with the original reference rather than the latest result.
• Outfits change. Name each garment and colour in the locked description.
• Style changes between tools. Stay with one tool for a series, or restyle every image with the same reference.

Which tool to use

For stylised series, try Midjourney. For storyboards with several characters, try Nano Banana. For many references and exact layout, try Flux. Browse all image generators.