How to create a character from an image
This shows you how to upload a reference image and create a reusable character that appears consistently across your books.
Before you start
- Have a clear reference image of your character (PNG, JPEG, WebP, or GIF).
- The image should show the character clearly — the AI uses it to generate 10 art style variations.
Steps
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Go to Characters in the sidebar.
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Click Add Character.
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Select the From Image tab.
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Click Upload image and select your reference file.
- Supported formats: PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF.
- AVIF and HEIC are not supported.
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Enter a name for the character (required).
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Optionally add a description — or leave it blank and the AI will auto-generate one from your image.
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Click Create Character.
What to expect
The system does two things:
- Creates the character record immediately.
- Starts generating 10 art style variations in the background (5 color + 5 black-and-white). This takes 2-5 minutes.
You'll see a "Generating styles..." badge on the character card. Once complete, clicking the character shows all 10 variations: realistic, simple, anime, chibi, and kawaii — each in color and B&W.
When you create a book and assign this character, the AI uses these style variations to maintain consistent appearances across all pages.
Common issues
Art style generation failed Click the retry (refresh) button on the character card. This usually happens if the image service was temporarily busy.
Character doesn't look right in my book The description matters. Click the character to edit it, then click "Regenerate AI Caption" to get a better visual description that improves consistency.