Last updated by Wing Chan on August 20, 2026.
Characters help Riverflow reuse the same visible identity across generated images.
Use Characters when the same person, model, mascot, or recurring brand character needs to stay recognisable across multiple outputs. This is useful for UGC-style creators, campaign models, brand mascots, or any repeated subject that should feel consistent. It's also a key part of doing fashion shoots where you want to show the same model across multiple different angles or poses.
Characters are private to the Brand where you create them. They are not added to the public library, and they are not shared across other Brands in the same Team.
What a character is for
A Character gives Riverflow reusable identity guidance.
A Character can help preserve details such as:
face shape and facial features
hair, skin tone, and other identity-defining details
general body type or silhouette
recurring outfit or styling, where relevant
visible traits that should remain consistent across outputs
A Character is not the same as a Product. Use Products for SKUs, packs, garments, bottles, boxes, or other commercial objects that must be preserved.
A Character is also different from a Reference. A Reference usually guides one specific visual detail, such as a pose, texture, colour, style, or layout. A Character is a reusable identity.
Example character setup
Note: only use images of people you have permission to use.
Before you create a Character
Gather clear images of the person or character.
Use images where:
the character is easy to see
the face, body, or identity details are not hidden
the images are not heavily blurred or distorted
the lighting is clear enough to understand the character
there are not several similar-looking people competing for attention
You can add up to 12 character images. Use multiple images when they add useful information, such as different angles, expressions, outfits, poses, or lighting conditions.
Do not add low-quality duplicates just to fill the limit. A smaller set of clear images is usually better than a large set of confusing images.
Create a Character
Open
Characters.Select
Create character.Add a clear character name.
Add character images.
Add prompt guidance manually, or use
Extract character identity.Review the generated guidance.
Edit the guidance if anything is wrong, missing, or too specific to one source image.
Select
Save character.
If you are creating a Character from Photoshoots, select Add character where character selection is available, then follow the same steps.
Extract character identity
Use Extract character identity when you want Riverflow to analyse the character images and draft identity guidance for you.
After extraction, read the guidance before saving. The guidance should describe stable identity features, not the exact layout of the uploaded images.
Good guidance focuses on visible identity:
A young woman with a short dark bob, warm brown eyes, oval face shape, soft natural makeup, and a calm friendly expression. Preserve her facial structure, hairstyle, and overall identity across outputs.
Weak guidance overfits to one image:
A woman standing on the left side of the frame beside a window, wearing the exact blue shirt from the uploaded photo.
Only include outfit or styling details if they should stay consistent. If the character can wear different outfits across different shoots, keep the identity guidance focused on the person rather than the clothing.
Use good character references
Good character references are:
sharp
well lit
clear enough to see the face or defining features
consistent in age and identity
not heavily filtered
not crowded with unrelated people
If references show very different ages, hairstyles, body types, outfits, or lighting, Riverflow may struggle to keep the character consistent. Use the clearest references as the source of truth.
For better consistency, create a character sheet
A character sheet gives Riverflow a stronger reference than a single image. It should show the same person from multiple angles, with consistent features, hair, build, and styling.
Use the following text in the Images section with your character references attached:
Create a clean 3x3 character reference sheet for [CHARACTER NAME].
Purpose:
This sheet will be used as a future AI generation reference. It must preserve the same character identity across all panels.
Reference priority:
- Use the supplied images only as the source of truth for face, age range, hairstyle, skin tone, body type, and distinctive features.
- Preserve the character's identity consistently across every panel.
- Do not turn the character into a different person.
- Do not make the character look younger, older, more glamorous, more muscular, slimmer, or more stylized than the references.
Sheet format:
Create a clean 3x3 grid on a neutral light grey background with thin dividers. Keep lighting soft and natural. Avoid dramatic poses, props, scenery, or fashion-editorial styling.
Panel 1: Front-facing head and shoulders, neutral expression.
Panel 2: Left three-quarter head and shoulders.
Panel 3: Right three-quarter head and shoulders.
Panel 4: Side profile.
Panel 5: Full-body standing view, neutral pose.
Panel 6: Half-body view, relaxed natural pose.
Panel 7: Expression variation 1, subtle smile.
Panel 8: Expression variation 2, neutral or focused expression.
Panel 9: Casual action pose suitable for future lifestyle generations.
Keep consistent:
- face shape
- eye shape and colour
- nose and mouth shape
- hair colour, length, and style
- skin tone
- body type and proportions
- age range
- distinctive marks or features
Use simple, neutral clothing unless the references show a specific outfit that should remain consistent.
Avoid:
- adding extra people
- changing identity between panels
- changing age, ethnicity, body type, or facial structure
- adding heavy makeup, dramatic styling, props, or scenery
- making the sheet look like a campaign image
Example of a character sheet
Save and use the character sheet
Once you have generated the character sheet:
Save the best sheet.
Open
Characters.Select
Create character.Add the character sheet as the character image.
Name the Character clearly.
Select
Extract character identity.Review the generated prompt guidance and make small edits if needed.
Select
Save character.Use the saved Character in Photoshoots.
The prompt guidance should describe the character's stable identity. It should not describe the grid, panels, poses, or layout of the character sheet.
Good prompt guidance usually describes:
face shape
hair colour, length, and style
skin tone
age range
body type and proportions
distinctive features
any consistent styling that matters
For the most consistent results, keep the character's age, styling, and role stable across a set of generations.
Use a Character in Photoshoots
Open Photoshoots.
Choose the product and Scene you want to use.
Add any optional Style or References.
Select the saved Character where character selection is available.
Add custom instructions for the character's pose, role, expression, or product interaction.
Generate.
Review whether the character identity stayed consistent.
Example custom instructions:
Use the selected character as the same recurring model. Keep their face, age range, hair, body type, and overall identity consistent. Show them holding the product naturally in the selected Scene.
Example: extracting character identity
Review before use
Check:
the character still looks like the same person
age range has not shifted
face shape and hairstyle are consistent
styling matches the intended campaign
product interaction looks natural
the image only uses people you have permission to use
If the character is close but not quite right, try regenerating with more specific custom instructions. If the identity keeps drifting, improve the character source images, use a stronger character sheet, or simplify the Scene.
When not to use Characters
Do not use Characters for ordinary product shots, packaging, background scenes, textures, or single-use image details.
Use Products for commercial objects. Use Scenes for environments. Use Styles for art direction. Use References for specific visual guidance.