Getting a Consistent Look
A consistent storyboard comes from one project look, stable character references, and shot prompts that talk about the scene — not from restyling every sentenc…
Getting a consistent look
A consistent storyboard comes from one project look, stable character references, and shot prompts that talk about the scene — not from restyling every sentence.
Set the look early
Pick Art direction in the Story Wizard, or as soon as you start generating in Create View. Exploring ten looks after you have fifty frames means a lot of regeneration.
Cinematic is the right default when you want live-action boards. Switch to an illustrated tile only when that is the intended show.
Let Art direction do the medium
Write prompts about:
- who is in frame
- where they are
- what they are doing
- camera distance and angle when it matters
- lighting and time of day for this shot
Do not stack “Pixar Ghibli watercolor anime cinematic 8k” on top of a look you already picked. Competing mediums make frames drift.
If a shot comes out too photoreal on an illustrated look (or the reverse), check the Art direction pill first, then regenerate. Do not “fix” it by stuffing the medium into the prompt unless you are doing a one-off exception.
Keep characters as identity, shots as the show
Prepare character portraits in Entity Builder so faces and outfits are clear. Those images stay photoreal / identity-like on purpose.
On the Board, drag those pictures into Create View reference slots and use / chips for who. Art direction is how it is drawn. Mixing “draw this portrait as anime” into the character generator fights that split. See Reference-based generation.
Changing looks mid-project
When you change Art direction:
- new generations follow the new look
- old images stay as they are until you regenerate
That is useful for a planned shift (flashback in ink, present day cinematic). It is messy if you change looks accidentally — watch the Art direction pill.
Custom looks
For a house style:
- Gather a tight set of example frames.
- Distill description + look plate.
- Select that style in Art direction.
- Generate a few test shots of your main characters before a full board pass.
If the look drifts, the gallery is usually mixed — not the shot prompt.
Video
Video is generated from the shot image (start frame). The motion prompt should describe movement and camera, not a new rendering style. The picture already carries Art direction. Adding “make it Pixar” in the motion prompt fights the frame you approved.
Checklist when frames feel inconsistent
- Is Art direction still the look you intended?
- Did you regenerate after changing it?
- Are character reference slots filled with a clear portrait, or is the model inventing a new face?
- Is the prompt describing a different medium than the project look?
- For a custom look, is the look plate actually selected (tile highlighted, pill shows the style name)?