Create Consistent Characters with DALL-E 3

PART 1.

[Guide] How to create consistent characters with DALL-E 3 . r/dndai

https://www.reddit.com/r/dndai/comments/179wd1f/guide_how_to_create_consistent_characters_with/

I've been messing around with DALL-E 3 a lot since it unlocked, and I have hit on a technique for generating image after image of what appears to be exactly, or very close to exactly, the same character in a bunch of different situations with different emotions.

The catch is, it can't be a character you're trying to duplicate from an external source. You have to let DALL-E 3 do the imagination part and give it parameters that generally result in the same appearance.

TL;DR:

You'll be generating a ChatGPT prompt like this:

Generate images using this exact template:

Digital painting of a distinctly feminine green-eyed, white-furred tabaxi monk (with fluffy cheeks and a tuft on her head) with gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions. Wearing a simple green monk tunic and carrying a pack, [scenario]

The scenario should always:
1. Be in a setting.
2. Doing a thing (use dynamic verbs, not passive things like "waiting" or "watching").
3. Showing a strong emotion.

Make sure to use the exact template given.

1. Core Character Appearance

Figure out a phrase that generally defines the character's face, hair, and build in a few words. Examples:

A distinctly feminine green-eyed, white-furred tabaxi monk (with fluffy cheeks and a tuft on her head).
A tall, slender ageless elf wizard (flowing hair and sharp features).
A girly halfling wild mage with tussled, shoulder-length bright red hair and a freckled round face.
A rugged, tattooed dwarf warrior with thick, braided mahogany beard and a chiseled square face.
A shifty crimson-skinned tiefling rogue with slick, coal-black hair and youthful, sharp face with curled horns.

2. Simple Worn and Carried Items

A few words defining the general style and color of garb, with an accessory, such as:

Wearing a simple green monk tunic and carrying a pack.
Wearing a white and gold robe with leaf patterns and a necklace of large mala beads.
Wearing a sorcerer's traveling tunic and walking staff.
Wearing sturdy heavy armor with a heater shield and battleaxe.
Wearing brown leather armor with a bandolier of vials.

3. Image Style

Choose a "base" style. The most consistently good-looking for characters is "digital painting." Then, choose 3 or 4 "style attributes," such as:

Cell shading, soft shading, realistic shading, stippling.
Clean linework, bold linework, inked lines.
Vibrant palette, muted palette, pastel colors.
Smooth textures, brush stroke textures, patterned textures.
Stylized proportions, realistic proportions, heroic proportions, exaggerated features.
Dramatic lighting, high contrast, atmospheric lighting.

I personally found that my favorites (that I used for these examples) are gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions.

4. Scenario

I usually let ChatGPT come up with a bunch of examples of this, but whether you're doing it yourself or having ChatGPT generate it, you should always include:

In a setting.
Doing a thing (dynamic verbs).
Showing a strong emotion.

Putting It All Together

The core prompt you want to pass to DALL-E 3 is:

Digital painting of [character appearance] with [style attributes]. Wearing [worn and carried], [scenario]

For example:

Digital painting of a distinctly feminine green-eyed, white-furred tabaxi monk (with fluffy cheeks and a tuft on her head) with gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions. Wearing a simple green monk tunic and carrying a pack, [scenario]
Digital painting of a tall, slender ageless elf wizard (flowing hair and sharp features) with gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions. Wearing a white and gold robe with leaf patterns and a necklace of large mala beads, [scenario]
Digital painting of a girly halfling with tussled, shoulder-length bright red hair and a freckled round face with gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions. Wearing a blue sorcerer's traveling tunic and walking staff, [scenario]
Digital painting of a rugged, tattooed dwarf warrior with thick, braided mahogany beard and a chiseled square face with gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions. Wearing sturdy heavy armor with a heater shield and battleaxe, [scenario]
Digital painting of a shifty crimson-skinned tiefling rogue with slick, coal-black hair and youthful, sharp face with curled horns with gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions. Wearing brown leather armor with a bandolier of vials, [scenario]

Ensuring Consistency

You need to wrap it in instructions to make sure ChatGPT passes it directly to DALL-E 3 without altering it. For example:

Generate images using this exact template:

Digital painting of a distinctly feminine green-eyed, white-furred tabaxi monk (with fluffy cheeks and a tuft on her head) with gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions. Wearing a simple green monk tunic and carrying a pack, [scenario]

The scenario should always:

Be in a setting.
Doing a thing (use dynamic verbs, not passive things like "waiting" or "watching").
Showing a strong emotion.

Make sure to use the exact template given.

Now you can run the prompt over and over and the output will look very close to the same character for every prompt, in a bunch of interesting and dynamic poses.

Important Notes

I have found that DALLE-3 changes the way it renders faces in different scenarios:

My tabaxi monk got more "fluffy" with altered face details if I brought it in for a closeup.
Using passive verbs tended to result in a lot of head-and-shoulders shots, using active verbs resulted in a lot of full-body shots.
Requesting "framed in a round token on a 1:1 canvas with a stylized [theme] background and border" makes an excellent looking VTT token, but you'll never quite get the same character appearance as you do with your action shots.

Final Advice

Generally speaking, stick with action poses that show most or all of the character's body, so that you can manually specify different scenarios and have a consistent-looking character for them.

Have Fun!

PART 2. Two Prompts to Try

Yes, that trick works to get consistent characters across multiple images using DALL·E 3, but it's not 100% perfect.

How It Works

Defining the character consistently (face shape, hairstyle, eye color, clothes, accessories, etc.).
Using the exact same structure and wording in prompts.
Focusing on action and emotions in the scenario.
Avoiding passive descriptions (e.g., "standing and looking" vs. "running with a sword").
Not referencing external characters (DALL·E 3 cannot "remember" past images but works well when kept within a conversation).

Two Prompts to Try

Prompt 1 - Sitting Down, Happy

"Digital painting of a cartoon-style yellow-skinned character with short, spiky brown hair, large round eyes, and an exaggerated smile. Wearing a red T-shirt and blue pants. With gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions. Sitting on a wooden bench in a peaceful park, smiling joyfully while holding an ice cream."

Prompt 2 - Running, Angry

"Digital painting of a cartoon-style yellow-skinned character with short, spiky brown hair, large round eyes, and an intense frown. Wearing a red T-shirt and blue pants. With gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions. Running through a busy street, looking angry and determined, dodging obstacles."

Extra Tip

If you need even more accuracy, try this:

Generate the first image.
Ask for variations based on that image (e.g., "Make the same character but now sitting, smiling").
Use inpainting (if available) to modify parts of an image while keeping the same face.

Here’s a Bart Simpson-like character prompt for consistent generation while maintaining a recognizable style:

Prompt:
"Digital painting of a cartoon-style yellow-skinned character with short, spiky hair, large round eyes, and a mischievous smirk. Wearing an orange T-shirt, blue shorts, and blue sneakers. With gradient shading, clean linework, vibrant palette, and stylized proportions. Skateboarding through a crowded city street, dodging pedestrians with a confident and rebellious expression."

This will ensure consistency while keeping the Simpsons style and allowing different poses and emotions.

[Guide] How to create consistent characters with DALL-E 3 . r/dndai

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