Character Reference

Creating visually consistent characters across multiple images has long been a challenge in AI image generation—until now.

With Character Reference, you can define and reuse distinctive characters so that facial features, hairstyles, and other key traits remain consistent from one image to the next.

This feature gives you greater creative control and continuity, whether you’re illustrating a story or exploring different settings with the same character.

Once defined, your characters can be customized and reused with new prompts, helping you build cohesive image series quickly.

In the sections below, you’ll learn how to create, manage, and use Character References effectively, along with tips for combining them with other features such as Remix and Magic Fill.

Accessing Character Reference

From the Prompt Box

Click or tap inside the Prompt Box to reveal the option bar (if it isn’t already visible). Then select the Character button to open a popup where you can access your existing Character References or create a new one.

Popup showing your Character References.

If you select an existing character, its thumbnail appears in one of two locations depending on context. In standard views, it appears below your prompt in the Prompt Box. On the Character Page, the thumbnail appears larger at the top left of the Prompt Box.

Character thumbnail in the Prompt Box.

Selecting New Character opens the dedicated Character page, where you can define and manage your custom Character References.

From Other Locations

You can also access the Character feature from several other locations:

1. Select the Character icon on the Navigation Bar to open the Character page.

2. Click or tap the Character button in the Details Panel when viewing a single image to use that image as a Character Reference.

3. Click the More icon while hovering over an image in the Image Gallery, then choose Character from the More menu.

How to Use a Character Reference

Create or Choose a Character

On the Character page, click or tap the New Character button in the upper-right corner to create a new Character Reference.

You can add an image as a Character Reference in one of three ways:

1. Camera — This enables you to take a picture with your device/computer and use it as a character reference. You may need to authorize your browser or app to access your camera.

2. Upload — Browse images from your device or computer and upload one.

3. Creations — Browse your creations on Ideogram and select one as a reference.

Options to add a Character Reference using Camera, Upload, or Creations.

Alternatively, you can select an existing Character Reference.

Your selected image appears in the top-left corner of the Prompt Box.

*Prompt Box on the Character Page showing a selected Character Reference.*

Tip: A portrait-style image with a clear, well-lit face (preferably at a slight angle) yields the best results.

When on the Home Page

If a Character Reference is active in the Prompt Box, selecting on it will display two buttons:

• Describe — Activates the Describe function, which adds a description of the image to the Prompt Box.

• Edit Mask — Opens the mask editor, allowing you to modify how the AI interprets the selected Character Reference. (See How Masking Works below for details.)

Selecting the X icon removes the Character Reference from the Prompt Box.

When on the Character Page

Hovering over the Character thumbnail at the top of the prompt box will reveal the More Icon and clicking on it will give you two options:

• Edit character mask — Opens the mask editor so you can adjust which areas of the image are used by the AI.

• Remove image — Deletes the image from the Character Reference. Once removed, the reference will no longer have an associated image. You can select or upload a new one to replace it.

Alternatively, selecting the image itself opens the Edit Character Mask function directly.

Personalizing Your Character

Now that you’ve selected a Character Reference image, follow these steps to generate an image with it:

1. Choose how you want to describe the image to be generated:

   • Write a prompt that details your character and background, or

   • Choose a template from the available predefined options for a quick start. (Templates appear below the Prompt Box on the Character Page. You can reopen them by selecting the Templates button next to Generate.)

2. Select a Style:

   • Auto — Automatically selects the optimal style based on your prompt.

   • Realistic — Creates lifelike photography with natural colors, textures, and lighting.

   • Fiction — Creates imaginative characters with artistic variation.

Style selection interface showing Auto, Realistic, and Fiction options.

1. Apply the other generation options such as Public/Private, Aspect Ratio, and others, except:

   1. Unavailable options: Color Palette, Negative Prompt, Seed Number.

   2. Any previously selected Style Reference is disabled when using a Character Reference.

2. Once ready, click Generate to create your image.

Here are a few examples:

Original image.

Generated with the Fiction style.

Generated with the Realistic style.

How Masking Works

When you select an image as a Character Reference, the AI automatically identifies and masks the face and hair from that image.

You can adjust the mask to refine results—for example, to modify a character’s hairstyle or preserve accessories.

For instance, consider the following prompt:

A woman with vibrant blue pixie-cut hair.

With the default mask, the generated image doesn’t fully reflect the requested hairstyle, only a small color overlay appears on the original hair.

Default mask highlighting the face and hair.

Generated image using the default mask.

By erasing the hair area from the default mask, the AI can replace the hairstyle and apply a consistent color more effectively.

Modified mask excluding hair.

Result showing new hairstyle with uniform color.

Conversely, you can preserve more of the original image to maintain specific details, such as a hat, jewelry, or other distinctive elements.

Consider the following prompt:

A woman wearing a red ruby pendant and a red evening gown.

With the default AI mask, the generated image doesn’t preserve the look of the pendant and generates one with a different appearance.

Default mask excluding pendant area.

Generated image showing altered pendant design.

By editing the default mask to include the pendant, the generated image successfully preserved the pendant’s original appearance.

Modified mask including pendant.

Generated image with original pendant preserved.

Tip: Use the mask editor to fine-tune which details the AI preserves or replaces. Small adjustments often lead to noticeably improved results.

Using a Character Reference with Other Features

While Character Reference is a powerful feature on its own, combining it with tools like Magic Fill and Remix allows you to create exactly the image you have in mind.

For example, you might already have generated an image that meets most of your requirements. However, the image may not fully match your vision. Below are two methods you can use, depending on your needs.

Using Remix

To preserve the overall composition and environment of the original image, Remix is an excellent solution. Here’s how:

1. Select the image you want to remix, then click Remix in the right-side panel.

2. In the Prompt Box, click the Character tab to access existing Character References or create a new one.

3. Provide a detailed prompt describing the character’s physical appearance and the environment.

4. Adjust the image weight for the remixed image (usually between 60–80; some experimentation may be needed to find the optimal value).

5. Set the other options to your liking. It’s recommended to turn Magic Prompt Off to preserve the intended character and environment.

6. Click Remix to generate the images.

Image to Remix.

Character reference.

Result using Remix.

Result with prompt only.

Using Magic Fill

If you need to preserve as much of the background and environment as possible, Magic Fill can be an excellent solution. There are many ways to proceed, here’s one of them:

1. Select the original image where you want to change the character.

2. Click Open in Canvas in the Details Panel.

3. Select the Magic Fill icon in the Left Sidebar.

4. Mask the area of the character you want to replace.

5. Click or tap Next.

6. Click Character at the bottom of the Prompt Box.

7. Select or create a Character Reference.

8. Write a detailed prompt describing the new character’s physical features and the environment.

9. Click Magic Fill to generate the images.

Original image.

Magic Fill mask, Character and prompt.

Result of Character and Magic Fill.

See Remix and Magic Fill to learn more about how to use each feature.