How to Make a Character Reference Sheet with AI (and Reuse It Across a Whole Film)
Jul 2026
A character reference sheet is a single image that shows a character from several fixed angles, usually front, profile, and three-quarter, so the design stays consistent everywhere it is used. Animators and game artists call it a model sheet or a turnaround. In AI filmmaking it does the same job, and it is the most reliable way to keep a character looking like themselves from one shot to the next.
This guide covers what goes on a reference sheet, how to make one with AI, and how a real film used it. The examples come from Ulysses, a photorealistic Viking short made in Flick by creator Jaime Yao, where a single reference sheet was reused as the base in 79 separate shots.
What goes on a character reference sheet
Keep it simple and consistent:
- Three views minimum: front, profile, and three-quarter. Add a back view for full-body characters.
- A neutral background (plain grey works best) and even, soft lighting, so nothing competes with the design.
- One character per sheet. Give the lead, each supporting character, and any recurring prop its own sheet.
A face-only sheet is enough for dialogue and close-ups. A full-body turnaround is better for action and wide shots.
Make your character reference sheet
Generate a three-view sheet, then lock it into every shot.
How to make a character reference sheet with AI
Step 1 — Generate the sheet
Describe the character once, in detail, and ask for the three views on a plain background. This is the exact prompt behind the Ulysses sheets:
Create a clean three-view face reference photo of a Viking-age mead-hall keeper.
White/Norse male, around 38 to 45 years old, sturdy build. Front view, profile,
and three-quarter view on a neutral grey background. Even, soft studio light.The same approach works for a completely different design. Ulysses built an armored warrior the same way, as a full turnaround:
Step 2 — Lock the sheet as your base
Do not describe the character from scratch for each new shot. Feed the sheet back in as the base image and forbid changes:
Use this exact three-view character reference image as the base. Keep the person
100% identical: same face, same facial structure, same hair, same wardrobe.Step 3 — Compose each shot from the sheet
Add a rough sketch for framing, and let the model render the scene while holding the identity from the sheet:
Use the provided sketch as the only composition reference, use the provided guard
reference as the guard character reference. Convert the scene into a photorealistic
live-action cinematic image. Composition 100% exactly matches the provided sketch.
Camera position 100% unchanged.The words that matter are "exact," "100% identical," and "100% unchanged." They tell the model to reuse the design, not reinterpret it.
Why it works: one sheet, 79 shots
The reference-sheet method is not theory. The Ulysses project canvas shows how far a single sheet can go:
| From the Ulysses canvas | Value |
|---|---|
| One reference sheet reused as the base | 79 shots (others 66, 60, 42) |
| Reference-image links across the film | 653 (92% of all connections) |
| Image edits vs text-to-image generations | 371 edits vs 21 (95% img2img) |
| Total images / failed generations | 424 / 20 |
That last row is the real lesson: consistency comes from reusing the sheet, not from perfecting a text description. Here is the lead, generated from that one sheet and dropped into a scene, still recognizably the same man:
What to watch for
- Drift. Even with a locked base, a jaw can get heavier or an age can creep up a few years. The fix is to re-lock from the sheet, or lower the reference weight so the model stops improvising.
- Motion. A sheet holds a face steady in a still more easily than through movement. For bigger actions, expect more retries.
- Ulysses had 20 failed generations across the film. A reference sheet reduces drift; it does not eliminate it.
Mach deinen eigenen
Generate a three-view sheet, then lock it into every shot. Want the full set of consistency techniques beyond reference sheets? See our guide to consistent AI characters.