Image Playbook

The model will not remember your robot for you. Give it a reference, name what that reference is for, and reuse it.

Build the reusable asset first

For a character, prop, or UI object that must appear more than once, make a reference asset before making a finished scene.

• Generate a clean seed variant.
• Use rotation or turnaround flows when you need multiple angles.
• Keep the completed reference in the same space as later variants.
• Reuse that reference in derive and refine calls instead of recreating it from memory.

makefx generate "A felt-craft robot explorer, small brown backpack, friendly" \
  --name "Robot Explorer" --type character -o characters/robot.png

Keep style anchored

A space-level style is the project's house style: short, coherent, and backed by a few reference images. If a single asset needs a genuinely different look, disable or override style for that request rather than fighting the shared style with contradictory words.

Use a prompt skeleton

For scenes, write concrete prompts with:

• subject
• action
• location
• composition
• style

Example:

A weathered dwarven blacksmith hammering a glowing blade on an anvil, sparks flying, in a dim stone forge with hanging tools in the background. Medium shot, low angle, painterly fantasy illustration, warm rim lighting.

Prefer positive framing. Say "an empty street" rather than "no cars." Name materials, camera angle, and lighting when they matter.

Combine references by role

When using several references, tell the model what each one is for:

makefx derive \
  --refs CHARACTER_VARIANT_ID,BACKGROUND_VARIANT_ID \
  --name "Hero In Market" --type scene \
  "Use the first reference for the character and the second reference for the market background. Keep the character design, colors, and proportions exact. Cinematic 16:9 composition." \
  -o keyframes/hero-market.png

The public generation path defaults to the Pro image model, which supports multi-reference composition. The fast image model exists for service and internal paths; it is useful for quick drafts but only supports one reference.

Edit one thing at a time

Use refine for a precise change, and say what must remain fixed:

makefx refine --variant BACKGROUND_VARIANT_ID \
  "Add hanging shop signs and more foreground depth. Keep the same camera angle, lighting, and color palette." \
  -o images/market-v2.png

Change pose, outfit, background, or lighting one at a time. This keeps drift visible and recoverable.

Quick reference

Goal	Do this
Reusable character	Build a reference or turnaround first
Consistent project look	Set a space style
Character plus background	derive --refs A,B and name each role
Small revision	refine and state what stays unchanged
Many references	Use the Pro model and stay within reference limits

See Model & Parameter Selection to choose the image path that supports your references, aspect ratio, and quality target.