More photographs do not automatically make an AI portrait more faithful when the references disagree. Before adding another image, choose which appearance you are asking the result to represent. A recent neutral portrait, an older heavily retouched selfie, and a costume photograph may all depict the same person while giving incompatible evidence about age, proportions, hair, and styling.
Choose the moment and the authority
State whether this is the person as they look now, a deliberate younger interpretation, or a fictional character based on them. For a current portrait, use an authorized image that represents the intended time and appearance as the identity authority. Do not ask the system to average several life stages unless that transformation is actually the brief.
Runway recommends natural, even lighting and a neutral expression for its character reference workflow. That is guidance for selecting a readable input, not a promise that one reference resolves every identity problem. A plain image is still unsuitable if it shows the wrong age or has already been substantially reshaped.
Give each supporting image a bounded job
| Reference role | What it can answer | What it must not override |
|---|---|---|
| Identity anchor | Current facial proportions and defining features | Approved time period |
| Supporting side view | A visible profile or ear detail | Anchor's age and makeup |
| Clothing reference | Jacket cut and fastenings | Face and body identity |
| Excluded image | Documents why it was rejected | No generation authority |
Use real filenames or the interface's reference tokens in your own version of this card. Do not call every upload “the main reference.” If two images genuinely disagree about a visible feature, write the decision instead of expecting the model to settle it on your behalf. For example, specify that the short hairstyle in the current anchor is required and the older long hair is irrelevant.
Try less ambiguous evidence first
Begin with the anchor and the smallest set of supporting views needed for the shot. A frontal headshot does not establish the back of a coat, and a clothing catalog image does not establish the wearer's face. If the requested angle exposes an unknown detail, either obtain a suitable source or acknowledge that the detail will be interpreted.
This proposed comparison can help diagnose a disagreement: prepare the same brief with the anchor alone, then with the anchor plus one role-limited support image, if your chosen tool accepts that combination. Keep the intended age, framing, and requested change fixed. Judge whether the added image resolves a named problem, rather than whether the new result merely feels more polished. This guide reports no completed model experiment.
Review against the named authority
Check the output against the anchor first, then inspect the specific contribution expected from each support. Reject a result that combines the correct coat with the wrong age or the correct profile with another reference's reshaped face. When preparing references for Imagild, the purpose written beside an image should describe the evidence it contributes. The upload count is only an inventory; it is not a measure of identity confidence.