How to keep an AI character’s face the same

Faces drift between generations. The fix is not a longer prompt. It is deciding the character once, in words and in pictures, and then refusing to improvise.

The identity block

Fill this in once per character. Paste it into every prompt for that character, word for word, in the same order. Same words, same face.

NAME:
AGE RANGE:
SKIN TONE:
FACE: (shape, jaw, brows, one detail people would notice)
HAIR: (style, length, colour)
EYES:
BUILD:
MARKS: (scar, freckles, tattoo, glasses)
WARDROBE, THIS EPISODE:
ONE PROP: 

Filled in

Nia, late 20s, deep brown skin, oval face with high cheekbones and a small gap in her front teeth, shoulder-length box braids with copper ends, dark brown eyes, slim build, small gold hoop in left ear only, oversized olive bomber jacket over a grey hoodie, a ring of keys on a red lanyard.

The rules

1. Reference sheet first. Before any scene, generate the character on a plain background in the same light: front, three-quarter, profile and full body. Pick the best of each and keep them. They are the character now.
2. Stills first, motion second. Make each shot as a still from the reference, then animate the still. Image-to-video usually holds a face better than text-to-video.
3. Lock the wardrobe. One outfit per episode. A jacket that changes between shots is a continuity error unless the story asks for it.
4. Regenerate, don’t patch. If a face drifts, go back to the reference and generate again. Adding words to rescue a bad take usually makes the next one worse.
5. Name the files. CHAR_nia_front_v3.png, SH04_nia_door_take2.mp4. You will be glad at two in the morning.
6. Two faces per scene. Every extra character in a shot is another face that can drift. Keep crowds out of focus or out of frame.