Declare what the reference is for
“Use this as reference” can mean retaining a character, borrowing a palette or revising an adopted cover. Inspect the actual picture and specify the intent.
| Purpose | Declare |
|---|---|
| Editing target | Edit this image, with preservation requirements and allowed changes. |
| Style reference | Borrow palette, light or brushwork without assuming its people and lettering transfer. |
| Composition reference | Borrow subject–type placement while supplying this book’s setting and exact text. |
The latter two describe author intent, not extra native mode names. The pinned story-cover workflow distinguishes an editing target from a style reference and requires what must stay. “Something similar” leaves the desired similarities unclear.
Supply the book information separately
story-cover accepts an optional reference. View a local image before use so its actual content is known. Use material the author owns or can use for this production. Provide the file, exact title, byline, intended use, save directory and synopsis rather than copying a title from someone else’s cover.
The workflow has one REF_IMAGE input; this does not establish automatic multi-image binding by character, style or composition. Describe combined requirements in a clear brief and let the operator use capabilities actually available. Invent no “character lock” toggle.
A reference is optional; composition can be described directly. With only a flattened cover, establish the edit route instead of treating pictured lettering as a separate type layer.
Reference example: revise light and lettering on a repair-shop cover
The original 街角修理铺, by 周青, follows a young repairer running a small shop. Assume the author owns a cover with one short-haired repairer, round glasses and brown apron at a wooden bench, a left-hand window and rear tool rack. They like identity and layout but want soft overcast light instead of orange evening light, plus clearer wording. This is a planning exercise without an actual image.
View the supplied picture and confirm those facts before editing. Select it as the editing target, not merely a colour reference. Use this brief:
Edit the supplied cover for '街角修理铺', by '周青'. Preserve one short-haired repairer with round glasses and a brown apron, the wooden workbench, window on the left and tool rack behind. Keep the existing portrait framing and character pose. Change the orange evening light to soft overcast daylight from that same window. Render the title exactly '街角修理铺' in a clear upper area and the byline exactly '周青' below. Add no second person, weapon, slogan or watermark. Save a separate candidate and preserve the original.
Compare candidate and original: person count, hair, glasses, apron, window direction, bench and rack positions, with the same window remaining the light source. Then check exact text, crop and small display. Missing glasses or a window moved right remains a deviation despite broadly similar style.
If the author only wants warm brushwork for a new book, declare a style reference and supply the new people and setting. That is a different task; do not simultaneously request the old identity and silently replace it.
Keep the reference’s purpose with the version
The pinned workflow saves another version with prompt and reference notes. A brief can list preserve, change and check requirements for comparison. Keep reference, current candidate and upload export distinct; approval of the old version does not transfer to the new one.
For correct but unreadable small lettering, use thumbnail review; for wrong wording, use text correction. Changing identity, palette and composition at once obscures which fix helped. Address the current issue, then inspect the entire result.
FAQ
Does a reference guarantee the character stays identical?
No. Declare appearance, count and pose to retain, then compare the actual candidate. Similar style does not establish the same identity.
Is composition reference a dedicated switch?
Here it describes brief intent. The cited workflow does not supply a dedicated switch for every purpose; use the image tool’s actual capabilities.
Do it with the skill
For actual cover generation or revision, use /story-cover, or $story-cover in Codex, with exact title, byline, intended use, save directory and this page’s concrete brief. Declare reference purpose and preservation requirements, save a separate candidate, then inspect lettering, picture and upload export. The skill calls an image tool and saves files; a prompt cannot replace checking the result.
Read the method: Lettering, references, version saving and review · Genre, composition, palette and lettering options