AI illustrations won’t always match your photos exactly. The goal is to create a magical, storybook version of your memories. Sometimes details shift a little, and that’s normal.

Choosing a style like Whimsy Watercolor or Cartoon Adventure will naturally change how faces, clothing, backgrounds, colors, and details appear.

For example, a real photo may have sharp lighting and detailed textures, while a watercolor-style illustration may soften the face, simplify clothing, and use lighter colors.

The AI uses your uploaded photos as visual references. Things like lighting, camera angle, facial expression, image clarity, and whether the person is facing the camera can all affect how the final illustration looks.

A clear, front-facing photo usually gives the AI a better reference than a blurry, distant, shadowed, or side-profile photo.

The Match the above photo closely setting changes how the AI uses your selected photo.

If the box is checked, the AI will try to recreate the uploaded photo as closely as possible. In this mode, it does not use the story text on the left-hand page.

If the box is not checked, the AI uses the photo as a reference while also following the story text. This gives it more freedom to adjust pose, expression, composition, background, and scene details.

Sometimes the AI simplifies or emphasizes certain features, like clothing, objects, hairstyles, or background elements, to better fit the selected storybook look.

For example, a shirt pattern may become simpler, a jacket color may shift slightly, or a busy background may become softer and less detailed.

The AI may add small visual differences from page to page as part of the illustrated storytelling experience. This can include changes in lighting, pose, expression, background details, or color treatment.

Using the right Photo and Style Guide Image can help reduce these differences.

The Edit tool is best for small changes when the overall page looks good and you do not want to redraw the whole illustration.

Try short, specific prompts like:

“Change Dad’s jacket from green to blue. Keep everything else the same.”

“Make the dolphin larger. Keep the family the same.”

“Make Sophie’s dress purple with white polka dots. Keep her face and pose the same.”

For character consistency, you can also reference your Style Guide Image in the prompt:

“Make sure Charlie looks exactly like he does in the Style Guide Image.”

This works best when the Style Guide Image shows the character clearly and accurately.

Selecting a Photo helps the AI keep faces, clothing, and character details more consistent.

If you want the page to stay very close to your uploaded image, turn on Match the above photo closely.

If you want the AI to follow the story while still using the photo as a reference, leave Match the above photo closely unchecked.

For best results, choose a photo where the person’s face, outfit, and important details are easy to see.

A Style Guide Image helps keep the tone, lighting, colors, and overall feel of your book consistent across pages.

It can also help with character consistency. In the Style Guide Image picker, choose the illustration where your characters look the most accurate, including facial features, hairstyle, clothing, and overall appearance.

When editing or regenerating a page, you can tell the AI to match the character to the Style Guide Image.

For example:

“Make sure Charlie looks exactly like he does in the Style Guide Image.”

Or:

“Make sure Charlie and Mom look exactly like they do in the Style Guide Image.”

Tip: Using both a clear Photo and a strong Style Guide Image usually gives the best results. The Photo helps with real-life character details, while the Style Guide Image helps with illustrated consistency.

Use Regenerate when the whole page feels off and you want a fresh version.

If Match the above photo closely is off, Regenerate uses your story text, selected Photo, and Style Guide Image together.

If Match the above photo closely is on, Regenerate prioritizes the selected Photo and does not use the story text on the left-hand page.

If Edit is not working the way you want, try using Regenerate with the correct Style Guide Image selected. Then describe the scene you want and clearly tell the AI to keep the characters consistent.

Try prompts like:

“Regenerate this page with brighter colors in watercolor style.”

“Regenerate this page with the same family, but focus on the penguins in the background.”

“Charlie and Mom are at the park on a sunny day with a few clouds in the sky. Mom is pushing Charlie on the swing. Make sure Charlie and Mom look exactly like they do in the Style Guide Image.”

If the text on the left-hand page does not describe the scene the way you want, the image may not match your expectations.

This is especially important when Match the above photo closely is not checked, because in that mode the AI uses the story text to help build the scene.

Before:

“We went to the aquarium.”

After:

“Sophie clapped in front of the dolphin tank as dolphins leapt high in the air.”

The more clearly the story describes the scene, the easier it is for the AI to create the right illustration.

Sophie is wearing a purple dress with white polka dots by the dolphin tank. Dad is wearing a green jacket.

Sophie appears in a lavender dress with stylized dots. Dad’s jacket looks bluish-green, and the background is softened.

The AI adapted the scene to fit the selected storybook style. It softened the colors, simplified the clothing details, and adjusted the background to feel more illustrated.

Use Edit:

“Make Sophie’s dress purple with white polka dots. Keep everything else the same.”

Select a Photo where Sophie’s face and outfit look clear.

Select a Style Guide Image where Sophie and Dad look the most accurate.

Use a prompt like:

“Make sure Sophie and Dad look exactly like they do in the Style Guide Image.”

Turn on Match the above photo closely if you want the image to stay closer to the uploaded photo.

Use Regenerate if the whole page needs to be redrawn.

Not exactly, but you can get much closer by selecting a clear Photo and turning on Match the above photo closely.

The AI may simplify or stylize clothing to match the selected art style. You can fix this with a short Edit prompt and a good reference photo.

For example:

“Make Charlie’s shirt red with white stripes. Keep his face, hair, and pose the same.”

A Photo helps the AI understand what the person or real-life moment looks like.

A Style Guide Image helps the AI understand how the illustration should look, including style, colors, lighting, and character appearance.

Using both together usually creates the most consistent results.

Use a clear Photo, choose a Style Guide Image where the characters look accurate, keep your prompts short and specific, and turn on Match the above photo closely when you want a page to stay especially close to the uploaded image.

For character consistency, include instructions like:

“Make sure Charlie looks exactly like he does in the Style Guide Image.”

Or:

“Make sure Charlie and Mom look exactly like they do in the Style Guide Image.”