Cast & characters
How characters work in your book.
Characters can be created in your character library — reached from “Characters” in the menu — or right inside the Cast & photos step when you start a new book. Search and reuse them across future books, delete a saved character or just one of its looks when you no longer want it, and once a project exists, that book's cast stays locked in so every page stays consistent.
The template sets the roles
Each story template defines 1–3 character slots — usually the hero, and sometimes a parent, sibling, or friend. You can't add cast members beyond what the template asks for.
Add a name and a few details
During Cast & photos you give each slot a name, a life stage, and — for the hero — the interests that shape the story.
Upload a front photo (and, ideally, side angles)
A clear, front-facing photo is required for every character. Left and right 3/4 angles are optional but help keep the illustrated likeness consistent from page to page. Take all three in the same sitting so glasses, hair, and clothes match — a mixed set can make the character look wrong in the book and in print. If they wear glasses, make sure those photos show them too, and check that every generated portrait keeps them — side angles can sometimes lose them.
Reuse a saved character, or start fresh
Search your saved characters — from a past book or added directly in your character library — and reuse one with a tap, or start a brand-new character from scratch. Characters made during Cast & photos are saved automatically for next time.
Give a saved character a reusable illustrated look
From your character library, pick a saved character and choose a style — one of Onceling's presets or a template's art style — with an optional 200-character hint (for example, “wearing Muay Thai shorts”). It costs 1 generation, and once you review and approve the finished result, that look is yours to pick for that character in any book using that exact style.
Delete a saved character or just one look
From your character library, a confirmation dialog lets you delete an entire saved character — removing it and all its looks, and any photo or look file that no finished book still needs — or delete just one look and keep the character, its photos, and its other looks. Either action is disabled with a clear message while one of that character's looks is still generating.
During setup vs. after your project is created
- While building the project
- Names, life stage, interests, and photos are all editable in the Cast & photos step, right up until you create the project.
- Once the project exists
- Characters become read-only. There's no screen to rename, re-photograph, or remove a character from that book — the generated book and its cast stay fixed. Deleting the saved character or a look from your character library doesn't change a book that already used it.
Deleting a whole character vs. deleting one look
- Deleting the saved character
- Removes it from your reusable library and deletes all of its custom looks, along with any photo or look file nothing else still references. Books you've already finished keep their generated artwork exactly as it was. Blocked while one of its looks is still generating.
- Deleting one look
- Removes just that illustrated look. The character, its photos, and its other looks all stay in your library untouched. Blocked while that specific look is still generating.
A character's look vs. a one-page hint
- A reusable character look
- Created in your character library from a style preset or template style, plus an optional hint, then approved once it's ready. Costs 1 generation, is saved to that character, and can be picked for any future book using that exact style.
- A one-page regeneration hint
- Added when you regenerate a single page in a book you're already editing. Costs 1 generation, only changes that one page, and isn't saved anywhere else.
Screenshot on the way
Limitation: An existing book's cast can't be changed
Once a project exists, its characters can't be independently edited or removed from that book — the generated book and its cast stay fixed. You can still delete the saved character (or just one look) from your character library; that only affects future books, not this one.
Limitation: Can't delete while a look is still generating
If one of a character's looks is still generating, deleting that character or that look is disabled in your character library, with a message explaining to wait until the generation finishes.
Warning: Check every angle for glasses before you approve
If someone wears glasses, look closely at every generated angle — especially left and right — before approving a look. A side portrait can come back without them, and any book page drawn from that angle will show the character without glasses too. If that happens, don't approve — try the look again until every angle keeps them.
Note: Take all three photos in one sitting
Front, left, and right photos taken together — same glasses, hair, and clothes — keep the illustrated character consistent. A mixed set can make them look wrong in the finished book, and that carries through to print.
Note: Looks are reusable; page hints aren't
A saved character look (1 generation, once you approve it) sets an illustrated appearance you can choose for any future book using that exact style. A page regeneration hint (1 generation) only nudges a single page in the book you're currently editing — it isn't saved anywhere else.
Note: You can still nudge a single page
When you regenerate one page, you can add a short instruction (for example, “add the red cape”). It only affects that page, and it costs one generation, the same as any other page regeneration.
Note: Characters is your personal library, not a project editor
Your character library is where you search and reuse saved characters, add a brand-new one from scratch, design a new illustrated “look” for one (1 generation, pending your approval before it's reusable), or delete a saved character or one of its looks behind a confirmation dialog. It doesn't let you edit or remove a character, or its looks, from a book that's already been created — that book's cast stays exactly as generated.
Keep reading
Common questions
- When do I set up a book's characters?
- Either ahead of time in your character library, or during the Cast & photos step when you start a new book. Each template defines 1–3 character slots with a role and a suggested life stage.
- Can I edit a character after my project is created?
- No. Characters become read-only once a project exists — there's no screen to rename, re-photograph, or remove a character from that book, and the book's generated cast and artwork stay fixed either way. You can still delete the saved character or one of its looks from your character library; that doesn't change a book that already used it.
- What photos does a character need?
- A clear, front-facing photo is required. Optional left and right 3/4 angles help keep the illustrated likeness consistent across pages — best taken together with the front in one sitting so glasses and other details match. A mixed set can make the character look wrong in the book and in print.
- Should the photos be taken at the same time?
- Yes, ideally. Taking the front, left, and right photos in one sitting keeps glasses, hair, and clothes consistent across every angle. A mismatched set — glasses in one shot but not another, or different outfits — can make the illustrated character look wrong, and that carries into the finished book and print.
- What if a generated side portrait is missing the glasses?
- Check every generated angle — especially left and right — before you approve a look. If a side portrait comes back without glasses (or another accessory the person always wears), any book page drawn from that angle will show them without it too. Don't approve it — try the look again until every angle keeps it.
- Can I reuse a character in a new book?
- Yes. Search your character library for a saved character — from a previous book or added there directly — and reuse it, with its photos, in a new project's slot.
- Can I make a character always wear a specific outfit?
- Not automatically for a book you've already created, but you can build a reusable look for next time. In your character library, choose a style preset or template style plus an optional hint (for example, “wearing Muay Thai shorts”) to generate a new illustrated look for 1 generation; once you approve it, that look becomes the character's appearance for any future book using that exact style. For a single page in a book you're already editing, add a short instruction when you regenerate that page instead — it costs 1 generation and only changes that page.
- Can I design a new illustrated look for a saved character?
- Yes, from your character library. Pick a style preset or a template's art style, add an optional 200-character hint, and it costs 1 generation. Once it's ready, review and approve it — then that exact-style look can be selected for that character in any future book.
- What's the difference between a character look and a page regeneration hint?
- A character look (1 generation, once approved) is created in your character library and is reusable — you can pick it for that character in any future book using that exact style. A page regeneration hint (1 generation) only applies to a single page in the book you're currently editing and isn't saved anywhere else.
- Can I delete a saved character?
- Yes. In your character library, a confirmation dialog lets you delete a saved character entirely. This removes it from your library, deletes all of its custom looks, and removes any photo or look file nothing else still references — books you've already finished keep their generated artwork exactly as it was. It's blocked with a clear message if one of that character's looks is still generating.
- Can I delete just one look instead of the whole character?
- Yes. Deleting a single look — also from your character library, with its own confirmation dialog — removes only that illustrated look. The character, its photos, and any other looks stay in your library untouched. It's blocked with a clear message while that particular look is still generating.
- Does deleting a saved character or look change an existing book?
- No. A book's generated cast and artwork are fixed once the project is created. Deleting a saved character or look only affects your reusable library and any future book — pages you've already generated or finished stay exactly as they are.