Recently, I've got a question from our Discord members asking how to generate a group of characters using NovelAI. And, I thought it would be great to share the knowledge and tips with others who might be struggling with the same issue.

Thank you our Discord member The_Sweet_Sparrow for helping us about the prompt.

In this blog post, we will explore the NovelAI anime prompt and its capabilities in generating multiple characters and group photos.

We'll dive into the different techniques and tags!

This will be beneficial to you whether you are an artist or an AI artist. If you're an artist, this is an excellent technique to generate drawing references for your group illustration.

So, let's get started!

The Basic Structure of Multiple Characters Prompt in NovelAI

When it comes to generating multiple characters using NovelAI, it's important to understand the basic structure of the prompt.

Typically, the prompt is divided into several character designs. To identify each character in the image, utilize the alphabet, such as A, B, C, and so on. You can even use the word “girl” or “guy”.

Let's take a look at these samples and results.

There're some images which I had a different settings and I'll mention about it in each prompt.

By understanding how these prompt section work together, you can generate a group of characters in NovelAI!

Tips to Generate an Image With More than Two Characters

The simple tip is that you may change the tag “2girls” and edit the number of your desired character for example “5girls”. Then add the design to each character like the example below.

I'm not sure if we can add some more characters so here is the experiment so far.

Here is another one I tried with “30 girls” but I didn't get 30 characters like I wrote in the prompt. You can put the tag “full body” to get the whole character image from top to toe.

Let's Edit the Prompt to Design Your Image

Add Lighting and Background to the Image

You can edit and add the styling to the prompt like you did when generating a single character. For example you can use the styling tag such as “cinematic lighting” or background tag like “messy room” to add the light and background to your generated image.

Add Interaction Between each Character

You may use the tag “hugging”, “fighting”, “kissing” and so on to direct the interaction of each character.

Image Resolution Matters

Even when using the same prompt, changing the image resolution in NovelAI always produces a different result. Below is an example of the difference between horizontal and vertical images.

Prompts and Tags to Enhance the Appeal of Your Group Images

When generating multiple characters in NovelAI, you can use prompts to specify certain artwork style that you want. This is especially useful for artists or AI artists who want to create a specific visual aesthetic for their outcome.

Movie Poster Composition Style

You can use the tag “movie poster” to get a result similar to the movie poster.

Blockbuster Movie Poster Composition Style

You may also tweak some of NovelAI's prompts and parameters to generate an image with the composition of a blockbuster movie poster. I've included an example below.

Group Image View From Above

This type of composition will make the viewer feel close to the character. You may get this outcome by using the tag “view from above” in your prompt.

Group Image View From Below

Simply use the same prompt as before and add the tag “view from below,” and you'll get the result as if you lowered the camera.

Group Image View From Back

If you want to change the camera position to the back of the group, enter the tag “view from back” and the output will look like this.

In conclusion, generating multiple characters using NovelAI is useful for artists who want to create a reference for an illustration that has multiple characters. By understanding the basic structure of the prompt and using prompts and tags to enhance the appeal of your group images, you can create dynamic groups of characters that align with your specific needs and aesthetic preferences.

For me, AI is a great tool for artists to expand the imagination and make the creative workflow smoother. I know that there are a lot of controversies surrounding these AI platforms, but I think that it's crucial to learn the capabilities of these tools, especially if you're an artist who's working in the art industry.

In my honest opinion, with the rapid development of technology, these tools are becoming more and more advanced and will be used in a wide range of art sections in the near future. By learning how to use these tools, artists can stay ahead of the curve and continue to create amazing work.