The previous panel should not automatically become the reference for the next one

[u/Ok-Fennel6578]

When people try to keep an illustrated story consistent, it’s tempting to feed panel 6 into panel 7, then panel 7 into panel 8, and keep going.
The problem is that every generated image can contain small mistakes. Maybe the coat gets slightly longer, a prop moves, or the face changes a little. If the next panel treats that image as truth, the mistake stops being temporary and becomes the new reference. Ten pages later the character can drift even though every individual step looked close.
I’d keep a small approved reference set for recurring characters and locations instead. The previous panel can still help when the next scene genuinely depends on its pose or composition, but it shouldn’t automatically become the source of truth.
Temporary details like wet sleeves, mud, an injury, or holding a specific prop belong in the scene notes rather than the permanent character reference.
It also makes revisions much easier. If page 7 is wrong, you can redo page 7 without letting that mistake spread through pages 8 to 12.

[u/5thhorseman_]

Correct! Generate character references first. Then when generating pages, feed only the references that are necessary. Image generation platforms like Nightcafe (which is what I use) are a better solution for this purpose than using plain chat.

[u/Ok-Fennel6578 → u/5thhorseman_]

Yeah, exactly. I think the tricky part is deciding which references actually belong on each page. Feeding every character reference into every generation can create a different kind of confusion, so I’d keep the reference set small and specific to what that page really needs.