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You've probably tried this. You find an AI image you love — a particular mood, color, texture — and you ask for "another one like this." The first follow-up is close. The second is okay-ish. By the third, the colors have shifted, the lighting feels different, and the set no longer feels like a set.
This guide walks through the workflow that fixes that, using Recraft V4 (an image and vector generator at recraft.ai built with style-locking in mind) as the worked example. The same principles apply to other consistency-focused generators, but Recraft is a clean place to learn them because the controls are exposed in the UI.
Before you start, you'll need:
- A web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge — any recent version)
- An email address or a Google account to sign up
- About 15-20 minutes for your first test run
- The free tier is enough to try this; paid plans unlock more generations and higher resolution
Step 1 — Pick a tool built for style consistency
Not every image generator handles sets the same way. Some are designed for one-off images and drift after the second or third generation. Others are built to hold a visual language across many outputs. Recraft V4 is one of the latter — it separates the subject of an image from the style and lets you lock the style across a project.
What to do:
- Open your browser and go to recraft.ai.
- Click "Sign up" or "Get started" (usually top-right).
- Sign in with email or a Google account.
- Pick the Free plan when prompted.
Where to find it: The sign-up button sits at the top-right of the homepage. The plan picker appears right after sign-in.
💬 Example path: recraft.ai → top-right "Sign up" → email or Google → choose "Free."
You'll know it worked when: You land on the Recraft dashboard and see a "New project" or "+" option.
Step 2 — Start a new project
Recraft works on a canvas — a single workspace where you generate, arrange, and refine images. A new project gives you a clean slate for your set.
What to do:
- From the dashboard, click "New project," "New design," or the "+" icon.
- Name the project so you can find it later (something like "Coffee shop poster series").
- Open the new canvas.
Where to find it: Usually a button in the top-left of the dashboard, or a "+" icon beside "Projects" in the sidebar.
💬 Example path: Dashboard → "New project" → name "Coffee shop poster series" → Create.
You'll know it worked when: A blank canvas opens with a toolbar or sidebar showing image-generation controls.
Step 3 — Lock your style reference
This is the step most people skip. Recraft lets you separate the subject of an image from the style — the visual look that should stay the same across every image you make in this project.
What to do:
- In the sidebar, look for a panel labeled "Style" or "Styles" (often with a palette or brush icon).
- Pick a preset style (Recraft ships with several — flat illustration, photo, 3D, and others), OR upload an image whose look you want to copy and use it as your reference.
- Save or apply the style to your project.
Where to find it: Right sidebar, usually labeled "Style." The exact wording can change as Recraft updates its interface — if you can't locate it, Recraft's tutorials at recraft.ai walk through the current layout.
💬 Example path: Sidebar → "Style" → "Upload reference" or pick a preset → confirm.
You'll know it worked when: A style preview appears at the top of the canvas or sidebar, and your next generation clearly uses that look.
Step 4 — Write prompts that describe only the subject
Now the counterintuitive part. Most prompts pile on style words: "soft watercolor, muted blues, warm lighting, hand-drawn." In a tool with style locking, those words fight the locked style. Drop them.
What to do:
- In the prompt field, describe ONLY what's in the picture: the objects, scene, layout, and viewpoint.
- Skip anything about illustration style, color palette, texture, or lighting — the locked style handles that now.
- Keep prompts tight — one or two sentences is plenty.
Where to find it: The prompt field is usually at the bottom of the canvas or inside a "Generate" panel.
💬 Example prompt: "A small coffee cup on a wooden table, morning light through a window, cozy interior, three-quarter view."
Notice: no mention of "watercolor" or "muted palette." The locked style does that work.
You'll know it worked when: The first image comes back in the locked style, and successive generations stay in that same look.
Step 5 — Generate a batch and curate
One image won't tell you if the style holds. Generate several at once, then pick the ones that match best.
What to do:
- Set the generation count to 8 or 10 (Recraft lets you choose how many images to make at once).
- Hit "Generate."
- Wait for the batch to finish.
- Scan the results: which ones match the locked style most closely? Which ones drift?
- Keep the 4 or 5 best. Discard or regenerate the rest.
Where to find it: The "Generate" button sits at the bottom of the prompt panel. A quantity selector (usually a small number dropdown) sits next to it.
💬 Example: Generate 10 → keep the 4 that match the locked style → discard the other 6.
You'll know it worked when: At least 4 of the 10 images look like they belong in the same set.
Step 6 — Refine and iterate on what worked
Even with style locking, no tool nails every generation. The final step is to use what the first batch taught you and improve the next round.
What to do:
- Look at the keepers from Step 5. What do they have in common? Re-use that exact prompt structure for new generations.
- For images that drifted, ask: was the prompt too vague? Did I accidentally slip in a style word? Tweak and re-run.
- For variations on a single image (same scene, different angle), change one element at a time — like "side view" instead of "three-quarter view."
Where to find it: Same prompt panel as Step 4. You can usually click on a generated image to see and re-use its prompt.
💬 Example tweak: Take the Step 4 prompt, change "three-quarter view" to "side view," and regenerate. The style stays locked; only the angle changes.
You'll know it worked when: Your final set of 4-5 images feels like it came from one designer.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1: Piling on style words in the prompt. Saying "soft watercolor, muted blues, warm light" in a tool with style locking fights the locked style. Fix: drop the style adjectives and describe only what's in the picture.
Mistake 2: Generating one image at a time. You can't tell if a style holds from a single image. Fix: always generate a batch of 8-10 in one go, then pick the best 4-5.
Mistake 3: Skipping the style lock step. Without a locked style, the tool defaults to whatever it feels like — and that drifts across generations. Fix: pick a preset or upload a reference image in the Style panel before you generate anything.
Mistake 4: Expecting ten identical twins. Even the best consistency tools won't produce ten identical images. Fix: plan to curate from a larger batch and accept that small variations are normal.
Wrap-up
A matching set of AI images is still harder than a single image, and no tool nails it every time. But the gap is closing. The fastest way to see what your tool can do: open a new project, lock a style, generate a batch of 8-10 images using only subject descriptions, and see how close they actually stay. If 4 out of 10 hold together, you've got a workable workflow. If only 1 or 2 do, try a different preset or upload a stronger reference image — and run the test again.