Table of Contents
- A complete guide to building story scenes with your characters using Story Scene Pro
- What Is Story Scene Pro?
- Two Ways to Open Story Scene Pro
- Step by Step: Generating a Scene
- Step 1: Add your references
- Step 2: Describe the scene
- Step 3: Choose the aspect ratio
- Step 4: Generate Scene
- The Five Reference Types
- Keeping a Whole Book Consistent
- Editing a Scene After You Generate It
- Tips for Better Scenes
- FAQ
- Start Building Scenes
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A complete guide to building story scenes with your characters using Story Scene Pro
What Is Story Scene Pro?
Story Scene Pro puts your characters into a finished scene. You upload the pieces (your characters, an object they hold, the place, a style sample, a layout sketch), give each one a short @name, describe the moment in a sentence or two, and generate one image that brings them together.
Works with: Up to eight references in five kinds: Character, Object, Background, Style and Layout. Characters and objects can repeat; you can add one background, one style and one layout per scene.
Why it matters: A picture book is a cast and a world that must look the same on every page. Story Scene Pro reads your references and keeps them recognisable, so page 27 matches page 3 without redrawing anything.
Each scene costs 4 credits.
Two Ways to Open Story Scene Pro
- From the sidebar. Story Scene Pro sits under Create.
- From Create New Cartoon. On your Home dashboard, click Create New Cartoon and choose Create Multi-Character Scenes.
Step by Step: Generating a Scene
Step 1: Add your references
The panel opens with a Character slot and a Background slot under Upload References. Click a slot to upload an image (PNG, JPG or WEBP, up to 10 MB) or pick one from your dashboard. Each slot comes with a ready-made @tag: the first character is @character1 and the background is @background. You can rename a tag to anything that helps you remember it (letters, numbers and underscores); in the example below the slots are renamed Wombat, Park and Koala.
Press Add for more slots and choose a category: Character, Object, Background, Style or Layout. Characters and objects are numbered as you add them (@character2, @object1). Background, Style and Layout can only be added once each. Eight slots is the maximum, and the x on a slot removes it.
For characters, use a full body front view on a plain background, the same anchor image you made in Character Turbo. Sharp images give sharp scenes; a blurry reference gives a blurry character.
Step 2: Describe the scene
Write what happens in the Scene Description, and refer to every reference by its @tag. Type @ and your tags appear in a list; a recognised tag turns orange.
@Wombat and @Koala are walking side by side along the stone path in the @Park, chatting and smiling, with @Koala pointing at the fountain
In this example both characters were made in Character Turbo and the park in Background Gen, then added to the slots from the dashboard.
One moment per scene works best. Say who is where and what each character is doing; the references take care of what everyone looks like.
Step 3: Choose the aspect ratio
The default is Landscape 16:9, a good fit for a two-page spread. Pick Square 1:1 for a square picture book page, Portrait 3:4 for a portrait page, or any of the other ratios. You can also reshape a finished scene later with Reframe.
Step 4: Generate Scene
Press Generate Scene. The scene needs at least one character reference and a description. The result appears on the right, and the scene gets its own card on your Home dashboard, where every later version is kept. Here the wombat and the koala keep their faces, fur, scarf and backpack, and the scene takes place in the park from the Background slot: the same fountain, benches and stone path.
The Five Reference Types
Reference | What it does | Tip |
Character | Who appears in the scene. Face, hair, outfit and proportions are kept. | Full body front view on a plain background. Use the same image on every page. |
Object | A thing that must look a certain way: a toy, a wand, a lunchbox, a car. | Add it only when the object recurs or matters to the story. |
Background | The place. Keeps a recurring location consistent across scenes. | Generate it once in Background Gen and reuse it. |
Style | A sample of the look you want: brushwork, colours, line quality. | Upload the same style image on every scene and the whole book stays in one look. |
Layout | A composition reference: where things sit in the frame, for example a rough sketch or a comic panel. | Useful when a page needs space for text on one side. |
Keeping a Whole Book Consistent
Story Scene Pro is consistent when its inputs are consistent. The park in this guide's example was made once in Background Gen (below), so every page set in that park can use the same image. Three habits do most of the work:
- Same character references on every page. Make each character once in Character Turbo or Photo to Cartoon, pin the anchor image, and use that same image in every scene.
- Same background for a recurring place. Generate the bedroom, the classroom or the forest once in Background Gen, then add it as the @background whenever the story returns there.
- Same style reference throughout. One style image on every scene keeps colours and brushwork matching from the first page to the last.
If a scene drifts, check the references before rewriting the description. A different crop of the same character, or a missing style image, is usually the cause.
Editing a Scene After You Generate It
Hover over a scene and press Editor Pro. The panel switches to edit mode with a Describe the change field: describe only what should be different, and mention any character by its @tag (for example @character2 is now sitting on the bench, smiling). The rest of the scene stays as it was, and every character stays recognisable.
The other buttons on the image work too: Edit Action, Edit Expression, Edit Outfit, Background, Erase, Reframe and Edit Perspective each change one thing. For a scene with several characters, Editor Pro is usually the right choice, since you can say which character you mean.
See the Editor Pro guide for the chaining habit that keeps a scene consistent across many edits.
Tips for Better Scenes
✅ One moment per scene. Describe a single frozen instant, not a sequence of events.
✅ Say who does what with the tags: @character1 is pointing at the kite while @character2 runs after it.
✅ Two or three main characters per scene read best, even though up to eight slots are available. Crowded scenes lose detail.
✅ Mention the camera when it matters: seen from above, close-up on @character1's face.
✅ Pick the ratio for the page you are making: 16:9 for a spread, 1:1 for a square book, 3:4 for a portrait page.
❌ Don't describe the characters' looks in the description. The references already carry that; repeating it invites drift.
FAQ
How many characters can I put in one scene?
Up to eight references in total, and characters can take as many of those slots as you like. Two or three main characters per page is the sweet spot for a readable illustration.
Can I use a background I generated in Neolemon?
Yes. Click the Background slot and pick it from your dashboard, or generate it in Background Gen first. Reusing the same background image is the easiest way to keep a location consistent.
What does the Style reference do?
It shows Story Scene Pro the look you want: the brushwork, the colour palette, the line weight. Use one style image for the whole book and every scene matches.
Where are my scenes saved?
Each scene gets a card on your Home dashboard. Open it to see every version you generated, favourite the best ones, and download or upscale them.
What does it cost?
Each scene costs 4 credits, the same as every other generator and editor.
Start Building Scenes
Next steps:
- Go to neolemon.com and try it free, no credit card required
- Create your characters in Character Turbo, full body front view, plain white background
- Open Story Scene Pro, add them as references, and describe your first page
- Press Generate Scene
For a complete book built this way, scene by scene, watch the masterclass workflow.
Need help? Email us at support@neolemon.com
