How Visual Styles Work (and how to get consistent results)

A visual style controls how your video looks (the images)

It does not control your story (the script_

Think of it like this:

• Story/script = what happens
• Visual style = how it looks on screen

What happens when you attach a style to a Universe?

When a Universe has a visual style selected:

1. New projects in that Universe use that style automatically.
2. Each scene is generated with that style direction.
3. Your script still drives characters, actions, and locations.

So yes, selecting a style in the Universe matters a lot. It is the main visual direction for all scenes in that project.

How image generation uses your style (simple version)

For each scene, LongStories combines:

• Scene instructions from your script
• Character consistency references
• Style reference images from your selected visual style

Important: the style reference images are very powerful.

If those images look realistic, outputs will look realistic.

If those images look like Pixar, outputs will look Pixar-like.

How to choose strong style reference images

Your style images should show the look, not your specific story.

Best practices:

• Use several images, not just one.
• Make each image very different.
• Keep all images in the same style family.
• Include variety: close-up, medium, wide, indoor, outdoor, different subjects.
• Use clean images (no text, logos, watermarks, UI overlays - unless your style requires them).
• Prefer high-quality images with clear lighting and color.
• Avoid mixing conflicting looks (for example: realistic + cartoon).

Common mistakes

• Using too few style images.
• Using style images that are all nearly identical.
• Using story-specific frames as style references.
• Mixing opposite styles in one style pack.
• Expecting “Pixar-like” output from mostly realistic style references.

Quick pre-generation checklist

Before you generate:

• Confirm the correct visual style is selected.
• Check that reference images really represent the look you want.
• Make sure references are varied, not duplicates.
• Remove any conflicting images.
• Run a short test generation first.

FAQ

Q: I selected a stylized style, but my scene still looks realistic. Why?

A: Usually the reference images lean realistic, or your references are too limited/too similar.

Q: Should style references include my exact story characters?

A: Usually no. Style references should teach the visual language, not the plot.

Q: What should I optimize first if style is off?

A: Update the style reference images first. That gives the biggest improvement.

Updated on: 26/02/2026