Characters are the recurring identity layer of VideoCue. Instead of rebuilding the same person, pet, or mascot in every brief, you define them once - visual references, voice, personality - and cast them into any video. The render pipeline locks the identity, the video's Look supplies the aesthetic, and the same character shows up consistent across every cut.
This guide walks the five-step wizard at /app/characters/create.
The five steps
The wizard at /app/characters/create is a five-step build, designed so you can stop at step three and still ship a usable character.
Step 1. Identity basics. Name, display name, kind (human self, persona, animal pet, animated creature, mascot, abstract). A short bio plus three or four personality traits. Mannerisms in one or two sentences.
Step 2. Base-look reference images. Drag in 4 to 12 reference images that show the character clearly. Tag each by kind: front face, side face, three-quarter, full body, expression, wardrobe, setting. Mark one as primary - the renderer uses it as the anchor.
Step 3. Reference clips (optional). Short clips that show gait, gesture, or speaking patterns. Used by the video rail when motion fidelity matters. Studio and up.
Step 4. Voice. Pick a library voice, an existing clone, or clone a new voice inline. Voice is part of identity; the character keeps it across every Look.
Step 5. Appearance prompt + identity mode. Write a one-paragraph appearance prompt describing the canonical base look. Set the image and video identity dials: Ref (cheap, available now) or LoRA (premium, async training).
What good references look like
Three rules from creators who have built strong characters:
- Clean backgrounds. A studio backdrop or a plain wall. The renderer ignores cluttered backgrounds but they distract the matching pass.
- Even lighting. Soft, diffused, single-source. Hard shadows confuse identity matching.
- Diverse expressions. Three neutral, two smiling, two contemplative. The renderer reaches for the closest match per cue.
Casting into videos
Once the character is built, open any video, hit the Cast picker, and assign them as primary, supporting, or cameo. The render pipeline merges the character's base into the video's Look on the fly. Same Mia, drawn in Pixar 3D or Studio Ghibli depending on the video.
Bring it to VideoCue
Go to /app/characters, hit New Character, and follow the wizard. The Mine tab on /app/looks and /app/voices are where you stage the supporting assets if you want to reuse a custom voice or Look across multiple characters.