Table of Contents
- A complete guide to creating your main character using Character Turbo
- What Is Character Turbo?
- Demo:
- Step by Step: Creating a Character with Character Turbo
- Step 1: Description
- Pro Tips: Be clear and specific
- Step 2: Action & Expression (in Advanced Options)
- Step 3: Background (in Advanced Options)
- Step 4: Style
- Step 5: Aspect Ratio
- Step 6: Generate Your Character
- What to Do Next
- If You Are Not Happy with the Result
- Start Building Your Character
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A complete guide to creating your main character using Character Turbo
What Is Character Turbo?
Character Turbo helps you create your main character.
It guides you through the essential building blocks of a strong character prompt so you can generate a hero ready for storytelling.
Works with: Your own character ideas, or a rough idea that AI Improve or Inspire Me turns into a full description.
Why it matters: A strong base character is the foundation of every story. Character Turbo helps you get it right, no drawing skills required.
Demo:
Step by Step: Creating a Character with Character Turbo
Character Turbo opens with Turbo V4 selected at the top of the panel. It is the recommended default, so leave it unless you want the look of an earlier version. Turbo V1, V2 and V3 are still available in the same dropdown.
Step 1: Description
Start by writing a clear description of your character.
Keep it visual and concrete. Follow this simple structure:
Subject (who they are), features (key details), outfit (what they wear).
Example: Young girl with long brown hair and bangs, wearing a yellow raincoat and boots.
The field is called Describe the Character. Keep it to looks only. Pose, expression and background have their own place in Advanced Options (Steps 2 and 3).
Three helpers sit on the field:
- AI Improve (a toggle, on by default): when you click Generate, it rewrites your description into a clearer, more detailed one and fills in Action & Expression and Background for you. Your text is replaced with the improved version, so you can see exactly what was used. Switch it off if you want your words used exactly as typed. Works in any language.
- Inspire Me: with an empty field it writes a random character for you. With a rough idea typed in, it builds on that idea. Click again for another version.
- Microphone: speak your description instead of typing it.
Pro Tips: Be clear and specific
❌ Avoid long explanations or abstract descriptions
❌ Avoid metaphors or vague ideas
❌ Avoid negative phrasing
✅ Use simple, visual language
✅ Focus on what the character looks like.
✅ Clear prompts lead to better consistency.
If your prompt feels long or confusing, simplify it.
Step 2: Action & Expression (in Advanced Options)
Open the Advanced Options row under the description. It holds two fields, Action & Expression and Background. Both come pre-filled, and the small icons on the collapsed row show a dot when you have changed one.
Action & Expression is pre-filled with Full body front view, standing and smiling.
Pro Tip: for your first image, leave it exactly as it is. A full-body, front-facing, smiling character is the best reference for everything you make afterwards.
When you do change it, keep it to one clear action.
Step 3: Background (in Advanced Options)
Background is pre-filled with Plain White Background. Leave it for your first image. If you change it, simple backgrounds work best.
Example: park in the background
Avoid busy scenes at this stage, they can make consistency harder later.
If you do not want any background:
❌ Avoid prompting: no background or transparent background
✅ Instead keep: plain white background
and later press Transparent Background on the finished image to get a cutout version.
Step 4: Style
Choose the visual style that fits your story from the style grid: Pixar Inspired, Anime, Modern Western Cartoon, Chibi, Action Comic, Watercolor Illustration, 2D Flat Illustration, 3D Cartoon and Claymation 3D.
Pick one style and stay consistent across your project.
Step 5: Aspect Ratio
Select the aspect ratio for your layout.
- Options: 1:1, 3:4, 9:16, 4:3 and 16:9. Default: 1:1 (square)
- Change it if you already know your format. You can always reframe later if needed.
Step 6: Generate Your Character
Click Generate.
- Each generation costs 4 credits
- If AI Improve is on, the description and the Advanced Options fields update to the improved version as the image generates
- Your image appears on the right. Switch between Single, Grid and Favourites views at the top
- On the image: Reuse Prompt (top left) refills the fields with that image's prompt; the icons top right favourite, pin, upscale, make the background transparent, download or delete it
At this point, your base character is complete and ready to use.
What to Do Next
After your first image, a Next Step: Use Editor Pro card appears, and the orange buttons on the image open each editor with your character already loaded: Editor Pro for freeform changes, Edit Action, Edit Expression, Edit Outfit, Background, Erase, Reframe and Edit Perspective. Each one changes a single thing and keeps the character the same.
A good first move is the Action Editor, which places the same character into new scenes and poses.
If You Are Not Happy with the Result
That is normal, especially early on.
- Regenerate same prompt
- Adjust your description
- Simplify details
Iteration is part of the process.
Still not sure how to write prompts?
Leave AI Improve on and let it do the structuring, or click Inspire Me for a starting point. The full formula is in How to Write AI Cartoon Character Prompts.
Start Building Your Character
Character Turbo gives you a clean starting point for any illustrated story.
Create your character once, then reuse it everywhere.
Next steps:
- Go to neolemon.com and try it free, no credit card required
- Open Character Turbo
- Write a clear character description.
- Leave Advanced Options at the defaults: full body, front view, standing and smiling, plain white background
- Generate your character
Your story starts with one strong character. Character Turbo helps you create it right.
Need help? Email us at support@neolemon.com
