Start with how Preview treats references
Preview handles saved assets and unsaved takes differently:
- Unsaved canvas and scene references appear as
Take pills.
- Saved characters, locations, props, and assets appear by name.
- Named saved assets can be called back with
@.
This means saved assets are easier to reuse consistently than unnamed temporary takes.
Place reference pills carefully
If you use an image as a general reference, it usually works best to place that reference at the beginning or end of the prompt.
If your wording says something like this image, place the reference pill close to those words so the model gets clearer context about what the phrase refers to.
Use natural language around saved assets
You can reference multiple assets in a single prompt, but results are usually stronger when the asset names fit naturally into the sentence instead of reading like disconnected labels.
Prefer stronger asset sources
For saved asset consistency:
- Use character sheets or multi-angle source images when possible
- Use clean props on blank backgrounds when possible
- Use location references that show only the environment you want repeated
Use folders or individual assets deliberately
When you reference a saved character, location, or prop, you can reference an entire folder or a specific file.
- Use an entire folder when you want broader variation around one saved concept.
- Use a specific file when you want stronger consistency from one source image.
Upload useful files into the asset library
You can upload files from your desktop to the Assets folder, then reference them later by file name. This is useful when you want a reusable external reference that is not tied to a canvas take.
Save and name reusable references early. Prompting gets much easier when your most important characters, props, and locations are already in the library with clear names.
