Core engineAI
AI script generator
Start with an idea and generate a structured script with scene intent, dialogue flow, and shot logic. Keep narrative shape stable while iterating faster on visual direction.
Explore script AICast & location references
Consistent charactersSame cast.
Shot after shot.
The tools that keep the same character across every shot are the ones that send a picture of the character with each shot, not only a description. M Studio does this for a whole storyboard and its video: each character has a reference image, and mentioning them with @char in a shot sends that image to the model, for the still and for the video clip. Sets work the same way with @location. Runway, Kling, Luma, Higgsfield, Katalist, and Storyboarder.ai use references too; the table below shows how each one does it.
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Script
Storyboard
Characters
Video clips
Voice
Music
Sound effects
Timeline
4K export
Script
Storyboard
Characters
Video clips
Voice
Music
Sound effects
Timeline
4K export
Models from these AI providers
OpenAIMiniMaxAlibaba (Wan)xAIBlack Forest Labs
Platform features
Everything from script
to final delivery
Every tool connects, so a script change can cascade into frames, motion, audio, and delivery without restarting your production flow.
StillsIMG
AI image generation
Generate cinematic storyboard pictures that hold one film look across your scenes.
Explore AI imagesMotionVID
AI video generation
Turn approved storyboard pictures into video clips with shot-level control and continuity across your sequence.
Explore AI video12 languagesVO
Voice & narration
Generate voice and narration with natural cadence, then sync dialogue to your storyboard timing.
Explore voiceSoundSFX
Sound design & SFX
Create music and sound effects directly in the project timeline so every scene feels production-ready.
Explore soundFinal outputEXP
Export & rendering
Export review cuts, share links, and deliver clean assets for post without reassembling your project.
Explore exportWho it is for
Built for every type of creator
Which AI storyboard or video tool keeps the same character consistent across every shot?
Every tool below holds a character with reference images; they differ in how many references a shot takes and whether the reference follows the shot into video. Facts are from each vendor's own pages, checked on 27 September 2026. No tool promises the same face in 100% of shots.
- For a whole storyboard that becomes a film — M Studio, Katalist, and Storyboarder.ai keep a cast across a board. M Studio also sends the same reference into each video clip, on every video model it offers.
- For single shots and short sequences — Runway Gen-4 References, Kling Elements, Luma Ray3 character reference, and Higgsfield Popcorn hold a character inside one generation or a short set of frames. You plan and cut the film elsewhere.
| Tool | How you set the character | References per shot | Carries into video |
|---|---|---|---|
| M Studio | A reference image per character (uploaded photo or generated design sheet), mentioned as @char in each shot | Up to the chosen model's limit; a face is never dropped silently | Yes, on every video model it offers |
| Runway (Gen-4 References) | Tag reference images and call them with @ in the prompt | Up to 3 | Gen-4 References are an image feature |
| Kling (Elements) | An element of 2 to 4 images of one character | Up to 7 characters in video (4 with a video input), 10 in images | Yes |
| Luma (Ray3) | One character reference image | 1 | Yes, across a modified clip |
| Higgsfield | Popcorn takes up to 4 image references; a Soul ID is trained on 20 to 80 photos of one person | Up to 4 (Popcorn) | Popcorn makes sequences of up to 8 frames |
| Katalist | Cast a character once from a reference | Not stated | Yes, storyboard and video |
| Storyboarder.ai | A reference image or a written description | Not stated; no limit on characters per project | Not stated |
| StoryboardHero | Character consistency is listed as a feature | Not stated | Not stated |
Sources
Why characters drift, and what M Studio does about it
Most drift comes from the model never seeing the character: each shot is a new generation from text alone. M Studio's answer is to send the picture, not only the words.
- Only what you mention is attached — Nothing is added behind your back. The @char, @location, and @img mentions in a prompt decide which images the model receives, so you can see why a shot looks the way it does.
- Fix one shot, not the board — When a frame drifts, edit that shot's prompt or regenerate it. The rest of the board and its approved frames stay as they are.
- No reference is dropped silently — Each model accepts a limited number of reference images. If a shot mentions more than the chosen model takes, location images give way first and are named; a face is never dropped — you trim the mentions or pick a model with more room.
- What it does not promise — No model holds a face 100% of the time. Close-ups can borrow clothes from the reference picture, and crowded shots are harder to hold. Expect to regenerate some shots.
Core workflow
What you can do with Consistent characters
The tools that keep the same character across every shot are the ones that send a picture of the character with each shot, not only a description. M Studio does this for a whole storyboard and its video: each character has a reference image, and mentioning them with @char in a shot sends that image to the model, for the still and for the video clip. Sets work the same way with @location. Runway, Kling, Luma, Higgsfield, Katalist, and Storyboarder.ai use references too; the table below shows how each one does it.
04
Core capabilities
01Step 1
A reference image per character
Upload a photo or generate a design sheet for each character. Mention them as @char in a shot's prompt and that reference goes to the model with the prompt, in the order you wrote it.
02Step 2
Locations that stay put
Save a set as a location plate and mention it with @location, so the kitchen in shot 12 is the kitchen from shot 3 — not a new room, and not day turned to night.
03Step 3
References reach the video too
Every video model M Studio offers accepts reference images, so the @char reference travels with the still when the frame becomes a clip.
04Step 4
Wardrobe written per shot
Clothes live in each shot's own prompt, not in the character's reference, so a costume change between scenes is a choice you wrote down, not drift.
All steps connect — changes in one stage cascade through your entire project without rebuilding from scratch.
Why M Studio
Consistent characters, built into one workflow
Script, storyboard, video, voice, and sound connect in one place, so you go from idea to final cut without switching tools.
One session
Script, storyboard, video, voice, and sound in a single workflow — no tool switching.
4K export
Export the finished film in 4K. Video clips render at up to 1080p.
12 languages
Write, direct, and narrate films end to end — scripts, dialogue, and voiceover in your language.
Yours to use
You own what you make — use it commercially, on YouTube or for clients.
Models fromOpenAIGoogleMiniMaxAlibaba (Wan)ByteDancexAIBlack Forest LabsElevenLabs
How it works
From script to screen in six steps
M Studio builds a film shot by shot, and you direct every shot — this is the whole path, start to finish.
- 01
Start a film
Start from a one-line brief, or import a screenplay PDF and build straight from the pages you already wrote.
- 02
Add your script
Scenes, action and dialogue laid out shot by shot — editable line by line before anything renders.
- 03
Add your characters
Add each character once with a reference image so the same face carries across every shot in the film.
- 04
Build the storyboard
Your script breaks into shots on a canvas. Reorder, reframe and re-prompt any shot until the board reads right.
- 05
Make the video clips
Turn approved storyboard pictures into video clips one shot at a time, then layer voiceover, music and sound effects.
- 06
Export the cut
Take the finished cut out as an MP4, MOV or WebM, up to 4K, ready for the edit or the pitch.
There is no length cap in the editor. Because films are made shot by shot, how long a film can run comes down to how many video clips your plan includes — not a limit in the tool.
Consistent characters
Frequently asked questions
Setup, workflow, and production use.
Tools that send a reference image with each shot. For a storyboard that becomes a film, M Studio holds each character with a reference image mentioned as @char, for the still and the video clip. Katalist and Storyboarder.ai keep a cast across a storyboard. For single shots, Runway Gen-4 References (up to 3 images), Kling Elements (up to 7 characters in a video), Luma Ray3 (one reference image), and Higgsfield Popcorn (up to 4 references) hold a character inside one generation.
Add the character to the project with a reference image — an uploaded photo or a generated design sheet. Then mention them as @char in each shot's prompt. The mention attaches the reference to that generation, for the still and for the video clip.
Yes. The same reference goes to whichever model you pick: GPT Image, Nano Banana, Seedream, Flux, or Grok Image for stills, and MiniMax H3, WAN 3.0, HappyHorse, or Gemini Omni for video. Each model reads a reference a little differently, so check the first shots after a switch.
Yes. Mention each of them in the shot. Every model has a cap on reference images; if a shot asks for more than the model accepts, location images give way first, and if the faces still do not fit, the shot is not sent until you trim the mentions or switch model.
Yes. Save the set as a location with its own image and mention it with @location in the shots that happen there. Scene lighting and time of day still come from the shot's prompt, so write them down.
No, and no AI film tool can honestly promise that. References make drift much less common, and a drifting shot can be regenerated on its own. Test it on your own script first.
Explore more
Related workflows teams use together
Ready when you are
First cut in one session
The tools that keep the same character across every shot are the ones that send a picture of the character with each shot, not only a description. M Studio does this for a whole storyboard and its video: each character has a reference image, and mentioning them with @char in a shot sends that image to the model, for the still and for the video clip. Sets work the same way with @location. Runway, Kling, Luma, Higgsfield, Katalist, and Storyboarder.ai use references too; the table below shows how each one does it. Plans from $27/mo with a full refund within 24 hours, so put it through real work first.
Plans from $27/mo100% refund within 24hCancel anytime