How to make character portraits for RPG dialogue with AI
To make character portraits for RPG dialogue with AI, generate one neutral portrait per character, create each expression as an edit of that same portrait, and keep the whole cast in one style by generating new characters from a style reference. In Ludo.ai's Image Generator, the portrait image type is generated without a background, so the face drops straight into a dialogue box. A portrait can then be animated in the Sprite Generator into a looping sprite sheet, such as a blink and breathing idle, and voice lines for the same character can be made in the Audio Generator.
Last updated September 2026
What you need
- A short description of each character: role, species, age, outfit and mood
- Your game's art style, or one finished piece of your art to use as a style reference
- The shape of your dialogue box, so you can pick a square or tall aspect ratio
1Pick the portrait image type
In the Image Generator, choose the portrait image type (
portrait). Portraits are generated without a background, so you get a cutout of the character instead of a scene.2Describe the first character
Write who the character is and how they look, for example "grizzled dwarf blacksmith with a braided beard, soot on his cheeks, calm expression". Pick an art style and an aspect ratio that matches your dialogue box, such as Square for a small face box or Portrait 3:4 for a taller bust, and ask for a neutral expression so this image can serve as the base for every mood.
3Generate variations and choose the base portrait
Generate a few variations and keep the one that best fits the character. This neutral portrait is the base for the expression set and the style reference for the rest of the cast.
4Make the expression set with Edit Image
Open the base portrait with Edit Image and describe only the change: "make him laugh with his eyes closed", "angry frown, gritted teeth", "worried, eyebrows raised". Start every expression from the same base portrait, so the face, outfit and framing stay the same across the set; if an edit comes back with a backdrop, Remove Background cuts it out. Generate from References is an alternative when you want the same character in a new pose or setting.
5Build the rest of the cast with Generate with Style
Switch the Generation Mode to Generate with Style, add the base portrait as the reference, keep the portrait type, and describe the next character ("young elven mage with silver hair"). Each new character adopts the reference's look. See how to keep a consistent art style for more on reference images.
6Animate a portrait into a looping idle (optional)
Download the portrait, open the Sprite Generator and go to the Animate tab. Add the portrait in First Frame, choose the portrait sprite type and write a Motion Description such as "slow blink and gentle breathing". To move between two expressions, put an expression variant in Final Frame, or use Keyframe Animation with a neutral, a smiling and a neutral frame.
7Add a voice line (optional)
In the Audio Generator, design a voice for the character with Human Voice or Non-Human Voice, then read dialogue with Speech (Preset), which lets you pick a voice, an emotion and a language, or with Speech (Clone) from a voice sample. The voice line and the portrait animation are separate files: play the portrait loop while the line plays.
8Export and wire it into your dialogue UI
Download still portraits as images and show them in a UI node, for example Godot's TextureRect. For an animated portrait use Download Sprite Sheet, Download GIF, Download All Frames or Download Sheet + JSON, and play the sheet with the engine's frame animation, such as Godot's AnimatedSprite2D or Unity's Sprite Editor for slicing.
Specs
| Portrait background | The portrait image type is generated without a background |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratios | Auto, Square, Landscape 4:3, 16:9 and 19:9, Portrait 3:4, 9:16 and 9:19 |
| Art styles | 32 plus Any style, including Hand-Painted, Anime/Manga, Chibi, Comic Book, Watercolor and the 8-Bit, 16-Bit, 32-Bit and Hi-Bit pixel styles |
| Modes for expressions and cast | Edit Image (text instructions on an existing image), Generate from References (keeps elements of the reference), Generate with Style (new subject in the reference's style) |
| Variations per API request | 1 to 8 from a prompt (createImage), 1 to 4 for an edit (editImage) or with a style reference (generateWithStyle) |
| Animation | Portrait is one of the 12 image types the Sprite Generator can animate |
| Animation frames and size | 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49 or 64 frames per sheet; 32 to 384 px per frame, max resolution, AI 1.5x upscale, or matched to the input image |
| Voice lines | Human Voice and Non-Human Voice design a voice; Speech (Preset) with voice, emotion and language, or Speech (Clone) from a sample, up to 100 words per line |
Tips
- Make every expression as an edit of the neutral base portrait instead of editing the previous expression; chained edits drift away from the original face.
- Keep the framing in the prompt the same for the whole cast, for example head and shoulders facing slightly left, so portraits line up in the same dialogue box.
- If one portrait of the cast looks off, regenerate it from the same style reference rather than adjusting the others to match it.
- For an idle loop, describe small motions only (a blink, breathing, a slight head tilt); large movements can push the character out of the frame.
- Re-running the same prompt gives a different result, so save the base portrait before generating expressions and the rest of the cast.
FAQ
Do AI portraits come with a transparent background?
The portrait image type is generated without a background. If you made a character with another type that kept its backdrop, Remove Background cuts it out.
How do I make different expressions of the same character?
Open the neutral portrait with Edit Image and describe one change at a time, such as "smiling" or "shocked, mouth open". Always start from the same base portrait so the character stays recognizable across the set.
Can a portrait move while the character is speaking?
Yes. Animate the portrait in the Sprite Generator with a short motion description, such as a blink and breathing, and loop the sheet in your dialogue box while the line is on screen. To move from one expression to another, use an expression variant as the Final Frame or set up to three keyframes.
How do I keep a whole party of portraits in one style?
Generate the first portrait you like, then create every other character with Generate with Style using that portrait as the reference, and keep the portrait image type for all of them.
What aspect ratio should a dialogue portrait use?
Match the box in your UI: Square for a small face box, or Portrait 3:4 for a taller bust next to the text. Scale the image to the box in your engine; for an animated portrait you can also pick a frame size from 32 to 384 px.
Can I generate portraits through the API?
Yes. Pass portrait as the image_type in createImage, or in generateWithStyle to match a reference, use editImage for expressions, and pass portrait as the image_type in animateSprite to animate one.
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