How do you create multiple character and costume variations quickly with AI?

You can generate dozens of character and costume options in hours by working in batches instead of single images:

1. Generate image grids, not single images
2. Describe the costume's mood, not its exact spec
3. Run the same prompt on two image models in parallel
4. Queue a batch and step away while it generates

Work in batches, not one image at a time — invideo is an agentic video creation tool with all the current image models (Recraft, Nano Banana, GPT-Image-2) available, so the invideo agent routes each variation request to the right model from a single interface.

Generate image grids, not single images. Request 3 grid options per round, each grid holding multiple character or costume variations, then iterate only on the grids you like and extract the best individual panels. Image generation costs little, especially in invideo, so grids give you directorial optionality at almost no extra spend — every real director wants options, and grids are how you get them without burning video credits.

Describe the costume's mood, not its exact spec. When you don't have a precise costume description, give a costume designer sub-agent the emotional feel of the character and ask for multiple concrete options to pick from — in one documented production, a director with no clear costume spec got several viable options back in a single pass. If one option feels unexpectedly bold, treat that as a signal to lock it in rather than revise it.

Run the same prompt on two image models in parallel. Set up a casting sub-agent and instruct it to run identical character prompts on two models simultaneously rather than sequentially — for example Recraft, which renders skin-level imperfections like pores and stubble, against Nano Banana Pro, which has stronger prompt adherence. One 3-day production cast its characters exactly this way, comparing both aesthetics side by side before committing.

Queue a batch and step away. Brief the invideo agent on the character, ask for a batch of costume and look options, and let it generate unattended — one filmmaker came back from a coffee break to seven costume variations waiting for review, and documented productions have had agents continue generating overnight. At team scale this compresses the whole exploration phase: a 3-person team working through the invideo agent locked cast, costumes, and the film's full look and feel in a single day.

Beyond generating variations: once a winner is selected, converting it into a character reference for production is its own step — as a cost benchmark, one production finalized each character's identity in about 5 generation attempts at roughly $9.78 per character.

These are some of the ways to generate variations quickly — what works depends on your characters and how locked your designs already are.

Watch some of these to see what works for you:

I did not have a clear description of the sort of costume for Sylvia, who is our female vampire. But I always knew the sort of feel I want from her costume. So agent 1 was able to give me multiple options in the same zoom.

— a director documenting a multi-agent short film production with the invideo agent