Making a great character portrait

Updated October 18, 2026

A portrait is the first thing people see of your character, on Discover, in chats and on shared links. On Shiro you can generate a portrait from your character's details or upload your own picture. This guide explains how generated portraits work and how to get one you love.

Generating a portrait

When you create or edit a character, you can generate a portrait. Shiro uses the character's name, personality and especially the description of how they look to create an illustration. Every portrait is checked against our community guidelines before it's shown.

Free accounts can generate a couple of portraits a day; shiro+ members can generate more, pick from more art styles, make variations of a portrait they like and get sharper images.

Write a description the artist can use

The look description matters most. Be concrete and visual:

Hair and eyes: color, length, style. "Messy silver hair tied back, sharp green eyes".
Build and age: "tall and wiry, early thirties".
Clothing: what they usually wear, with a detail or two. "A worn leather coat with brass buttons and a red scarf".
Something distinctive: a scar, glasses, freckles, an earring, a mechanical arm.
Expression: a smirk, a tired smile, a serious stare. It shapes the mood of the whole portrait.

Avoid vague words like "beautiful" or "cool" that don't describe anything you can see. Three specific details beat ten adjectives.

Pick a style that fits

Different art styles suit different characters: a soft painterly look for a cozy café owner, a bold anime style for an action hero, a darker look for a gothic mystery. Try a couple and see which one captures the character.

Iterate

Your first portrait won't always be right. If something is off, adjust the description (add the detail that was missing, remove the one that took over) and generate again. With shiro+, you can also make variations of a portrait that's close, keeping its overall look while changing the details.

Uploading your own picture

You can also upload a picture as the portrait, such as art you drew of your character. Only upload images you made or have the right to use, and never photos of real people without their permission. Uploaded pictures are checked the same way as generated ones.

Tips for a portrait that reads well

Face first. Portraits are often shown small. A clear face with a readable expression works better than a full-body scene.
Contrast. Distinctive colors (a red scarf, bright hair) make a character recognizable at a glance.
Match the tagline. If the tagline promises a grumpy wizard, the portrait should look grumpy and wizardly. Consistency makes people curious.
Keep it consistent with the description. The character will describe themselves from the description, so a portrait that matches avoids confusion in chats.

Portraits and the character's voice

Characters also get a voice. Shiro picks one based on the character's details, or you can choose one yourself in the Voice section. See voice calls and character voices.

Ready to make one? Read how to create a great AI character for the full process.

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