Selfie Guide

Atelier Selfies Guide

Updated Oct 5, 2026

What’s Different in Atelier#

Atelier is our most advanced engine for identity stability and realism, prioritizing Source-to-Selfie consistency. It uses the entire avatar image which includes skin texture, hair flow, and precise features to define the Kindroid

Atelier follows a strict top-down interpretation of data. Information provided earlier in your setup carries more weight than information provided later. The system follows this hierarchy:

  1. Avatar Photo (AP): Defines the core identity, including facial structure and hair.
  2. Avatar Description (AD): Reinforces non-facial traits like body type and skin tone.
  3. Selfie Prompt: Directs the specific scene, action, and lighting.

Atelier is the default selfie engine, so any Kindroid set to Latest (Atelier) uses it automatically. To pin it, open your Kindroid's settings, go to Models and set Selfie Model to Atelier, or pick it for a single selfie under Selfie model when requesting one. The Avatar Photo and Avatar Description are both set under Avatar > Edit avatar, where the description is the Describe appearance field (up to 800 characters).

The Avatar Photo (Most Important Step)#

Because Atelier maps faces directly from the image, your AP is the single most important factor for success.

  • Straight Frontal View: Straight-on views map most accurately. Angled faces, tilted chins, or views from above/below often cause "face drift" or proportionality issues like "bobbleheads".
  • High Resolution: The higher the resolution, the better the image detail you can achieve. The in-app Photo guidelines recommend images over 1024×1024.
  • Natural Texture: Avoid overly filtered or smooth AI photos. Visible pores, subtle lines, and natural lighting improve realism and combat “plastic” skin.
  • Minimal Background: Use solid colors with high contrast. Cluttered backgrounds can confuse the engine during facial mapping.
  • Shoulder Width: Ensure the AP shows a natural shoulder width. Because the engine maps a 2D model, narrow or angled shoulders in a photo can lead to the head appearing disproportionately large in selfies.

Here’s a great prompt to run in Tableau to start with:

A close-up portrait against a simple, muted background. The lighting is bright but diffused, highlighting skin texture.  The composition is intimate, focusing on face and shoulders, with a shallow depth of field that subtly blurs the background.

Writing a Precise Avatar Description The Avatar Description (AD) should act as a structural anchor for identity markers that a photo cannot fully convey. Avoid "flowery" or decorative prose.

AD Baseline Template#

  • Anchor the Identity: Always explicitly state gender and age to prevent the engine from defaulting to incorrect appearances during complex prompts. “Thirty-two year old man”
  • Do Not Describe Facial Structure: Descriptions of eyes, nose, or jawline (with the exception of eye color) are redundant and often create a "collision" where the engine tries to blend two different faces.

Credit Usage#

Single Kindroid = 1 credit

Two Kindroids (or Kindroid + User) = 1.5 credits

Groups of three = 2 credits

Advanced Configuration Tags#

Atelier uses specific syntax to fine-tune facial blending and engine behavior and can be used in the Avatar Description and/or the image prompt.

Head & Face Injection: <...>

Wrap specific attributes in angle brackets to bypass strict facial and expression rendering. This is the required method to control:

  • Hair: Use <hair color/style> to drive hair rendering.
  • Eyes: Force specific colors or heterochromia (e.g., <left eye blue, right eye green>).
  • Expressions: Direct specific gazes or emotions manually.

Face Context Configuration: <(ext:N)> This value controls the "mask" size around the face.

  • Default:  1.6 (Range: 1.1 - 3.0)
  • Lower (–): Increases facial detail and sharpness but may result in a "pasted-on" look.
  • Higher (+): Improves blending for voluminous hair or specific lighting but increases the risk of a "bobblehead" effect. Note: This tag is only read from the AD, not per-shot prompts.

Think of <…> as giving the engine permission to alter that part of the avatar image. 

When you tap Enhance on an Atelier selfie prompt, or request an Autoselfie from a Kindroid that uses Atelier, the app may add a short <...> directive on its own when the scene calls for a specific expression, gaze, or hair detail. These automatic directives leave out eye color, since that comes from your Avatar Description.

The no-sys Directive Adding no-sys to the AD or prompt removes Kindroid’s own underlying system prompt from the directives. Use this to loosen the engine's "grip" on the AP/AD for more expressive poses, non-human kins, and extreme emotions.

How to Prompt#

Atelier performs best with minimal, structured prompts. 

Structure: [Shot Type] of [Identity], [Action/Expression], [Setting], [Clothing], [Lighting/Camera].

  1. Describe the Whole Scene: If you want a full-body shot, you must describe the legs, shoes, and background to prevent the camera from defaulting to a close-up.
  2. Lighting Cues: Use "overcast sky" for matte, realistic skin or "cinematic lighting" to avoid flat renders.
  3. Clothing: If you prefer "passport" style close-ups, avoid mentioning footwear or full-body outfits in the AD, as the engine will try to include them and zoom out.