How to generate AI characters in Adobe Firefly

Adobe Firefly is one of the easier ways to turn a rough idea into a finished AI character in a few simple steps.

You can start with a simple text prompt, shape the look with style and composition settings, and then refine the result until it feels closer to the person, creature, or mascot you had in mind.

It’s a handy tool for anything from concept art and social graphics to story ideas and mood-boards, and Adobe says its Firefly AI models create commercially-safe images, unlike some of its rivals.

Adobe Firefly: at Adobe

Adobe Firefly makes creating AI characters simple, and its output is commercially safe to use. Check out what you can make for free here.

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The good news is that you don’t need to be an illustrator to get strong results. A clear prompt, a few smart settings, and a willingness to tweak the output can go a long way.

Firefly also gives you a more flexible workflow than a one-shot generator, since you can adjust the style, use reference images, generate fresh variations, and move your character into other Adobe apps once you’re happy with it.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to generate AI characters in Firefly step by step, along with a few simple tips to help you get cleaner, more consistent results.

Please note: All of the information is correct as of June 2026. Adobe regularly updates its products, so some steps or features may change.

What you'll need

You’ll need an Adobe account, access to Adobe Firefly in your browser, and a rough idea of the character you want to create. A reference image is optional, but useful if you want to guide the pose, layout, or overall style.

Open Adobe Firefly and choose Text to Image

Open Adobe Firefly in your browser, sign in with your Adobe account, and choose Text to Image from the main Firefly workspace.

This is the main tool you’ll use to create your AI character, with the prompt box at the centre and image controls arranged around it.

Before typing anything, take a moment to look at the options available.

Firefly lets you choose the image model, aspect ratio, content type, style, and reference images, and those choices can have a big impact on the final character.

Choose the image model

Next, choose the image model you want Firefly to use.

For most character designs, Firefly Image 4 is a good place to start, as it gives you several variations to compare and refine.

If you want a more polished or detailed result, Firefly Image 4 Ultra may be a better fit, although it typically gives you fewer options at once.

The model you choose can affect the level of detail, realism, and creative range in the final image, so don’t worry if your first attempt isn’t perfect.

Set the image style, shape, and character prompt

Before you generate the image, set the basic shape and style of the result. A square image works well for avatars and profile-style characters, portrait is better for full-body designs, and landscape gives you more room for a wider scene.

Next, choose the content type and style. Photo is useful for realistic characters, while Art is usually better for illustrations, mascots, fantasy designs, and concept art.

You can also adjust the visual intensity if you want Firefly to lean further into a particular look.

Now write the prompt. Be specific about the character’s appearance, clothing, expression, pose, and setting, but don’t overload it with every possible detail.

A useful structure could be: character + defining features + outfit + pose/expression + background + style.

Add a reference image, if you have one

A reference image can help guide the pose, framing, style, lighting, or overall mood of your character. Use a composition reference for structure and layout, or a style reference for the look and feel of the final image.

Generate, compare, and refine

Click Generate and wait for Firefly to create the image. Depending on the model you’ve chosen, you may get one polished result or several variations to compare side by side.

Don’t worry if the first version isn’t quite right. Character generation usually works best as a back-and-forth process, so tweak the prompt in small ways rather than rewriting it completely.

Change the outfit, pose, expression, background, or art style one at a time, then generate again and compare the results.

If you get an image that is close to what you want, use that as your starting point. You can generate similar versions, adjust the prompt, or use the result as a reference to keep pushing the character in the right direction.

Edit, save, or open in another Adobe app

Once you have a character you like, use the options around the generated image to decide what happens next.

You can download it, copy it, save it to your library, generate similar versions, or open it in another Adobe app for more detailed edits.

For small changes, Firefly’s editing tools can help you adjust parts of the image without starting again from scratch.

If you want to turn the character into a poster, social post, presentation graphic, or wider design, opening it in Photoshop on the web or Adobe Express gives you more room to add text, backgrounds, and finishing touches.

FAQs

• Can Firefly create the same character again? It can create similar characters, but exact consistency is harder and may need more advanced AI generation tools.
• Can I use Firefly characters commercially? Adobe says Firefly is designed to be commercially safe, but check your plan’s usage rules.
• Can I animate a character made in Firefly? Yes, you can use a Firefly character as a starting point for image-to-video workflows.

TechRadar Pro created this content as part of a paid partnership with Adobe. The company had no editorial input in this article, and it was not sent to Adobe for approval.