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# Direct Your Scene with a Moodboard of References (Editorial Images)

Caimera's reference feature helps you **guide** the AI's visual output without compromising originality. The reference flow is now a **moodboard** — a corkboard canvas where you pin several images and say what to take from each, instead of uploading a single reference and hoping the AI reads it the way you did.


Here's why teams use it:
* **Creative direction without copying.** Use references to set tone, pose, lighting or styling cues. Inspiration is fair use; duplication is not — copying a reference pixel-for-pixel could violate copyright.
* **Faster iteration for campaigns.** Anchor your prompt to a look you admire instead of starting from scratch, and align the team on look-and-feel quickly.
* **You stay in control.** The moodboard informs the generation, but you can always edit the prompt to exclude what you don't want.

###### What a moodboard can hold

* **Up to 8 images**, pinned to a canvas you can drag around and resize freely.
* **A note on any image**, saying exactly what to pull from it — a pose, an expression, the lighting, a location, a prop, anything.
* Images **without** a note contribute overall mood and styling.

|| The two rules that matter: noted details always win over general mood, and your products are never replaced by anything from the references.


**Step 1:** Open the [Editorial Images](https://app.caimera.ai/fluid) tool from the Home page.

**Step 2:** On the Editorial Explore page, click **Direct your scene with a moodboard of references**.

![Step 1: Direct your scene with a moodboard of references in Editorial Tool](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_13e8mbq.png =600x283)


**Step 3:** Build your board. You can add images four ways, and mix sources freely on one board:
* **Upload** from your computer
* **Drag and drop** onto the canvas
* **Paste** from your clipboard (⌘V / Ctrl+V) — handy for screenshots and web copies
* **Pull from your Library's References tab** — multi-select several at once

![Step 2: Build your Moodboard](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_1mtuy45.png =600x282)


**Step 4:** Arrange the board. Drag each image where you want it and resize it however you like.

**Step 5:** Add a note to any image you want read for a *specific* detail. For example:
* "the pose"
* "this lighting — hard sun, sharp shadows"
* "the location, not the styling"
* "the raffia bag as a prop"
Leave notes off the images you're using purely for mood.

![Step 3: Arrange the Moodboard](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_hc71w7.png =600x283)


**Step 6:** Click on  'Continue to product selection' and select the products you're shooting. You can pick **up to 3 products.** 

Already uploaded a product? Choose it from the existing products list. If not, add it here — the AI identifies the product and auto-fills the category and name, and you're free to edit those details. 

plus an optional **model** from your library to keep a consistent face and body across shoots. 

![Step 4: Make your product and model selections](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_lyitce.png =600x283)


**Step 7:** Set your image generation engine, output resolution and aspect ratio in the same step, before the shoot starts. 

![Step 5: Set your image generation engine](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_1obp9yf.png =600x283)


**Step 8:** Click **Generate**. Caimera blends every reference with your selected products into one shoot. Your results appear in the history panel on the right — click any image to open it.

![Step 6: Click Generate](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_fons0d.png =600x283)


**Step 10:** Refine with **Edit this Image** — change the model, change the pose, add styling details, fix hands, change the expression, or add and remove background elements.

![Step 7: Refine with Edit this Image](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_1sy952j.png =600x282)


**Step 11:** Your board stays one click away in the prompt bar, so you can always see what shaped the shot — and open it to swap references or change a note before generating again.

![Step 8: Your Moodboard](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_1ocyls4.png =600x283)


**Step 12:** Pick the iteration you like best and **Upscale** it for a higher-resolution file. Use this [guide to choose the right upscaler for your use case](https://help.caimera.ai/en/article/the-ultimate-guide-to-choosing-the-right-upscaler-1fyy1af/). 

![Step 9: Upscale your Image](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_c7x7aj.png =600x283)


###### Shooting a different product with the same moodboard


Your board is reusable — you don't need to rebuild it per product.

**Step 1:** Go to **Select or Add New Product**.

![Step 1: Select or Add New Product](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_15qqdwy.png =600x283)


**Step 2:** Choose a different product from your list.

![Step 2: Choose a different product](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_1y241u4.png =600x283)


**Step 3:** Click **Select** to confirm the product and the view.

![Step 3: Select](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_7je5ak.png =600x283)


**Step 4:** Click **Create button** to shoot the new product against the same moodboard.

![Step 4: Create your Image](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/c/8/b/f/c8bf533b39f9b00/image_fcbvi.png =600x283)


###### Save references once, reuse them everywhere

Every reference you upload is saved automatically to the **References tab** in your Library — from the prompt panel, agent chats, tech packs, Upload & Edit, Print Designer, Sketch to Image materials and mood references. The same References tab appears in the **Add from Library** picker on every upload surface, so a reference uploaded once is one click away everywhere else. Duplicates are detected automatically.


###### Moodboards in the Ideas Agent

You can also attach references when chatting with the **Campaign Ideas agent** — up to **5 inspiration images per message**, added by drag-and-drop or the **+** tile in the chat input. The agent tells you specifically what it took from each one ("leaning into the warm Portray tone from ref 2"), so you can tell whether it read them the way you intended. Attachments clear after sending, so each message can carry its own moodboard.



###### Related articles:

💡 [**Generate Campaign Ideas with the Ideas Agent in Editorial Images**](https://help.caimera.ai/en/article/generate-campaign-ideas-with-the-ideas-agent-in-editorial-images-1m1of3c/): Create campaign concepts and turn your ideas into ready-to-use editorial content.

🎨 [**How to use Editorial Templates on Caimera**](https://help.caimera.ai/en/article/how-to-use-editorial-templates-on-caimera-1yz0fq6/): Learn how to use templates to quickly create consistent editorial images.

🖼️ [**Input image guidelines for the Editorial Images Tool**](https://help.caimera.ai/en/article/input-image-guidelines-for-the-editorial-images-tool-1ycnalc/): Learn how to prepare your product images for the best results.

✏️ [**How to Edit Images Using the Draw and Edit Tool in Caimera**](https://help.caimera.ai/en/article/how-to-edit-images-using-the-draw-and-edit-tool-in-caimera-1fiuxqw/): Make targeted edits and style your images exactly where you want.


Watch the tutorial: [How to Use Reference Images for AI Generation](https://youtu.be/FliVh3uvPZg)

${youtube}[How to Use Reference Images for AI Generation](MZBBkK1V2TU)


Have a question or running into an issue? Reach us via the chat bubble or at [__contact@caimera.ai__](mailto:contact@caimera.ai).