Create a reference set

Last updated: October 11, 2026

Collect a set of your own artwork into a reference set, so Layer has your look or your characters to learn from. Do this before you train a finetune, or when you want generations to follow a style your studio already owns.

Before you start

  • Have the images ready in your library, or on your computer to upload. The picker also takes pasted images and files imported from a URL.
  • A reference set learns from images, and from video, audio or 3D files for the model types that train on them.
  • Training a finetune from the set costs Creative Units.

Steps

  1. Open Reference Sets from the sidebar. It lists the sets your workspace already has.

  2. Click Create reference set. The new set opens in its editor, in a new session. It starts as Untitled reference set, in the Art Style category.

  3. Click Add files and select the images the set should learn from. Hold ⌘ (Ctrl on Windows) as you click to select more than one. To bring in files that are not in your library yet, use Upload, Paste or Import from URL at the bottom of the picker.

  4. Click the confirm button, which counts your selection (for example Select 3 assets). The images appear under Reference files.

  5. Click the Untitled reference set heading, type a name that says what the set holds, and press Enter. The set saves as you go, and the header shows Saved.

Result

The set is saved to your workspace and listed under Reference Sets. With files in it, the Image card under Finetunes reads Ready to train, and Layer picks the model and settings from your images.

The next step is training: click Create finetune on that card to train a finetune on the set. You can also use the set in a generation without training it, as described below.

Use the set in a generation

A reference set guides a generation whether or not you have trained a finetune on it.

In a tool's form

Click the Reference set tile above the prompt and select one or more sets. Each set you add appears as a tile labelled with its name. Hover a tile to see how the selected model applies the set.

Weight

When the model applies the set as a trained finetune, its tile shows a weight as a percentage. Drag across the tile to change it, or double-click the value to type one. Lower the weight to let the prompt lead; raise it to hold closer to the set.

The model

Models apply a set in different ways, and some only through the prompt. When another model applies your set more directly, the form can switch to it and tells you it did. If you choose a model that cannot fully apply the set, a notice above the prompt says so and names a model that can.

With the agent

Type @ in the chat box and pick the set, or choose Add a reference set from the Add to prompt menu under the chat box. The set appears in your message by name, and the agent uses it for the generations it runs. See Write a brief for the agent.

In a new session

Click Use in session in the set's header to open a new session with the set ready to use.

Production tips

  • Curate for one thing. A style set should share a look across varied subjects; a character set should show the same character across poses, angles and expressions. One off-style image pulls the whole set off course, so leave out anything you would not ship.
  • Use clean source files. Crop out UI, watermarks, signatures and placeholder text unless you want them learned. Use the highest-resolution versions you have.
  • Set the category. New sets start as Art Style. If the set is a character or an object, change the category with the Art Style chip above the name, so the set is filed and used that way.
  • Pin your palette and wording. The Color palette tab holds colors that are added to the prompt of every generation that uses the set. The Prompts tab holds text that is always applied, and templates you can insert when you write a prompt.
  • Keep sets per game or look. Use Add label to tag sets by title or project, so the team finds the right one in the Reference Sets filters.
  • Grow it as the art direction moves. Add new approved pieces to the set and train again, rather than starting a new set for every update.

If something goes wrong

  • Clicking a second image replaced the first. Hold ⌘ (Ctrl on Windows) while you click to add to the selection.
  • The Image card asks for more images instead of showing Create finetune. The set is below the minimum for training. Add more images and the card changes to Ready to train.
  • There is no Finetunes column, or the set opens read-only. Your role in the workspace cannot train, or cannot edit reference sets. Ask a workspace admin.
  • The name went back to what it was. A set needs a name, so a blank name is not saved, and Esc cancels the edit. Type the name again and press Enter.
  • A notice says the set won't be applied. The selected model cannot use it. Switch to the model the notice names, or choose another from the model picker.

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