video-workbench/projects/2026-06-23-在路上/archive/characters/character-anchor-trial-plan.md

Character Anchor Trial Plan

Status

• Document status: pending review.
• Execution status: planning only; do not generate images from this file.
• Scope: character anchor trial for 在路上.
• Next gated action after approval: rebuild the character anchor prompt through the gpt-image-2 Skill workflow.

Why This Plan Exists

The current character work has two separate goals:

1. deliver the character anchor assets needed by this MV project;
2. validate which parts of the character-anchor workflow should become reusable Video Workbench knowledge later.

These goals must stay separate. Project-specific execution should not be mistaken for public workflow rules, and public workflow candidates should not be promoted before they have been tested through real image generation and review.

Current Issue

character-anchor-board-v1.md is a useful content draft, but it is not generation-ready.

Problems:

1. It was drafted directly from project summaries and intake notes instead of the gpt-image-2 Skill workflow.
2. It does not record Skill mode, template/reference path, or source files actually used.
3. It does not clearly separate image-model responsibilities from later document/page annotation responsibilities.
4. It does not include the user's source photo as an explicit identity reference input.
5. It compresses character-board, transparent-slice, and later execution-asset work into one document.

Therefore, it should be treated only as a non-generation-ready draft and rebuilt before any image generation.

Source Reliability Assessment

Primary Sources

These are the most reliable project sources for character-anchor work:

Source	Role	Reliability
intake/阶段四-人物锚点板策划说明.md	Defines why a character board is needed, background strategy, output types, and review priorities.	High as accepted GPT planning; still requires Codex execution judgment.
intake/阶段四-人物锚点板页面结构建议稿.md	Defines page structure, layout modules, labels, and review focus.	High for board structure; must be adapted for image-model limits.
intake/阶段四-人物锚点板文案标注稿.md	Explains why labels matter and which identity features should be stabilized.	High for review logic; image text must be handled carefully.
User source photo, once provided/readable	Identity reference for face direction and lived-person basis.	High for identity direction; not an edit target and not a passport-photo style target.

Execution Control Sources

These files are useful but secondary:

Source	Role	Reliability
visual-system/visual-system.md	Condensed accepted visual system and materialization targets.	Reliable summary, but not a substitute for primary intake.
execution-plan.md	Current phase, batch order, and gate sequence.	Reliable for sequencing, not for detailed prompt construction.
project.md	Project state and next action.	Reliable for status only.

Skill / Workflow Sources

These govern prompt production:

Source	Role	Reliability
gpt-image-2 Skill SKILL.md	Required mode-aware workflow for image prompts and generation.	Required workflow source.
gpt-image-2/references/prompt-writing.md	Template design method: fields, source mapping, parameter strategy.	Required when building structured prompt documents.
gpt-image-2/references/portraits-and-characters/character-sheet.md	Closest current template for character board / three-view sheet.	Useful but not perfect; must be adapted from anime/IP defaults to documentary road-film character reference.
investigations/2026-06-23-gpt-image-2-advisor-prompt-quality-v2-broader-use-cases/提示词质量综合调研报告.md	Evidence that Advisor prompts outperform direct prompts for Video Workbench prompt quality.	Strong process evidence; final image quality still unverified.

Assessment Of GPT Character Drafts

The three GPT character files are directionally sound but should not be treated as final execution.

What Looks Reasonable

• Use a shallow gray-white or light warm-gray clean background for the main board.
• Create a board for identity consistency, not a finished MV shot.
• Prioritize front / side / back full-body views.
• Include half-body state, walking side, and walking back to test motion identity.
• Track old coat, old backpack, and old boots as core recognition anchors.
• Review the balance between tiredness and dignity.
• Avoid fashion model, homeless, drunk, hero-poster, and travel-blogger drift.

What Needs Adaptation

• GPT assumes text labels can be part of the board; image models may create unreliable or fake text.
• GPT mixes main board and transparent slices; these should be separate gated steps.
• GPT gives a human-readable board plan, not a gpt-image-2 Advisor prompt.
• GPT does not define the source photo role.
• GPT does not separate project-specific identity from reusable character-anchor workflow.

Should We Extract The GPT Drafts?

Yes, but into two different layers.

Layer 1: Project Execution Extraction

Extract what this project needs:

• traveler identity;
• board layout;
• view list;
• clothing / prop anchors;
• allowed and forbidden drift;
• source-photo role;
• review checklist;
• generation gate sequence.

This becomes the basis for the rebuilt project prompt.

Layer 2: Public Workflow Candidate Extraction

Extract what might become reusable later:

• character anchor purpose definition;
• source hierarchy;
• standard deliverables;
• prompt workflow;
• text-label handling rule;
• review rubric;
• gate sequence.

This layer remains a candidate until validated by this trial.

Project-Specific Character Work Package

The current project should perform the following work, one gated step at a time.

Step 1: Trial Plan

Output:

• visual-system/characters/character-anchor-trial-plan.md

Purpose:

• decide what is being validated;
• separate project work from reusable workflow candidates;
• identify source reliability and prompt-production rules.

Gate:

• user review.

Step 2: Character Execution Brief

Output:

• visual-system/characters/character-anchor-brief-v1.md

Purpose:

• extract the accepted character definition from primary intake sources;
• record source-photo role;
• define required views and objects;
• define review criteria before prompt writing.

Gate:

• user review.

Step 3: Skill-Based Prompt Document

Output:

• visual-system/characters/character-anchor-prompt-v1.md

Purpose:

• run and record the gpt-image-2 mode check;
• record template/reference files used;
• map source material into a structured Advisor prompt;
• separate image-model output from later annotation/document responsibilities;
• include negative constraints and acceptance criteria.

Gate:

• user review before generation.

Step 4: Main Character Anchor Board Generation

Output:

• first generated main board image;
• prompt trace if required by the active Skill mode;
• visual-system/characters/character-anchor-review-v1.md

Purpose:

• test whether a single board can lock the character consistently enough.

Gate:

• user review before any transparent slices.

Step 5: Transparent Character Slices

Output candidates:

• front full body;
• side full body;
• back full body;
• walking side;
• walking back.

Purpose:

• create execution references for later shot prompts or compositing reference.

Gate:

• only after main board is accepted.

Step 6: Character Identity Lock

Output:

• visual-system/characters/character-identity-lock.md

Purpose:

• record the accepted stable identity features after image review;
• provide a compact reference for style anchor and five-shot prompt work.

Gate:

• only after at least one board or slice set is accepted.

Candidate Reusable Character-Anchor Structure

These items are candidates for future Video Workbench knowledge, but should not be promoted until this project validates them.

Candidate Standard Deliverables

1. character-anchor-trial-plan.md
2. character-anchor-brief-v1.md
3. character-anchor-prompt-v1.md
4. generated main board image
5. character-anchor-review-v1.md
6. transparent slices, when needed
7. character-identity-lock.md

Candidate Source Hierarchy

1. user-provided source/reference images;
2. accepted GPT intake files;
3. project-local visual-system summary;
4. project-local execution plan;
5. prior generated assets and review records.

Candidate Review Rubric

1. same-person consistency across front / side / back;
2. back-view recognition without face;
3. walking state naturalness;
4. identity stability when scaled down;
5. clothing and prop stability;
6. balance between expressive character and non-portrait role;
7. project-specific drift avoidance;
8. usefulness for later shot prompts.

Candidate Text Responsibility Rule

For image generation, avoid relying on generated readable labels as the source of truth.

Preferred split:

• image model: visual board, views, silhouettes, clothing, props, empty label zones if useful;
• project document: exact labels, review criteria, identity-lock fields;
• later page/layout layer: any final readable Chinese labels if required.

Candidate Gate Sequence

1. trial plan;
2. execution brief;
3. Skill-based prompt;
4. main board generation;
5. review and repair;
6. transparent slices;
7. identity lock;
8. use in shot tests.

Trial Validation Questions

This project should answer these questions before any rule becomes public knowledge.

1. Can the three GPT character files be reliably transformed into a concise project execution brief?
2. Does the gpt-image-2 Advisor workflow produce a better prompt than direct drafting for this character board?
3. Can one generated board maintain same-person consistency across front / side / back / walking views?
4. Does the user's source photo help establish identity without turning the output into a portrait or passport-photo derivative?
5. Are image-model text labels usable, or should all exact labels be handled outside the generated image?
6. Does the accepted main board actually improve later five-shot test prompts?
7. Which review criteria are general enough for future projects, and which are only specific to 在路上?

Do Not Promote Yet

The following should not be added to stable knowledge yet:

• a final character-anchor directory standard;
• a mandatory fixed board layout;
• a universal prompt template;
• a universal source-photo policy;
• a claim that text labels should or should not be generated inside the image;
• a claim that one board is enough before transparent slices.

These can be considered only after this trial has produced and reviewed real images.

Immediate Next Step

After this plan is approved, create:

visual-system/characters/character-anchor-brief-v1.md

That brief should use the three GPT character intake files as primary sources, include the source-photo role, and prepare the material for a gpt-image-2 Skill-based prompt document.