A reference library is the shared collection of approved images, looks, locations, characters, palette notes, and production examples that guide generation. In structured workflows, references are attached to the stages that need them: cast references live with cast, location references live with locations, and a style reference can be applied across every shot.
The reference library is what makes character consistency in GATA possible: cast references attach to the cast record, location plates attach to locations, and every downstream shot reads from the library by structure rather than by prompt text.
What it looks like in practice
The director shares 12 mood images, 4 character reference photos, 2 location plates, and a colour palette card. In a freeform workflow, those references sit in a Notion page that prompt-writers maybe consult and maybe paraphrase. In a reference library that's attached to project state, the character references live with the cast record, the location plates live with the locations, and the palette informs every shot's look automatically. Nobody has to remember to include them; the structure makes inclusion the default.
Why it matters
A reference library gives creative and production teams a common source of visual truth. It lets a director communicate intent once instead of rewriting it into every prompt, and it lets a team scale to multiple campaigns without each project drifting in its own direction.
How GATA handles it
GATA treats references as first-class records attached to the surface they belong to: cast references on cast, location plates on locations, palette and style frames on the look. Generation pulls from those references by structure, not by prompt text, so the director's intent reaches every shot whether the prompt-writer remembered to mention it or not. A second campaign can reuse the library without re-uploading the assets.