Custom Illustrated Storybook

The idea for this storybook began with a moment of reflection while watching a children's story on YouTube. The story felt a little off, and it sparked a question: “Would I want my own child to read this?” That led to a bigger idea—what if I created a storybook that wasn’t just entertaining, but deeply personal? A book that tells my child their real story in life—something meaningful, memorable, and tailored just for them.

This idea wasn’t just about storytelling—it was about building a connection. A personalized story not only becomes a keepsake but also engages the child in a way that generic stories can’t. And with that thought, another idea followed: Could this be a business? A way to offer custom storybooks—beautifully illustrated, emotionally resonant, and tailored to each reader’s real story.

To create a custom children’s storybook that:

-- Tells a real, personal story for a specific child

-- Uses AI tools to streamline writing and illustration

-- Tests the feasibility of offering personalized storybooks as a service or product

I began by writing a rough draft of the story, then used GPT-4 to refine it into a child-friendly format. This part went surprisingly smoothly—AI was very effective in adjusting tone, language, and pacing for a young audience.

This was the most challenging and iterative part of the project. My goal was to achieve a consistent, warm, storybook-style visual language across all pages. The path looked like this:

DALL·E 2 – I struggled with style control and content accuracy, even with visual references.

Adobe Firefly – Slightly better in style but still off in detail and story relevance.

MidJourney – Best stylistic match, but no consistency in characters across images.

ChatGPT-4o with Image Generation – Similar issue: great illustrations, but lack of character consistency throughout the story.

To overcome these challenges:

-- I generated a set of base illustrations using AI, matching story scenes and character positioning.

-- I created standalone character images to ensure visual consistency.

-- Using Photoshop, I composited characters into the base illustrations.

-- I used reference artwork to match colors and art style, then prompted AI to align with those palettes.

-- I continuously refined the output using a workflow between ChatGPT-4o → Photoshop → Procreate, fixing details, adjusting proportions, and cleaning up images.

-- I laid out the story in Adobe Illustrator (instead of InDesign, given the digital possibility).

-- Continued image refinement during layout to fit composition and flow.

-- Created a digital flipbook version using Turn.js (JavaScript library) for interactive display. At the end I landed to use Heyzine.

-- Also produced a print-ready version, and am exploring turning it into an audiobook or storybook video.

After about a week of work, I had a complete, beautifully illustrated storybook—a deeply personal story told with the help of AI and design tools. It was fulfilling not only as a creative project but also as a prototype for a potential product.

This project reminded me how powerful AI can be—but also how far it has to go. The tools are incredible individually, but the real magic happened through human curation and creative direction. It took:

-- Writing tools (GPT)

-- Generative image tools (DALL·E, Firefly, MidJourney, GPT4O)

-- Design tools (Illustrator, Photoshop, Procreate)

-- Coding (for the digital flipbook)

All of that to bring a single story to life.

I see strong potential in this concept:

-- Custom children’s books (birth stories, birthdays, life lessons)

-- Love stories (anniversaries, wedding gifts)

-- Family keepsakes (heritage, memory books)

-- Pet stories (adventures of beloved pets)

With the right tools and workflow, this could become a platform or service. Imagine parents entering key life events and character details, and out comes a personalized, beautifully illustrated storybook—delivered digitally or in print.