How to use TaleCrafter AI

1. Set up your account

Create an account or sign in. Google and GitHub are available on both plans. Your plan determines how you create and which account funds the images.

Free trial

Create Classic stories with a linked GitHub account and your own funded Pollinations key. Image generation uses your Pollinations balance and depends on a valid key and provider availability. Pollinations limits still apply; TaleCrafter does not impose monthly generation quotas on the Free trial.

Creator

Create Classic and Plot Twist stories with Google or GitHub. Images use TaleCrafter's generation account subject to provider availability and shared platform capacity. Creator also includes the story pack and PDF export.

Check Plans for current prices and subscription details. Free trial images depend on your Pollinations key and balance.

2. Create a Classic story

1. 1

   Open Create Story

   Sign in, then open Create Story. On Free trial, link a GitHub account if prompted. Choose Connect key, approve access on Pollinations, and return to TaleCrafter. Your connected account needs sufficient balance and access to the requested image model. Creator uses platform-funded image generation instead.

2. 2

   Describe your idea

   In Begin with an idea, describe the main character, setting, goal, and tone. Include important visual details, such as clothing or appearance, that you want to carry through the story. Avoid entering private or sensitive information.

3. 3

   Choose a genre and illustration style

   Select one genre and one art style. Complete both selections before generating. The style guides the illustrations across the story.

4. 4

   Choose Classic Story

   TaleCrafter writes and saves the draft, then generates its illustrations. Keep the page open to follow progress. Generation time varies, and provider availability or usage limits can interrupt it.

5. 5

   Read the finished story

   When generation finishes, the app opens the published story. If generation stops, check Draft stories in My Stories before starting another project. Published stories are public and may appear in Explore, shared links, and search engines.

Example idea

A young inventor with round glasses and a green coat discovers a clockwork city. She must repair its central clock before sunrise. Make the adventure hopeful, with a friendship at its heart.

3. Start from an image instead

1. 1

   Choose an image

   On Create Story, use the image upload section to choose a picture. Only upload images you have permission to use.

2. 2

   Generate and review the idea

   Choose Generate Idea and read the suggested story idea. This creates an idea, not a finished book. If you type your own description in Begin with an idea, that text takes priority over the image-generated suggestion.

3. 3

   Continue with your story

   Select a genre and art style, then choose Classic Story or, with Creator, Plot Twist.

4. Build a Plot Twist story Creator

1. 1

   Start with Creator

   Open Create Story, enter an idea, and select a genre and art style. Choose Plot Twist. This option is locked on Free trial.

2. 2

   Read to the end of the current pages

   Use the reader's next-page control. Story choices become available when you reach the end of the current section.

3. 3

   Choose what happens next

   Pick an available choice to generate the next part of the story. The story tree shows your selected path. Wait for the new section before making another choice.

4. 4

   Finish or return later

   Use End Story when you are ready for a resolution. Unfinished stories stay in Draft stories, where Continue reopens the interactive reader. Finishing publishes the completed story.

5. Resume an unfinished story

Open My Stories. Draft stories appear above your published library.

• Classic draft: choose Resume to continue image generation. Resolve balance, permission, or service availability errors first.
• Plot Twist draft: choose Continue to return to the interactive reader and your selected path.
• Check the existing draft before creating another story with the same idea. Starting again creates a separate project and can trigger additional generation requests.

6. Read, share and export

• Open a published story from your library and use the arrow controls to turn pages. Narration controls are available on the story pages where supported by your browser.
• Choose Share Story to share its public link. A reader arriving from a shared link or Google can open that story without signing in.
• Guests can preview eight stories in Explore. Continuing through related-story links asks them to sign in.
• With Creator, choose Download PDF on the story page. Keep the page open while the file is prepared.
• Under Character bible and scene prompts, choose Open story pack to view saved characters and scenes. Older stories may not contain all of this data.

7. Manage your Creator subscription

Creator renews automatically each month while the subscription is active, subject to successful payment. You can manage renewal from Plans.

1. 1

   Review the current offer

   Open Plans while signed in. Check the displayed price, currency, and renewal terms. Creator is a monthly subscription, not a purchase of credits, and generation is not unlimited.

2. 2

   Complete secure checkout

   Review the subscription terms and complete the Razorpay checkout. Creator access begins after the monthly payment is confirmed, not just when a payment mandate is authorised. If checkout is unavailable, do not attempt an alternate payment outside the app.

3. 3

   Check your subscription status

   Return to Plans to see whether Creator is active and its paid-through date. If confirmation is pending, use Refresh status when it is shown before trying another payment. Creator includes platform-funded images subject to provider availability and shared platform capacity; Free trial uses your own Pollinations balance.

4. 4

   Cancel automatic renewal when needed

   On Plans, choose Cancel automatic renewal and confirm. For an active paid period, Creator remains available until that period ends. Check that the page shows Renewal cancelled. Cancelling renewal is not an automatic refund; it stops future renewal charges. After paid access ends, Free trial creation requirements apply again.

Creator access follows the paid billing period. Provider outages or shared platform capacity can interrupt generation. Check your drafts rather than repeatedly starting new projects.

Troubleshooting

Still stuck? Contact [email protected] with the error message and the steps that led to it.