> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mago.studio/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Troubleshooting

# Troubleshooting

[← Workflows & recipes](/guide/workflows-recipes) · [User Guide](/guide/overview) · [Next: Export & compositing →](/guide/export-and-compositing)

***

Common problems and their fixes, grouped by symptom.

* [Flicker](#flicker)
* [Identity drift](#identity-drift)
* [Mask issues](#mask-issues)
* [Face issues (Mago Character)](#face-issues-mago-character)
* [Render time issues](#render-time-issues)
* [Prompt issues](#prompt-issues)

***

## Flicker

| Symptom                                         | Likely cause                           | Fix                                                       |
| ----------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Flicker at the start of a Style Transfer render | Warm-up too short                      | Increase Start frame buffer toward 5.                     |
| Flicker throughout a long render                | Chunking issue                         | Increase Context overlap. Ensure Dynamic reference is on. |
| Flicker in Mago Transform with depth ControlNet | Depth ambiguity in low-contrast scenes | Switch to SoftEdge ControlNet for the same shot.          |

## Identity drift

| Symptom                                                          | Likely cause                                         | Fix                                                                                                                    |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Character changes appearance across a long shot (Mago Character) | Pose strength too high or weak reference             | Lower Pose strength. Use a more distinctive reference.                                                                 |
| Character changes across a chunked render                        | Dynamic reference disabled or context size too large | Enable Dynamic reference. Reduce Context size to 100–120.                                                              |
| Closed-source character replacement drifts                       | Inherent to closed-source models                     | Switch to Mago Character for stricter identity. Use Elements (Kling 3.0 Motion Control) for multiple reference angles. |

## Mask issues

| Symptom                                              | Likely cause                           | Fix                                                                                                                  |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Mask too tight, visible seams in render              | Mask too conservative                  | Increase Expand by 5–10 px. Increase Blur.                                                                           |
| Pixel shift in unmasked regions of an inpaint result | Compression in video models, not a bug | Download the mask. [Composite externally](/guide/export-and-compositing#mask-export) for pixel-perfect preservation. |

## Face issues (Mago Character)

| Symptom                                   | Fix                                                                    |
| ----------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Eyes appear closed                        | Increase Face crop resolution to 768/1024. Increase Face crop padding. |
| Eyebrows or forehead clipped              | Increase Face crop padding to 10–20.                                   |
| Expression doesn't match the source       | Lower Face strength.                                                   |
| Face too stylized away from intended look | Raise Face strength.                                                   |
| Lighting doesn't match the scene          | Enable Relight. Increase the value if the correction is weak.          |

## Render time issues

| Symptom                                                   | Fix                                                                                                        |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Render taking many hours                                  | Contact support — this is usually an error. [Refunds](/guide/credits-plans-modes#the-queue) are available. |
| Render time estimate keeps growing                        | Known issue. Wait for completion or contact support.                                                       |
| Renders queuing in Credits mode despite available credits | Likely GPU saturation. Wait, or switch to Relaxed mode for non-urgent work.                                |

## Prompt issues

| Symptom                                        | Fix                                                                                                                    |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Mago model not changing the scene much         | Verify the prompt is [descriptive, not instruction-based](/guide/prompting-guide). Make the description more specific. |
| Closed-source model changing too much          | Add preservation directives: keep the character, composition, lighting, framing.                                       |
| Nano Banana Pro confusing source and reference | Add explicit phrasing: *"use the first image as the reference"*.                                                       |
| Output looks generic                           | Use a stronger reference image. Be more specific in the prompt.                                                        |

***

> **🆘 Still stuck?** Use the in-app **Debug Info** panel (**Ctrl + Shift + D**) to copy diagnostic info and share it with support. See [Help & support](/guide/help-and-support).

[← Workflows & recipes](/guide/workflows-recipes) · [User Guide](/guide/overview) · [Next: Export & compositing →](/guide/export-and-compositing)