SDXL Workflow Tutorial

Learn to use SDXL model for high-quality images.

SDXL Introduction

SDXL (Stable Diffusion XL) is the latest model series with excellent image quality and prompt following.

Features

Feature	Description
High Resolution	Native 1024x1024
Better Composition	Improved composition
Diverse Styles	Various art styles
Text Rendering	Better text generation

Versions

Model	Description
SDXL Base	Base model
SDXL Refiner	Refinement model
SDXL Turbo	Fast generation

Installation

Download Models

ComfyUI/models/checkpoints/
stable-diffusion-xl-base-1.0.safetensors

# Optional: Refinement model
stable-diffusion-xl-refiner-1.0.safetensors

Download VAE

SDXL uses dedicated VAE:

ComfyUI/models/vae/
sdxl-vae-fp16-fix.safetensors

Basic Workflow

Classic Workflow

┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
│ CheckpointL │ →  │ CLIPTextEn  │ →  │ KSampler    │
│ oaderSDXL   │    │ (positive)  │    │            │
└─────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘
                        ↓
┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
│ CLIPTextEn  │    │ VAEDecode   │ ←  │ EmptyLatent│
│ (negative) │    │             │    │ Image      │
└─────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘

Prompt Tips

Basic Format

SDXL supports longer prompts:

masterpiece, best quality, a young woman with long flowing hair, wearing elegant white dress, flower garden background, butterflies, magical atmosphere, ultra detailed, 8k, professional photography

Quality Tags

Tag	Effect
masterpiece, best quality	Overall improvement
extremely detailed, intricate	More details
8k, high resolution	High resolution
professional, studio lighting	Professional look

Sampling Parameters

Recommended Settings

Parameter	Value	Description
Steps	30-50	Quality-speed balance
CFG	7-12	Prompt following
Sampler	DPM++ 2M Karras	Recommended
Size	1024x1024	Native resolution

Quality Levels

Level	Steps	CFG	Use
Fast Preview	20	7-8	Quick test
Standard	30	8-10	Daily use
High Quality	50	10-12	Important work

Using Refiner

Two-stage Generation

SDXL can use Refiner for better quality:

Base Model → Generate base (1024x1024)
Refiner Model → Refine details

Image Sizes

Native Resolution

Size	Ratio	Use
1024x1024	1:1	Portrait, square
1152x896	9:7	Landscape
1216x832	3:2	Photo

Troubleshooting

Q: Out of VRAM

A:

• Use SDXL Lite version
• Reduce image size
• Use fp16 models

Q: How to improve quality

A:

• Use Refiner
• Increase steps
• Add quality tags

Next Steps

• ControlNet - Structure control
• LoRA - Style models