---
title: What workflows are
display: 'What *workflows* are'
nav_title: What workflows are
summary:
  - "A workflow is a node graph that runs the same steps, models and settings every time you click Run."
  - "Build one when a job has several steps, repeats, or must be run by someone else."
  - "A run costs what its nodes cost, and the editor shows the estimate next to the graph title."
description: A workflow is a node graph that chains inputs, models, logic and outputs so a process runs the same way every time. An App is a workflow with a form.
section: workflows
order: 10
type: concept
level: Build
roles: [all]
time: { read: 5 }
last_verified: 2026-11-11
related: [workflow-editor-tour, build-your-first-workflow, nodes-reference, publish-a-workflow-as-an-app, platform-workflows-and-templates]
articles: [what-are-workflows, workflow-editor-tour, nodes-reference]
thumb: workflows/what-are-workflows/thumb.webp
video: tutorials/what-are-workflows.mp4
video_caption: "What workflows are"
chapters:
  - { at: 0, title: "What this lesson covers", image: "/media/images/workflows/what-are-workflows/ch-01-what-this-lesson-covers.webp" }
  - { at: 31.5, title: "Open Workflows", image: "/media/images/workflows/what-are-workflows/ch-02-open-workflows.webp" }
  - { at: 41, title: "Look at the finished version", image: "/media/images/workflows/what-are-workflows/ch-03-look-at-the-finished-version.webp" }
  - { at: 63, title: "Create a workflow", image: "/media/images/workflows/what-are-workflows/ch-04-create-a-workflow.webp" }
  - { at: 85.5, title: "Clear the canvas", image: "/media/images/workflows/what-are-workflows/ch-05-clear-the-canvas.webp" }
  - { at: 94.5, title: "Open the node list", image: "/media/images/workflows/what-are-workflows/ch-06-open-the-node-list.webp" }
  - { at: 108, title: "Add an Image input", image: "/media/images/workflows/what-are-workflows/ch-07-add-an-image-input.webp" }
  - { at: 125.5, title: "Pick the character", image: "/media/images/workflows/what-are-workflows/ch-08-pick-the-character.webp" }
  - { at: 137.5, title: "Read the output port", image: "/media/images/workflows/what-are-workflows/ch-09-read-the-output-port.webp" }
  - { at: 150, title: "Recap", image: "/media/images/workflows/what-are-workflows/ch-10-recap.webp" }
steps:
  - title: "Open Workflows"
    text: "In the top bar, open **Workflows** › **Workflows**. **Platform** holds Scenario's workflows, **Project** your team's own in the current project."
  - title: "Look at the finished version"
    text: "On the **Platform** tab, open **Image to anatomy reference**, the workflow this course rebuilds. It opens in **Run-only Mode**; read its **START HERE** note."
  - title: "Create a workflow"
    text: "Go back to **Workflows**, switch to the **Project** tab and click **Create**. **Import**, next to it, loads a workflow from a JSON file."
  - title: "Name it"
    text: "Click the title at the top left and type `Anatomy reference sheets`. The workflow saves itself as you build."
  - title: "Clear the canvas"
    text: "Click each of the two sample nodes, the **Text** node and the **Image Generator**, and press **Delete**."
  - title: "Open the node list"
    text: "Click **+** in the right toolbar for the node list: **Input**, **Generators**, **Composers** and **Utilities**, with **Search nodes...** on top. Right-clicking the canvas opens it too."
  - title: "Add an Image input"
    text: "Under **Input**, choose **Image** (Shift + I) and drag the node to the left of the canvas, where the graph starts."
  - title: "Rename the node"
    text: "Double-click the node's title and name it `1. Character Illustration`. The number keeps the nodes in reading order."
  - title: "Pick the character"
    text: "On the node, click **Select from Library** and choose a full or half-body character, here the ranger. **Drag & drop or paste** and **Upload** work too."
  - title: "Read the output port"
    text: "The green dot on the node's right edge, labeled **IMAGE**, is its output port. Green carries an image and only connects to green inputs, such as **Reference Images**."
updated: 2026-11-11
canonical: https://learn.scenario.com/workflows/what-are-workflows
---

Last updated: 2026-11-11

# What workflows are

> A workflow is a node graph that chains inputs, models, logic and outputs so a process runs the same way every time. An App is a workflow with a form.

In short:

- A workflow is a node graph that runs the same steps, models and settings every time you click Run.
- Build one when a job has several steps, repeats, or must be run by someone else.
- A run costs what its nodes cost, and the editor shows the estimate next to the graph title.


A workflow is a chain of steps that Scenario runs for you, the same way every time. You build it once, and anyone on your team can run it again. This lesson shows where workflows live, opens the finished workflow the course rebuilds, and starts your own copy with its first node: an **Image** input holding one character.

:::note As of November 2026
The models, settings and screens in this article are the ones Scenario offered in November 2026. New models and updates arrive often, so check the app for newer options before you choose.
:::

Across the course you build **Anatomy reference sheets**, a workflow that takes one character image and makes four reference sheets for artists: a pencil sketch with the anatomy drawn on top, a plain pencil sketch, a gray sculpt and a textured sculpt.

:::steps Quick version
1. In the top bar, open **Workflows** › **Workflows**.
2. On the **Platform** tab, open **Image to anatomy reference** to see the finished version.
3. Go back, switch to the **Project** tab and click **Create**.
4. Rename the workflow `Anatomy reference sheets` and delete the two sample nodes.
5. Click **+** in the right toolbar, choose **Input** › **Image**, and pick your character with **Select from Library**.
:::

## Before you start

- **What you need:** a project you can create workflows in, and one character image in your library. The course uses a ranger from the Starforge cast: a hooded cape, armor, a sword and a shield. Any full or half-body character works.
- **Where it lives:** **Workflows** in the top bar holds two pages, **Apps** and **Workflows**. This course works on **Workflows**.
- **Nothing runs in this lesson.** You only build, so nothing is spent. A workflow costs what its nodes cost when you run it, and the price shows on the run buttons before you click.

### Key ideas

| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| **Node** | One box on the canvas. It does one step: holds an input, runs a model, joins text, and so on |
| **Wire** | A dashed line from one node's output to another node's input. Results flow along it, left to right |
| **Port** | The small dot where a wire starts or ends. Inputs sit on a node's left edge, outputs on its right |
| **Port color** | What the port carries: green for images, blue for text, yellow for video, red for 3D, purple for audio. Only matching colors connect |
| **Run-only mode** | How a workflow opens: you can fill its inputs and run it, not edit it. A Platform workflow stays that way until you duplicate it; one in your project has **Switch to Edit Mode** |

## Step 1: Open Workflows

Workflows live in the top bar. Click **Workflows**, then choose **Workflows** in the menu that opens. The other entry, **Apps**, holds workflows published with a simple form; the last lesson of this course makes one.

![The Workflows menu open in the top bar, with Apps and Workflows](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/d3aa6d49b53b6a9f0556ebfe7b79f86249615d82315a8871e4c50b73c40fad51.webp)

The **Workflows** page has two tabs:

- **Platform:** workflows Scenario has built and keeps up to date. You can search them by name, filter them and sort them.
- **Project:** your team's own workflows, in the current project. Every project member can see them.

## Step 2: Look at the finished version

On the **Platform** tab, find **Image to anatomy reference**. It's the workflow this course rebuilds.

![The Image to anatomy reference card on the Platform tab](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/974575145fe6e6c910984450b6f7f7526b1612df77e0b843513fc5827a85d02e.webp)

Open it. Each box is a node, and wires carry the results from left to right: the character image on the left, then the style prompts, then one Prompt Builder per look, then four image generators with the four sheets.

![The finished Image to anatomy reference workflow in run-only mode: the input, four style prompts, four Prompt Builders and four outputs](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/6277f1f83abd6b35cfbbc3407599bd7e31554be97784c5af7cd27922f946587f.webp)

A Platform workflow opens in **Run-only Mode**: "The workflow cannot be edited." To change one, you would click **Duplicate Workflow**, which saves a copy to your **Project** tab. The course doesn't copy it in one click. You build your own, so you see every step. Read the blue **START HERE** note on the left: Scenario's own workflows often explain themselves with a sticky note like this.

## Step 3: Create a workflow

Go back to **Workflows** and switch to the **Project** tab. This is where your team's own workflows live. Click **Create** at the top right.

![The Workflows page on the Project tab, with Create and Import at the top right](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/32abf7c0dac7c426654ce8d29bee623d05d57ca2de484676b616aea06c0d8b2a.webp)

**Import**, next to it, loads a workflow someone exported as a JSON file.

## Step 4: Name it

A **New Workflow** opens, with two sample nodes already wired: a **Text** node with a sample prompt and an **Image Generator**. The workflow saves itself as you build; there's no save button.

![A new workflow with its two sample nodes, Text 1 and Image Generator 1](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/c61621be850ea938a654ff5a437636450c327aea572c763c5ea03fb5fe9099d0.webp)

Click the title at the top left and type:

```text
Anatomy reference sheets
```

![The title field renamed to Anatomy reference sheets](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/e0c712dbd823be7a630596e1c3aab07917b112cf1904951e2337bb459f0f1831.webp)

A clear name matters: it's what your team sees on the **Project** tab, and what an App will show later.

## Step 5: Clear the canvas

This workflow starts from nothing, so delete the two sample nodes. Click one and press **Delete** (or Backspace), then do the same with the other.

:::tip
On another workflow you might keep them: a **Text** node wired into an **Image Generator** is the smallest working workflow there is.
:::

## Step 6: Open the node list

Every node comes from the **+** button in the toolbar on the right. It opens a list with a search box (**Search nodes...**), the **Most used** nodes, then four groups:

| Group | What its nodes do | Nodes |
|---|---|---|
| **Input** | Hold what you bring in | **Text**, **Image**, **Video**, **3D Model**, **Audio** |
| **Generators** | Run a model | **Image Generator**, **Video Generator**, **3D Generator**, **Audio Generator**, **LLM Node** |
| **Composers** | Assemble results into one output | **Image Studio**, **Video Studio** |
| **Utilities** | Join, split, branch, repeat, pause and annotate | **Prompt Builder**, **Split Text**, **Group Items**, **Slice Items**, **If-Else**, **Loop**, **Approval**, **Sticky Note**, **Tools** |

![The node list open from the plus button: Most used, then Input with Text, Image, Video, 3D Model and Audio](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/09802d9de4303a4b03fb9d289c5f9f9255f94689d4aafe79cd41b10b196b30f3.webp)

Other ways in: right-click the canvas, or drag a wire from any output and release it on empty canvas to see only the nodes that fit.

## Step 7: Add an Image input

The workflow starts with a character image, so under **Input**, choose **Image** (the shortcut is Shift + I). The new node lands in the middle of the canvas. Drag it to the left: the graph reads left to right, and the input belongs at the start.

![A new Image 1 node with Drag & drop or paste, Select from Library and Upload](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/ab76e3bae8a4e76ad2de076bb80a15dc7f6ad1dceb5ffbd1cc41bb07005cff30.webp)

An **Image** node takes PNG, JPEG, WebP and GIF, plus HEIC and HEIF photos from an iPhone, which are converted to JPEG on upload. With **Enable Multiple Images** turned on, one node holds up to 10 images and passes all of them on.

## Step 8: Rename the node

Double-click the node's title to rename it. The course names it `1. Character Illustration`. Clear names make the graph easy to read later, and the number keeps the nodes in reading order as the graph grows.

![The Image node renamed 1. Character Illustration](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/112125873244a3d206d507b4edd54cb98b7d2348026091f7e30f3bd6cf4fee12.webp)

## Step 9: Pick the character

Give the node a picture. There are three ways:

- **Drag & drop or paste:** drop a file on the node, or paste an image from the clipboard. Pasting on an empty part of the canvas creates a new **Image** node for you.
- **Select from Library:** choose an image already in your project.
- **Upload:** pick a file from your computer.

The course uses **Select from Library** and chooses the ranger. A collection filter keeps the library to the one image the course needs.

![The library picker filtered to one collection, showing the ranger character](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/77878e28f758a20bca4b6a7198800c5451a11de7a599fe71b8449d6515a49ffb.webp)

## Step 10: Read the output port

That's the input. See the small green dot on the right edge of the node, labeled **IMAGE** when you hover it? That's its output port. Green means it carries an image, so it will only connect to green inputs, such as an Image Generator's **Reference Images**.

![The 1. Character Illustration node holding the ranger, with its green IMAGE output port](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/bce990bef7fd095ecd58839aef5a552cd0b1e9aa289d9762fbba85fcb98dbff6.webp)

:::check
**Accept when:** the workflow is called **Anatomy reference sheets** on the **Project** tab, the canvas holds one node named **1. Character Illustration** with your character in it, and its green output port sits on the right edge.
**Reject when:** the sample nodes are still there, the node is still called **Image 1**, or the image is cropped to a face. A full or half-body character gives the later sheets something to redraw.
:::

## The canvas, in short

| To | Do this |
|---|---|
| Pan | Drag an empty part of the canvas, or use the middle mouse button |
| Zoom | Scroll, or use the **+** and **-** zoom buttons at the bottom of the right toolbar |
| Select several nodes | Drag a box around them, or Ctrl/Cmd + click |
| Copy, paste, duplicate | Ctrl/Cmd + C, Ctrl/Cmd + V, Ctrl/Cmd + D |
| Delete a node | Select it and press Delete or Backspace |
| Delete a wire | Hover it and click it |
| Group nodes | Select them, right-click, choose **Group**. A locked group still runs but can't be changed |

## Three kinds of workflow

| Kind | Where it lives | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| **Platform workflows** | **Platform** tab | Built by Scenario. They open in run-only mode; **Duplicate Workflow** copies one to your project. See [Platform workflows and templates](https://learn.scenario.com/workflows/platform-workflows-and-templates.md) |
| **Project workflows** | **Project** tab | Yours and your team's. Lock one so others can run it but not change it |
| **Apps** | **Workflows** › **Apps** | A workflow published with a form: the person running it sees only the fields you chose. See [Publish a workflow as an App](https://learn.scenario.com/workflows/publish-a-workflow-as-an-app.md) |

## When a workflow is worth it

- **The job has several steps**, such as redraw, then upscale, then remove the background. By hand, each step is a new page and a new chance to forget a setting.
- **The job repeats.** The tenth character runs exactly like the first.
- **Someone else will run it.** You fix the models and prompts once, and the team only swaps the input.

Prove a step by hand on the Create pages first. When it works twice, it's worth a node. A workflow repeats a process faithfully, including its mistakes: it doesn't judge quality for you.

## Common problems

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| **No Create button, only Duplicate Workflow** | You're inside a Platform workflow. Go back to **Workflows** and use the **Project** tab |
| **"The workflow cannot be edited"** | It opened in run-only mode. Click **Duplicate Workflow** for a copy you can change |
| **The new node landed off screen** | Scroll to zoom out, or drag the canvas until you find it |
| **A wire won't connect** | The port colors differ. Green connects to green, blue to blue |
| **Your workflow isn't on the Project tab** | Check the project in the top-left switcher: workflows belong to the project they were created in |
| **The canvas feels slow with many nodes** | Collapse nodes or groups you're not working on with the chevron on their title bar |

## What's next

The input is ready. In [Build your first workflow](https://learn.scenario.com/workflows/build-your-first-workflow.md), you wire it into the first prompt and make the first sheet. For every node and its settings, keep the [Nodes reference](https://learn.scenario.com/workflows/nodes-reference.md) and the [Tour of the workflow editor](https://learn.scenario.com/workflows/workflow-editor-tour.md) close.

Source: https://learn.scenario.com/workflows/what-are-workflows