Introducing Animagine-XL_3.0_clear: Bringing a Classic Anime Model Back to Life in Vivid Detail

Introduction

Hi everyone, I'm Easygoing.

Today, I’m excited to announce the release of Animagine-XL_3.0_clear, a fine-tuned version of the legendary SDXL anime model, Animagine-XL_3.0.

Animagine-XL_3.0: A True Masterpiece

Originally released in January 2024, Animagine-XL_3.0 is widely considered a masterpiece among SDXL anime models.

gantt
    title SDXL Anime Models
    dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
    tickInterval 6month

    section SDXL
	    Stable Diffusion XL: done, 2023-07-27, 2025-11-08

    section Animagine-XL
        Animagine-XL 3.0 : 2024-01-10, 2025-11-08
        Animagine-XL 3.1 : done, 2024-03-17, 2025-11-08
        Animagine-XL 4.0 : done, 2025-01-26, 2025-11-08
        Animagine-XL 4.0 Opt: done, 2025-02-13, 2025-11-08

    section Illustrious-XL
        Illustrious-XL v0.1 : done, 2024-09-25, 2025-11-08
        Illustrious-XL v1.0 : done, 2025-02-11, 2025-11-08
        Illustrious-XL v1.1 : done, 2025-02-18, 2025-11-08
        Illustrious-XL v2.0 : done, 2025-03-06, 2025-11-08

When SDXL first launched in July 2023, it was highly praised for its photorealistic capabilities. However, it struggled to gain traction in the anime community, which required significant custom fine-tuning.

In that landscape, Animagine-XL_3.0 changed everything. Trained on a then-unprecedented dataset of 1.2 million images, it produced high-quality anime illustrations that became the driving force behind the widespread adoption of anime-style models for SDXL.

Why Revive Animagine-XL_3.0 Now?

It has been nearly two years since the original model's debut. Compared to the latest state-of-the-art models, it shows its age—anatomical errors (especially with hands) are more frequent, and fine details can sometimes fall short.

However, this model possesses a unique depth of color and a natural, hand-drawn linework feel that modern models often lose in their pursuit of technical perfection. There are certain "vibes" that only this model can capture.

To bridge this gap, I’ve applied minimal adjustments to the original Animagine-XL_3.0 to enhance its detail and color expression without losing its soul.

Visual Comparison

Let’s look at the results. The images on the left are from the new Animagine-XL_3.0_clear, and the images on the right are from the original Animagine-XL_3.0.

Christmas Tree at Night

The Iron Knight

Close-up View

As you can see, the "clear" version features vivid colors and higher contrast, resulting in a much sharper, more modern look. While the base architecture is two years old, these improvements give the images a level of visual impact that holds up even today.

More Examples!

Here are a few more samples generated with the new model.

Snowy Street Corner

Positive Prompt

long hair, looking at viewer, short hair, blue eyes, multiple girls, brown hair, black hair, long sleeves, standing, jacket, closed mouth, brown eyes, full body, jacket open, scarf, outdoors, multiple boys, coat, snow, black footwear, scarf around neck, winter, snowfall, snowing, street, winter coat, snowy, streetlight,

dutch angle, dynamic angle, close up, upper body, open eyes, little smile, peaceful, wind, vivid, colorful, small breasts, burgundy, rouge, alizarin, royal purple, indigo, deep blue, simple background, black background,

masterpiece, best quality

Negative Prompt (Common)

nsfw, lowres, bad anatomy, bad hands, text, error, missing fingers, extra digit, fewer digits, cropped, worst quality, low quality, normal quality, jpeg artifacts, signature, watermark, username, blurry, artist name

Sweet Tooth

solo, 1boy, food, slice, fruit, indoors, strawberry, cake, dessert, slice of cake, strawberries, strawberries on top, whipped cream, simple background, black background,

masterpiece, best quality

Winter Sports

1girl, solo, breasts, looking at viewer, blush, open mouth, short hair, large breasts, brown eyes, jacket, black gloves, medium breasts, upper body, outdoors, open clothes, teeth, orange hair, sky, pants, day, glove, black pants, open jacket, blue sky, black glove, snow, orange jacket, ski suit, ski slope, mountain, skiing, ski jacket, snowboarding,

dutch angle, dynamic angle, close up, upper body, open eyes, little smile, peaceful, wind, vivid, colorful, small breasts, burgundy, rouge, alizarin, royal purple, indigo, deep blue, simple background, black background,

masterpiece, best quality

Comparison with Recent Models

How does Animagine-XL_3.0_clear stack up against the current generation?

Animagine-XL_4.0_Opt_clear

Animagine-XL_4.0 is the official successor from Cagliostro Research Lab. While 4.0 vastly improves overall detail and hand anatomy, many users still prefer 3.0 for its bolder artistic expression and distinct linework.

anima_pencil-XL-v5.0.0_clear

anima_pencil-XL is a versatile merge of various photoreal and anime models (including Animagine 3.0/3.1). It supports natural language prompting and is very easy to use, inheriting the diverse compositional strengths of the Animagine-XL series.

mellow_pencil-XL-v1.0.0-base_clear

mellow_pencil-XL is based on the latest Illustrious-XL series. Its merge recipe includes anima_pencil-XL and the original Animagine-XL_3.0. This allows it to fix the weak point of Illustrious-XL—compositional variety—by utilizing the strengths of the Animagine lineage.

Conclusion: Rediscover a Classic!

• Animagine-XL_3.0 is a legendary anime model.
• Deep color expression, Natural lines, and Dynamic compositions.
• Foundation for many of today's top anime models.

The original Animagine-XL_3.0 may not have the technical "perfection" of the newest models, but it possesses an artistic expressive power that earned it the title of a masterpiece.

I hope this update gives you a reason to revisit this iconic model and explore what it can do.

Thank you for reading until the end!