Preface, or "Please don't take this the wrong way"
First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this article.
I would like to clarify that this is not a "call to arms" against the more prolific creators of Civitai. Without many of them, this site would be a husk of itself. This is simply a response to what I personally consider a simple, addressable issue.
This article is not aimed at anyone in particular.
If you feel targeted or attacked, know that if I didn't really like your LoRAs, I wouldn't have spent the time to write this. I want nothing more than to see those I follow succeed, and to become even more popular, so others can appreciate you like I did when I first found and followed you.
The Rise of Mass-Produced LoRAs
LoRAs are magical things. With just a few (or in some cases just one) image, a creator is able to manipulate a model to match a camera style, object, outfit, and many other subjects with striking accuracy. Many LoRA creators have discovered what appears to be perfectly efficient workflows, and can produce a dozen or more models a day. It's fast. It's prolific, even.
Yet something feels wrong.
When you see one lighting style after another, or a new outfit that is really just a different version of a previous, or even just "has a new version" more than 3 times by the same user -- rinsed and repeated, without much variation in the final product -- the release loses its impact.
The Notifications menu fills with the same creator over and over again, like a broken record. The LoRAs become repetitive. This rapid-fire approach might show strong productivity, but it leaves followers wondering if there's any real effort, any real craftsmanship even, behind each piece.
An Over-Abundance of Notifications
The experience is no doubt familiar to many: You pop on to Civitai, click on the Notifications button to see what's new, only to find that the same creator has flooded your notifications with a huge batch of LoRAs.
Maybe it's alternative versions of an outfit, a different color palette, or minor stylistic changes. But do they really stand out? This barrage of content often becomes too much to handle, and it feels like a chore to go through them all.
I imagine many users (like myself) begin to skip right past these updates after a while. Personally, as someone with a tinge of OCD, I will go to other creator models who produce far fewer models with better descriptions and examples. I check them out, look at their gallery, maybe even download them, then "mark all as read" on the mass-produced models with rarely a second glance.
The noise of mass-production overwhelms the quality of their creations. Creators, in turn, miss out on genuine engagement. Unless something profound catches a follower's eye about the name of the LoRA, they simply get tuned out.
A Fusion Dance for Models
So, how can creators avoid being labeled "mass-producers"? One approach is to create compendium-style LoRAs, each featuring multiple outfits, styles, or camera and lighting types into one well-rounded package.
A great workflow for this can be found here: How to train Pony/Illustrious lora with multiple costumes, by neclordx.
Think of it as creating a multi-purpose kitchen tool, instead of collecting single-use gadgets. Chef Alton Brown famously calls these gadgets "unitaskers," because they serve only one narrow purpose. Why produce a "unitasker" LoRA that only generates one single outfit, when it could create an entire line of clothing instead?
This strategy not only cuts down on spammy-feeling updates, but also shows respect for your followers' time. It shows that you have a broader vision and respect your creations, rather than being an attention seeker trying to remain relevant. It also helps you stand out among a sea of near-duplicates.
Productive to a fault
There's nothing inherently "wrong" with having an efficient process. Productivity is a virtue, and it's one I struggle with personally. Yet in an environment where quality and novelty are prized, it's crucial to strike just the right balance.
Find ways to showcase each LoRA's unique features. Provide better examples, give actual detailed usage tips, and provide thoughtful descriptions so that your followers know why your LoRA deserves their drive space. Take the time to refine the training, experiment with different prompts, and truly own your creation. Slow down enough to give each LoRA a chance to shine.
Then, release it with confidence. The community will see it, pause to view it, and appreciate the genuine effort you’ve made.