The Problem
Hey everyone. Illustrious has been around for quite a while now, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the next “big thing” takes over. Whether that’s Anima in the next few months or something else further down the line, eventually most of us LoRA creators will have to start retraining our existing LoRAs for newer models.
That got me thinking. What’s the best way to republish a LoRA for a new base model?
As far as I can tell, there are two main approaches.
Route 1: Keep Everything on One LoRA Page
For example, if a page already has “V1” and “V2,” I’d simply add something like “V1 Anima” as another version on the same page.
Pros
Everything stays in one place for users.
Likes and engagement are combined, which may help visibility in search results for the latest version.
Cons
If someone filters by Illustrious, they may not find the older versions anymore as only "Anima" will show on search.
New versions also won’t appear under the “Newest” filter on search as the release date stays on the oldest version.
Route 2: Create Separate LoRA Pages
Create a completely new page for each base model version of the LoRA.
Pros
Easier for users to find the exact version they want.
New releases appear properly under “Newest.”
Cleaner separation between model ecosystems.
Cons
Likes and engagement are split across multiple pages, so you'll appear lower on searches overall.
What Do You Think?
Personally, Route 2 makes more sense to me, and it’s probably the approach I’d take right now. That said, I’ve seen experienced creators use both methods pretty evenly.
Also, I don't want to sound like all I care about is likes and engagement, but I'd be lying if I said I don't get a little happy when I see people liking and using my stuff. So it does influence my decision making at least a little.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. It might also help other creators who are trying to decide how to handle future model transitions.
Update 1: Reading your comments has definitely skewed me towards route one heavily. Thanks so much everyone for the input, it's a massive help.