Getting Started
Updated: 2026-05*
1. About This Page
Create a Comfy Cloud account and set it up so you can run workflows. Since we’ll be focusing on the hands-on exercises during class, please complete this step before class if possible.
Generated with Stable Diffusion 1.5 on Comfy Cloud (banner for this material, 768×512)
2. Create an Account
Go to cloud.comfy.org and sign in with your Google account. You can also sign in with your email address and password, but signing in with Google is easier.
After logging in, you will automatically be assigned the Free Plan and receive 400 credits each month.
3. Plan Overview
| Plan | Monthly Fee | Credits | Maximum Workflow Execution Time | Bring Your Own LoRA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 400 | 10 min | ❌ |
| Standard | $20 | 4,200 | 30 min | ❌ |
| Creator | $35 | 7,400 | 30 min | ✓ Civitai / HuggingFace |
| Pro | $100 | 21,100 | 60 min | ✓ |
Build your class using the Free Plan. Credits are consumed from a shared pool that covers both “GPU execution time for workflows” and “Partner Node calls.”
Note: 1 credit ≈ $0.0047 (211 credits = $1). Generating a single 1024×1024 image costs approximately 2 credits.
4. Screen Layout
A top-down view of the screen immediately after logging in.
- Tab bar (top row): Open workflows. You can work on multiple workflows simultaneously
- Left sidebar: Access to graphs, templates, models, nodes, and more
- Canvas (center): Workspace for placing and connecting nodes
- Top-right toolbar: Run button, queue status, share button
- Avatar (top-right): Account information, credit balance, logout
The default Stable Diffusion 1.5 workflow is automatically loaded when you log in for the first time.
5. Checking Your Credit Balance
Get into the habit of always checking during class.
- Click the avatar in the upper-right corner of the screen
- A dropdown menu will appear showing your balance and the Free plan, along with a button that says “Upgrade to add credits”
- The number shown is your current balance (a whole number)
Note: Balances are displayed as integers, and decimal places are accumulated. The number may not change after a single generation, but it is definitely being consumed internally.
6. Template Panel
Open the template list by clicking the “Templates” icon in the left sidebar (or pressing Ctrl+0).
6.1 Important Filter: Runtime Environment
The Execution Environment filter is located at the top of the template screen. Here:
- ComfyUI → Runs on Comfy Cloud’s GPUs (primarily open-source models; low credit consumption)
- External or Remote API → Calls external services via Partner Nodes (e.g., Sora 2, Kling; may consume double-digit credits per call)
Be sure to keep the ComfyUI filter turned on during class. Be careful, as accidentally running a Partner Node template can cause your credits to drop sharply.
6.2 Categories
- All Templates: All items
- Popular: Popular pre-built workflows
- Use Cases: By application
- Utilities: Auxiliary processes
- Getting Started: Learning templates (designed for educational purposes, with some nodes left unconnected for students to complete)
- Node Basics: Basic node patterns
In class, we’ll start around “Introduction > 1.1 From Text to Image.”
7. Pre-installed Assets
Comfy Cloud comes pre-installed with a wide variety of models. You can use them without downloading anything.
| Type | Count | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Checkpoints | 54 | SD 1.5, Flux dev/schnell, Hunyuan 3D, Z Image Turbo |
| Diffusion models | 232 | DiT models |
| ControlNet | 20 | Qwen-Image-Union, SD 1.5 depth/openpose/scribble, Flux ControlNet |
| LoRA | 573 | Flux series (cinematic, ghibli, cyberpunk, and many others), Wan 2.2 series, AnimateLCM |
You need a Creator plan or higher to import your own models from Civitai or HuggingFace. However, the built-in libraries alone are more than enough to run your classes.
8. Workflow Execution Process
- Select a template or open an existing workflow
- Change the prompt and parameters if necessary
- Click Run in the upper-right corner
- A progress bar will move across the canvas, and the node currently being processed will be highlighted with a green border
- When complete, the result will be displayed at the final node (e.g., “Save Image”)
- Right-click the result image and select Save Image to download it to your computer
9. Pre-Class Checklist
At the start of class, each student should have completed the following.
- You are logged in to cloud.comfy.org
- A balance of 400 credits is displayed
- The execution environment filter on the template screen is set to ComfyUI
- You can open the “Getting Started > 1.1 Text to Image” template
If you’ve made it this far, you can join the hands-on portion of the class.
10. In Case of Problems
- Can’t log in: Clear your browser’s cache and cookies, or try using a different browser
- Credits suddenly decreased: You may have run a workflow that includes a Partner Node. Check your execution history by clicking the “History” icon in the left sidebar
- Workflow isn’t running: Check if there is an exclamation mark (!) next to any nodes, and verify that there is an output node
- Model not found: Reopening the node’s model selection dropdown will refresh the list
11. Recommendations for Self-Study
<Web resources>
The ComfyUI official docs, ComfyUI Wiki, and Reddit’s r/comfyui are the most useful starting points.
<Video resources>
YouTube has many “ComfyUI tutorial” and “Stable Diffusion workflow” videos. Overseas channels such as AItuts and Latent Vision are also worth following.
<Related books>
ComfyUI and the underlying generative-image AI (diffusion models) are an extremely fast-moving field. For the latest nodes and newer-generation models (as of 2026: FLUX.2, Wan, Seedance, etc.), the official docs, community forums, and direct questions to LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) are usually faster to consult than books. Books are nonetheless useful for grasping the underlying theory and the overall landscape in one pass. The title below, published in 2024 by SB Creative, is co-authored by researcher Akihiko Shirai (AI / VR / media art) and AICU media — it isn’t meant to be a pure how-to.
画像生成AI Stable Diffusion スタートガイド (Generative AI イラストレーション)View on Amazon →
The 2023 title below is on the applied side — heavier coverage of prompt design and practical operation. It complements the more theory-leaning Shirai book and is useful as a cross-reference.
Stable Diffusion AI画像生成ガイドブックView on Amazon →