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Design & CreativityIntermediate

Craft a Detailed Image-Generation Prompt

Turn a rough visual idea into a detailed prompt for an AI image generator, covering subject, style, composition, lighting, and mood.

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Make it yours

Fill in each variable and watch the prompt update. Anything still in {{braces}} needs your input before you use it.

Fill in the blanks

0 of 4 filled

Your rough description of the image.

Where it will appear; affects aspect ratio and detail.

The look you want.

Anything you don't want in the image.

Live previewUnfilled
You are an expert at writing prompts for AI image generators.

My rough idea: {{idea}}
Where the image will be used: {{use_case}}
Style I'm after: {{style}}
Must avoid: {{avoid}}

Write an image-generation prompt that specifies, in this order:
1. Subject and action
2. Setting and background
3. Composition and camera/viewpoint (e.g. close-up, wide shot, overhead)
4. Lighting and time of day
5. Color palette and mood
6. Art style or medium
7. Aspect ratio suited to the use case

Give me:
- **Main prompt** — one detailed paragraph (60–100 words)
- **Short version** — under 25 words, for tools that prefer brevity
- **Negative prompt** — things to exclude, for tools that support it
- **3 variations** — each changing one element (style, lighting, or composition) so I can compare

Don't include names of living artists or trademarked characters.
Open in Playground

Example

Example input

Filled prompt
You are an expert at writing prompts for AI image generators.

My rough idea: a cozy reading corner for a blog post about winter habits
Where the image will be used: wide header image for a blog
Style I'm after: warm, slightly illustrated, not photorealistic
Must avoid: people's faces, text, clutter

Write an image-generation prompt that specifies, in this order:
1. Subject and action
2. Setting and background
3. Composition and camera/viewpoint (e.g. close-up, wide shot, overhead)
4. Lighting and time of day
5. Color palette and mood
6. Art style or medium
7. Aspect ratio suited to the use case

Give me:
- **Main prompt** — one detailed paragraph (60–100 words)
- **Short version** — under 25 words, for tools that prefer brevity
- **Negative prompt** — things to exclude, for tools that support it
- **3 variations** — each changing one element (style, lighting, or composition) so I can compare

Don't include names of living artists or trademarked characters.

Example output

Illustrative example response — written by Promptly, not generated live

Main prompt A cozy reading nook beside a frosted window, an armchair draped in a chunky knit blanket, a steaming mug and an open book on a small wooden side table, a stack of books on the floor. Soft snowfall visible outside. Wide eye-level shot with the chair slightly off-center and empty space on the right. Warm lamplight mixed with cool blue dusk from the window. Palette of amber, cream, and muted blue; calm, inviting mood. Gentle digital illustration with soft textures and subtle grain. 16:9 aspect ratio.

Short version Cozy winter reading nook, armchair, knit blanket, steaming mug, snowy window, warm lamplight, soft illustrated style, 16:9

Negative prompt people, faces, hands, text, letters, watermark, clutter, harsh shadows, photorealistic

Variations

  1. Style: flat vector illustration with bold shapes and limited palette
  2. Lighting: bright morning sun on the snow, cooler tones overall
  3. Composition: overhead view of the side table, mug, and open book only

Why it works

Image generators respond to concrete visual detail; vague ideas produce generic images. The ordered checklist ensures nothing important (lighting, composition, aspect ratio) is forgotten. Variations that change one element at a time let you learn which words actually change the result — a simple form of iterative prompting.

Techniques used