In the world of AI-generated imagery, your image prompt is the paintbrush. Learning how to craft effective image prompt is crucial for bringing your visual ideas to life. I know the output of image prompt is kind of art and there is no right or wrong, but in real world usages, we still want to control the AI-generated images to fit our desire. That's why I use the word "effective" in the title. Now, let's get started.
Key Principles of Writing Effective Image Prompt
1. Be Descriptive and Detailed
AI image generators work by understanding the relationship between text and images. They are trained on vast datasets where images are paired with descriptive captions. When you provide an image prompt, the AI searches for visual elements that best match your description based on its training. Read more about How AI image generators work.
The more descriptive and detailed your image prompt, the better the AI can understand, match its training data and create your desired image. A vague image prompt often leads to an unexpected or generic result, as the AI has less specific information to work with.
When you don't include enough details in your image prompt, the AI will fill in the gaps with its own "guesses" based on its training data. While this can sometimes lead to surprising and interesting results, more often it results in images that are out of your control and may not match your vision. Detailed image prompt give you more control over the final output.
Bad Image Prompt: "A cat"
Good Image Prompt: "A sleek Siamese cat with blue eyes, sitting on a windowsill, bathed in warm sunlight"
A cat. Generated by FLUX.1 Dev
A sleek Siamese cat with blue eyes, sitting on a windowsill, bathed in warm sunlight. Generated by FLUX.1 Dev
In the bad image prompt, the AI has very little information to go on, potentially resulting in a generic cat image or even unexpected elements the AI associates with cats. The good image prompt provide specific details about the cat's appearance, setting, and lighting, giving the AI clear instructions to generate a more precise, vivid, and controlled image that matches your intent.
Need Help Expanding Your Image Prompt? Try Our Image Prompt Generator
If you have no idea about how to add descriptive details to your image prompt, you can try out our Image Prompt Generator to generate image prompt from a simple idea and then refine it as you like.
Original idea: "A dog"
Generated Image Prompt: "A photorealistic image of a dog, standing alert with ears perked up, medium-length fur in shades of brown and white, eyes bright and attentive, nose slightly wet, panting slightly with a relaxed expression, positioned in a grassy field under a clear blue sky, sunlight casting soft shadows on the fur, background includes distant trees and a gentle rolling hill, atmosphere serene and peaceful, style reminiscent of naturalistic photography, focal length 50mm, emotional tone calm and observant."
Generated by FLUX.1 Dev
2. Put the Main Subject First
Most AI models give more weight to words at the beginning of the image prompt. Place your main subject or most important elements first in your image prompt will help the AI to generate images that match your intent.
This approach offers several benefits:
- Ensures the AI prioritizes the most crucial elements
- Improves the likelihood of generating images that match your intent
- Reduces the chance of AI misinterpreting or overlooking key details
Image prompt put environment first: "A bustling metropolis with neon lights and skyscrapers, a superhero soaring through the sky"
Image prompt put superhero first: "A superhero soaring through the sky over a bustling metropolis with neon lights and skyscrapers"
A bustling metropolis with neon lights and skyscrapers, a superhero soaring through the sky. Generated by FLUX.1 Dev
A superhero soaring through the sky over a bustling metropolis with neon lights and skyscrapers. Generated by FLUX.1 Dev
In the second image prompt, the superhero as the main subject is placed at the beginning of the image prompt, ensuring the AI processes this element first and gives it prominence in the generated image.
Tip: When describing complex scenes, use commas in image prompt to separate different elements while keeping the most important content at the front:
"A superhero soaring through the sky over a bustling metropolis, neon lights, towering skyscrapers, twilight sky, lake in city"
A superhero soaring through the sky over a bustling metropolis, neon lights, towering skyscrapers, twilight sky, lake in city. Generated by FLUX.1 Dev
This way, you can maintain subject priority while still including rich background details.
3. Use English image prompt for Best Results
Most AI image generation models are primarily trained on English language datasets. This means that English image prompts often yield more accurate and consistent results compared to other languages. The reason lies in the AI's training process:
- Larger dataset: English has a significantly larger corpus of text-image pairs used for training.
- Better understanding: AI models have a more nuanced understanding of English words and phrases.
- Consistent interpretations: English image prompt is less likely to be misinterpreted or produce unexpected results.
While some image generation models now support multilingual image prompt, the volume of non-English data in their training datasets is typically much smaller compared to English data. As a result, image prompt in languages other than English may not perform as consistently or effectively as English image prompt. For optimal results, using English image prompts is still recommended in most cases.
PS: We translated image prompts in tutorials for better understanding, so you may see some non-English image prompts in our tutorials, but we always use English image prompt when generating images.
Not good at English? Try out our translator
You are not good at English? Don't worry! You can use our built-in Image Prompt Translator to help craft your image prompts. Simply write your image prompt in your native language, and use our tool to translate it into English for optimal results.
4. Common Image Prompt Formats and Best Practices
When crafting image prompts for AI image generation, it's essential to follow certain structures and best practices to achieve optimal results. Here are some key guidelines:
Basic Structure about main subject
A fundamental image prompt structure follows this pattern: [Subject] + [Action/State] + [Context/Setting]
Example: "A majestic lion (subject) roaring (action) on a savannah at sunset (setting)"
A majestic lion roaring on a savannah at sunset. Generated by FLUX.1 Dev
Advanced Image Prompt Techniques
For more sophisticated image prompt, consider incorporating:
- Style modifiers: "A cyberpunk cityscape in the style of Blade Runner, digital art"
- Specific details: Include information about composition, perspective, colors, lighting, and textures
- Camera angles: "Shot with a wide-angle lens"
- Emotional tone: Describe the mood or atmosphere of the scene
- Artist references: "In the style of Michelangelo"
- Lighting: "Soft morning light"
- Texture: "Smooth marble texture"
- Material: "Polished metal surface"
- Composition and perspective: "Top-down view"
Break Down an Image Prompt Optimization Example
Let's see an example of improving an image prompt:
Idea: "An eagle"
Image Prompt: "A fierce eagle character in vibrant Japanese anime style, reminiscent of Studio Ghibli's detailed backgrounds mixed with bold shonen action scenes. The eagle has exaggerated, expressive eyes with a determined glint, and its feathers are stylized with sharp, dynamic lines suggesting movement. Its wings are spread wide, filling the frame with an impressive wingspan. The eagle wears a small samurai-inspired armor piece on its chest, adding a fantasy element. The background features a mix of traditional Japanese elements like cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji, juxtaposed with futuristic Tokyo skyline. Bright, saturated colors dominate the scene, with dramatic lighting effects and speed lines emphasizing the eagle's power and agility. The overall composition creates a sense of energy and movement, typical of action-packed anime scenes."
Generated by FLUX.1 Dev
Let's break down this image prompt to understand its structure and effectiveness:
1.Main subject and style: "A fierce eagle character in vibrant Japanese anime style"
- Clearly defines the subject and overall artistic style
2.Specific style references: "reminiscent of Studio Ghibli's detailed backgrounds mixed with bold shonen action scenes"
- Provides concrete style references to guide the AI
3.Detailed description of the subject: "The eagle has exaggerated, expressive eyes with a determined glint, and its feathers are stylized with sharp, dynamic lines suggesting movement. Its wings are spread wide, filling the frame with an impressive wingspan."
- Offers specific details about the eagle's appearance and pose
4.Additional elements: "The eagle wears a small samurai-inspired armor piece on its chest, adding a fantasy element."
- Introduces unique features to make the image more interesting
5.Background description: "The background features a mix of traditional Japanese elements like cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji, juxtaposed with futuristic Tokyo skyline."
- Sets the scene with a blend of traditional and modern elements
6.Color and lighting: "Bright, saturated colors dominate the scene, with dramatic lighting effects and speed lines"
- Specifies the color palette and lighting style
7.Composition and mood: "The overall composition creates a sense of energy and movement, typical of action-packed anime scenes."
- Describes the desired composition and emotional tone
This image prompt effectively combines all the key elements we've discussed: it's descriptive and detailed, puts the main subject first, uses specific style references, and includes information about composition, color, and mood.
By breaking down the image prompt into these components, the AI has a clear guide for generating a complex and visually striking image.
Conclusion
Crafting effective AI image prompt is a skill that combines creativity with technical understanding. Throughout this guide, we've explored key principles that can significantly enhance your image prompt writing:
- Be descriptive and detailed in your prompts
- Prioritize the main subject by placing it first
- Use English for optimal results
- Follow common image prompt formats and best practices
- Incorporate style modifiers, specific details, and compositional elements
Remember, the quality of your image prompt directly influences the AI-generated image. By providing clear, detailed instructions and leveraging the techniques we've discussed, you can guide the AI to create images that closely align with your vision.
Mastering how to write effective image prompt requires practice and experimentation. Don't be afraid to iterate on your image prompts, trying different combinations of elements to achieve the desired result. As you gain experience, you'll develop an intuitive understanding of how different image prompt components influence the final image.