Appearance
Prompt Skills: Image Generation
Get better results from Midjourney, GPT Image 2, Imagen 4, and other image models.
The Anatomy of a Good Prompt
A strong image prompt covers four elements:
- Subject — What is the main focus?
- Style — Photorealistic? Illustration? 3D render? Oil painting?
- Mood & Lighting — Warm, cold, dramatic, soft?
- Composition — Close-up, wide shot, aerial, portrait?
Basic example:
A red vintage sports car parked on a coastal road at sunset
Detailed example:
A red 1960s vintage sports car parked on a winding coastal road at golden hour, dramatic cliffs in the background, cinematic wide shot, photorealistic photography style, shallow depth of field
Style Keywords That Work
| Effect | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Photography | photorealistic, DSLR, 35mm film, shallow depth of field |
| Illustration | digital illustration, vector art, flat design |
| Painting | oil painting, watercolor, impressionist |
| 3D/Render | 3D render, octane render, Blender, CGI |
| Cinematic | cinematic lighting, movie still, anamorphic lens |
| Minimal | minimalist, clean background, simple composition |
Choosing the Right Model
| Goal | Best Model |
|---|---|
| Artistic & stylized | Midjourney V8.1 / V7 |
| Precise text instructions | GPT Image 2 |
| Photorealistic people | Imagen 4 Ultra |
| Fast high-quality output | Nano Banana 2 |
| Stylized with strong text understanding | Seedream 5.0 |
| Creative/unusual | Grok Image |
Common Issues & Fixes
Too generic: Add specific details — location, time of day, style, mood, camera angle.
Wrong style: Explicitly name the style: in the style of a vintage travel poster, as a pencil sketch, photorealistic.
Unwanted elements: Most models support negative prompts (what to exclude). Try: no text, no watermark, no people.
Wrong composition: Specify it: close-up portrait, full body shot, bird's eye view, symmetrical composition.
Tips for Specific Use Cases
Product photography:
[Product] on a clean white background, professional product photography, studio lighting, high resolution
Character design:
Character portrait: [description], facing forward, full body, concept art style, detailed
Architecture / Interiors:
Modern minimalist living room, natural light from large windows, warm neutral tones, interior design photography
Abstract / Backgrounds:
Abstract fluid gradient background in [colors], smooth flowing shapes, suitable for use as a wallpaper