How to Talk to AI Image Generators: A Complete Guide

Getting good results from AI image generators like DALL-E, Midjourney, or Stable Diffusion isn't magic—it's about learning their language. Think of it like giving directions to someone who's never been to your neighborhood. The more specific and clear you are, the better they'll understand what you want.

Start With the Basics

Every good image prompt needs three things: what you want to see, how you want it to look, and where it's happening. Everything else is just making these three parts better.

What you want: Instead of "dog," try "golden retriever puppy sitting on grass." Instead of "person," try "elderly woman with gray hair reading a book."

How you want it to look: This is where you pick the style. Do you want it to look like a real photograph? A painting? A cartoon? Each choice completely changes your result.

Where it's happening: "In a cozy coffee shop," "on a mountain trail," or "in a modern office" gives the AI context for lighting, background, and mood.

Describing What You Want to See

People

When asking for people, be specific about age and appearance. "Child" works better than "young person." "Teenager with curly hair" works better than "kid." If you want someone smiling, say so—the AI won't assume.

Common expressions that work well: smiling, laughing, serious, thoughtful, surprised, peaceful. For poses, try: standing with arms crossed, sitting at a desk, walking down a street, dancing, or lying in grass.

Objects and Scenes

Size matters in descriptions. "Tiny flower" creates something very different from "massive flower." Same with condition—"new car" versus "rusty old car" versus "vintage car in perfect condition."

If you want multiple things, be clear: "three cats sleeping" or "a crowd of people at a concert." The AI needs to know if you want one thing or many things.

Choosing Your Style

This is where you decide if your image looks real or artistic, modern or old-fashioned.

For Realistic Photos

Use words like "photorealistic," "looks like a real photograph," or "shot with a professional camera." You can even mention specific cameras if you know them—"shot with Canon camera" or "professional portrait photography."

Black and white photos have their own feel, so mention that specifically if you want it.

For Artistic Looks

"Oil painting" gives you something that looks hand-painted with brushstrokes. "Watercolor" is softer and more flowing. "Pencil sketch" or "charcoal drawing" for something that looks hand-drawn.

If you know art movements, use them: "impressionist style" gives you something soft and dreamy like Monet. "Pop art" gives you bright colors and bold shapes.

For Digital and Cartoon Styles

"Anime style" for Japanese animation look. "Cartoon" or "animated movie style" for something like Pixar. "Video game concept art" for fantasy or sci-fi looks.

Getting the Right View

How Close or Far

"Close-up" shows just a face or small object filling the frame. "Full body" shows a complete person. "Wide shot" shows the person and lots of their surroundings.

"Bird's eye view" is looking straight down from above. "Worm's eye view" is looking up from ground level. These unusual angles can make boring subjects interesting.

Making Things Sharp or Blurry

"Everything in focus" keeps your whole image clear. "Blurred background" keeps your main subject sharp but makes everything behind it soft and dreamy. This is great for portraits.

Lighting Makes Everything Better

Lighting changes the entire mood of your image, so it's worth learning these terms.

Natural Light

"Golden hour lighting" is that warm, glowing light you get at sunrise or sunset. It makes everything look magical. "Harsh sunlight" creates strong shadows and bright highlights—good for dramatic looks.

"Overcast" gives you soft, even lighting with no harsh shadows. "Backlighting" puts the light source behind your subject, creating silhouettes or rim lighting effects.

Indoor and Artificial Light

"Candlelight" creates warm, flickering light. "Neon lighting" gives you those colorful electric glows you see in cities at night. "Studio lighting" is clean and professional.

"Soft lighting" is gentle and flattering. "Dramatic lighting" has strong contrasts between light and dark areas.

Colors and Feelings

Color Choices

You can ask for specific color schemes. "Warm colors" gives you reds, oranges, and yellows. "Cool colors" gives you blues, greens, and purples. "Muted colors" are soft and subtle. "Vibrant colors" are bright and bold.

"Sepia" is that old-fashioned brown tone you see in vintage photos. "Black and white" speaks for itself.

Setting the Mood

"Dreamy" makes everything soft and ethereal. "Mysterious" adds shadows and unknown elements. "Peaceful" creates calm, serene feelings. "Energetic" makes things feel active and dynamic.

"Romantic" usually means warm lighting and soft colors. "Dramatic" means high contrast and intense feelings.

Making It Look Professional

Quality Words

"Highly detailed" tells the AI to add lots of small elements and textures. "Sharp focus" ensures your image isn't blurry. "Professional quality" or "high resolution" pushes for better overall results.

Camera Talk (For Realistic Photos)

If you want something that looks like it was shot by a real photographer, mention camera details: "shot with 85mm lens" for portraits, "wide angle lens" for landscapes, "macro lens" for extreme close-ups.

Places and Settings

Indoor Spaces

Be specific about locations. "Cozy living room" creates something different from "modern office" or "vintage cafe." "Library with tall bookshelves" is better than just "library."

Outdoor Places

"Dense forest with tall trees" is more specific than "forest." "Rocky beach with waves" versus "sandy beach with palm trees" creates completely different scenes.

Weather and Atmosphere

"Foggy morning," "rainy day," "snowy landscape," or "clear sunny day" all change the entire feel of your image. Weather isn't just background—it's mood.

What Not to Include

Sometimes it's helpful to tell the AI what you don't want. This prevents common problems.

Visual Problems to Avoid

Add phrases like "no blur," "no distortion," "not pixelated," or "no grain" if you're getting poor quality results.

Common AI Mistakes

AI sometimes struggles with hands and faces, so you might need to specify "normal hands with five fingers" or "symmetrical face" if you're getting weird results.

Putting It All Together

A good prompt might look like this:

"Golden retriever puppy sitting in a sunny garden, photorealistic style, shot with professional camera, golden hour lighting, highly detailed, shallow depth of field"

Or for something artistic:

"Elderly man reading by candlelight, oil painting style, warm lighting, cozy library setting, soft colors, peaceful mood"

Tips That Actually Work

Start simple. Get the basic idea working first, then add details. Don't overwhelm the AI with twenty different instructions at once.

Order matters. Put your most important ideas first. The AI pays more attention to words at the beginning of your prompt.

Use commas. They help separate different ideas clearly.

Experiment. Different AI tools respond to words differently. What works perfectly in one might not work in another.

Be patient. Good prompting is a skill that develops over time. Don't expect perfect results on your first try.

Save what works. When you get a great result, save that prompt. You can reuse successful combinations and modify them for new ideas.

The key is thinking like you're describing a scene to someone who has never seen anything like it before. The more clearly you can paint that picture with words, the better your AI-generated image will be. With practice, you'll develop an intuition for what works and what doesn't, and soon you'll be creating exactly what you envision.