Image Generation Prompt Anatomy

Writing good prompts for AI image generators isn't magic. It's about knowing what parts matter and how to put them together.

The Main Parts

Every good prompt has these basic pieces:

Subject - What's the main thing in your image? A person, animal, object, or scene. Be specific. "Woman" is okay, but "woman with curly red hair" is better.

Action - What's happening? Is someone walking, sitting, or dancing? This gives life to your image.

Setting - Where does this happen? A forest, bedroom, city street, or space station. The location shapes everything else.

Style - How should it look? Like a photo, painting, cartoon, or sketch? This changes the whole feel.

Adding Visual Details

Once you have the basics, add details that matter:

Lighting - Soft morning light creates a different mood than harsh neon. Think about where light comes from and how bright it is.

Colors - Warm colors (reds, oranges) feel cozy. Cool colors (blues, greens) feel calm. Pick colors that match your mood.

Composition - Close-up shots feel intimate. Wide shots show more context. Think about what you want to emphasize.

Mood - Happy, mysterious, dramatic, peaceful. The mood ties everything together.

Technical Stuff That Helps

Quality words - Terms like "highly detailed," "sharp focus," or "8k resolution" often improve results.

Camera terms - "Portrait lens," "wide angle," or "macro photography" can help if you want a specific look.

Art styles - Reference specific movements like "impressionist" or "art nouveau" if that's what you're after.

What Not to Include

Negative prompts help too. List things you don't want. Common ones:

• Blurry, low quality, pixelated
• Extra limbs, distorted faces
• Text, watermarks, signatures

Writing Tips

Start simple - Begin with the most important parts. You can always add more details later.

Use commas - Separate different ideas with commas. This helps the AI understand each part.

Be specific - "Blue dress" is better than just "dress." "Victorian mansion" is better than "old house."

Try different orders - Sometimes putting the style first works better. Sometimes the subject works better first.

Common Mistakes

Too many details - More isn't always better. Too much information can confuse the AI.

Contradictions - Don't ask for "bright sunny day" and "moody shadows" in the same prompt.

Vague descriptions - "Beautiful woman" doesn't give the AI much to work with. What makes her beautiful? What does she look like?

Platform Differences

Different AI tools work differently:

Midjourney likes artistic and descriptive language. It handles mood and style well.

DALL-E is good with specific objects and realistic scenes. It follows instructions closely.

Stable Diffusion gives you more control with weights and technical parameters.

Learn what your tool does best and write prompts that match.

Building Better Prompts

Start with this basic structure: [Subject] [doing action] [in setting], [style], [lighting], [mood]

Example: "Elderly man reading a book in a cozy library, oil painting style, warm lamplight, peaceful atmosphere"

Then adjust based on what you get. If the lighting is wrong, be more specific about it. If the style isn't right, try different art terms.

Practice Makes Better

Good prompts come from trying things and seeing what works. Save prompts that give you good results. Build a collection of phrases and terms that work well for your style.

Don't expect perfect results immediately. Even experienced prompt writers iterate and refine their work.

The goal isn't to write the perfect prompt on the first try. It's to understand how different words and phrases affect your results, then use that knowledge to get closer to what you want.