How to Prompt for AI Image Generation

Modern image models, such as Nano Banana 2.1, GPT Image 2.5, FLUX 3 Image, and Midjourney, understand full sentences. Describe the image the way you would brief a photographer or illustrator: clearly and specifically.

If you can see it clearly, you can describe it clearly.

Subject

Who or what, with the key details

Action

What the subject is doing

Setting

Where and when

Composition

Framing and camera angle

Lighting

Type, direction, and mood of light

Style

Photo, illustration, 3D, or painting

Color

Palette and color grade

Format

Aspect ratio and intended use

Vague

A woman in a cafe

Specific

A woman in her 30s, with short curly hair and a green wool coat, reading a paperback at a window table in a small Paris cafe

• Shot size: close-up, medium shot, or wide shot
• Angle: eye level, low angle, or top-down
• Lens: 35mm for a natural look, 85mm for portraits, wide-angle for drama
• Depth of field: shallow to blur the background
• Placement: subject on the left, room for text on the right

• Golden hour, soft window light, or a studio softbox
• Hard sunlight for strong contrast
• Neon or candlelight for a moody atmosphere
• A named mood: calm, tense, joyful, or mysterious

Describe the style in your own words rather than naming living artists:

• “Flat vector illustration with bold outlines”
• “Soft watercolor with visible paper grain”
• “Realistic product photo on a plain white background”
• “Cinematic film still with muted colors”

• Put the exact words in quotes
• State where the text sits and how it looks
• Keep the text short
• Proofread the spelling in every result

A bold poster reading “SUMMER SALE” in large white letters across the top, on a bright coral background.

1:1

Feeds and profile pictures

4:5

Instagram and Facebook feeds

9:16

Stories, Reels, and phone wallpapers

16:9

Thumbnails, banners, and slides

• Upload a product or character image to keep it consistent across images
• Name what stays: “Keep the product, label, and colors unchanged”
• Name what changes: background, lighting, or outfit
• Reuse the same references across a whole series

• Change one thing per edit
• “Turn the sky into a sunset and keep everything else the same”
• “Remove the person in the background”
• “Make the jacket navy blue”

A close-up product photo of a matte black water bottle on a wet granite rock beside a mountain stream, morning mist, soft side lighting, shallow depth of field, cool blue and green tones, realistic, room for text on the left, 4:5.

• Do not make realistic images of real people without their consent
• Do not copy existing logos, characters, or brands
• Label realistic AI images wherever platforms require it
• Read each tool’s commercial-use terms