How to Write Better AI Image Prompts With 25 Examples You Can Copy

The difference between a generic result and a good one is almost never the tool. It is the prompt. A model fills in every gap you leave, and its guesses are the most average version of whatever you asked for.

The Six Part Formula

Work through these in order. You do not need all six every time, but the order is what keeps the model on track.

Why lighting matters most

If you only add one thing to a prompt, add the lighting. Change nothing else and the same subject becomes a different picture. Golden hour, overcast, single hard rim light and neon glow each carry a whole mood with them.

25 Prompts You Can Copy

Paste any of these into a generator and change the subject. The structure is the part worth keeping.

Product and commercial

• A matte black ceramic mug, centred product photograph, soft window light from the left, seamless light grey background, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field, sharp focus
• A leather watch strap coiled on slate, overhead flat lay, photograph, diffused overcast light, muted earth tones, macro detail, fine texture
• A pair of running shoes floating against plain white, studio three point lighting, high key, crisp graphic edges, no shadow
• A glass perfume bottle, close up, photograph, single hard rim light, deep black background, jewel tones, sharp focus
• A stack of folded linen shirts, medium shot, soft natural light, sun bleached pastels, calm and quiet, clean minimal composition

Illustration and graphics

• A desk with a laptop, notebook and plant, flat vector illustration, overhead flat lay, teal and orange, clean minimal composition
• A mountain range with a river, isometric 3D render, soft ambient light, muted earth tones, clean edges
• A cat wearing a scarf, children's book illustration, watercolour, warm amber and cream, playful
• A rocket launching over a city, risograph print, two colour, high contrast red and black, bold graphic shapes
• A tree made of circuit board paths, ink line art, monochrome black and white, thick even strokes, plain background

People and portraits

• An elderly fisherman with a weathered face, head and shoulders portrait, photograph, soft overcast light, desaturated grey and olive, 85mm portrait lens, calm
• A chef plating a dish, medium shot, photograph, warm kitchen light from above, amber and brown, shallow depth of field, focused
• A cyclist silhouetted against sunset, wide shot, backlit silhouette, golden hour, orange and deep blue, hopeful
• A student reading in a library, over the shoulder, photograph, dappled light through a window, muted tones, quiet
• Hands kneading dough on a floured board, close up, photograph, soft side light, warm cream and brown, macro detail

Scenes and atmosphere

• An empty tram stop at night, wide establishing shot, photograph, neon signage glow, pink and cyan, rain on the pavement, lonely, grainy
• A cabin in pine forest under snow, wide shot, photograph, blue hour twilight, cool blue and silver, still and quiet
• A crowded night market, medium shot, photograph, string light glow, warm amber and red, chaotic, motion blur
• A lighthouse in a storm, wide shot, oil painting, dramatic backlight, grey and deep green, tense
• A wheat field at golden hour, wide establishing shot, photograph, low sun behind, amber and gold, 35mm lens, nostalgic

Textures and backgrounds

• Weathered concrete wall surface, macro detail shot, flat even lighting, monochrome, heavy texture, no focal point
• Crumpled brown paper, overhead flat lay, soft diffused light, warm neutral tones, fine grain, seamless
• Rippled water surface from above, macro, dappled sunlight, teal and white, no subject
• Dark slate tiles with rain, overhead, cool grey and black, even lighting, subtle texture, seamless tile
• Soft linen fabric folds, close up, side light, off white and cream, gentle shadows, no focal point

What to Leave Out

Negative Prompts

A negative prompt lists what you do not want, and the model steers away from it while generating rather than removing it afterwards. Not every tool has one, and where it exists it is usually a second box under the main prompt.

How to Iterate

When a result is close, resist rewriting the whole thing. Change one clause and generate again. Rewriting loses the parts that were already working, and you learn nothing about which word did what.

1. Generate once with your full prompt.
2. Decide what single thing is most wrong.
3. Change only the clause responsible for it.
4. Generate again and compare.
5. Repeat. Three or four passes usually gets there.

Common Questions

How long should a prompt be?

One to three lines. Past that, later words carry less and less weight, and start diluting the parts that mattered.

Do quality words like 8k and masterpiece help?

Almost never, and they did very little even in 2023. Camera and medium language does far more work. Say 50mm lens or oil painting instead.

Should I name an artist?

Name a medium instead. Oil painting with visible brush strokes is specific, repeatable, and does not lean on a living person's body of work. Many tools now block artist names anyway.

Why does the model ignore part of my prompt?

Two usual causes. Models weight the opening words most heavily, so move the important thing to the front. And two competing ideas in one prompt get averaged rather than both being followed.