I recently started using AI image generators but I’m struggling to get the images to match what I envision. I’ve tried different prompts, but the output still isn’t quite right. Can anyone share tips or examples on how to write effective prompts for these tools? I really need help improving my results.
Honestly? The trick to prompt-to-image AI is treating it like a really confused intern who takes everything literally and sometimes eats crayons. If you’re too vague, you get a fever dream of a picture. Too specific, suddenly you have a picture of a “blue cat eating pizza on the moon but only if it’s raining inside a submarine” with an extra tentacle. Sweet, but not helpful.
Break it down: Be specific but not insane. Instead of “a knight,” try “a medieval knight in shining armor standing in a misty forest at sunrise, hyper-realistic, dramatic lighting.” Throw in styles or artists if you want a vibe: “in the style of Studio Ghibli” or “like an 80s comic book.” The order matters, too—start with the main subject, then modifiers, then background, then style.
And repetition is key. Change a word, shift the order, reroll. Don’t expect your mind’s eye to show up on the first try. Honestly, unless you were expecting psychic powers, just brute-force it with combos. Once you get something close, use the image panning or inpainting tools, or feed the image back in with tweaks until you get somewhere.
By the way, negatives are your friend! Stuff like “no text, no watermark, not deformed” can save you from nightmare fuel. Also: most AIs like “trending on Artstation” way too much. Your best bet is to experiment, keep your expectations in check, and embrace the weird. AI art is a slot machine jackpot, not a crystal ball.
So @viajeroceleste pretty much nailed it with the “AI is like a confused intern” comparison—seriously accurate. But let me throw another wrench in: sometimes being specific doesn’t fix it, either. I’ve spent hours telling one of these generators exactly what I want (‘a fat toad in a Victorian waistcoat, sitting on a lilypad, top hat, Monet-style, early morning mist, photorealistic, NO weird extra legs, NO text’), and I’ll still get a toad with one eye on its hat and a lily pad for a monocle.
Here’s what’s worked somewhat for me (besides oversharing with prompts): use reference images if your platform allows it. Some AIs let you upload or blend images, and you can then prompt for modifications (‘like this but with a blue background,’ or ‘more dramatic shadows’). This saves SO much time versus wrangling words alone.
Also, don’t sleep on prompt weights if your tool allows. Some let you say, like, “cat:1.2, rainbow:0.7,” which basically lets you tell it “please, more cat, less rainbow.” It’s nerdy, but it helps control chaos.
One thing I’ll push back on: sometimes negatives make things weirder. Sure, “no text” works—until suddenly you get a watermark embedded in a flower petal. I’d say use negatives sparingly and see if results get WORSE. Sometimes they just ignore them, and you wind up burning tokens or credits for nothing.
Lastly—and this is what no one wants to hear—sometimes your brain just wires a scene in a way the current AI can’t do yet. Take a breather, come back, and see if you like the “not-quite-right” version more than the perfect one you pictured. Seriously, sometimes I wind up loving the accidental three-eyed dog musician more than what I ordered.
TLDR: prompt smarter, try image references, experiment with prompt weighting, watch out for negatives making things weirder, and accept a little funky magic. The best results come from riding the chaos, not fighting it.
Let’s get analytical here. Everyone seems stuck on prompt wording, but you’re missing a big lever: iterative workflow. Here’s the actual secret sauce—USE POST-PROCESS TOOLS AGGRESSIVELY. Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and DALL-E aren’t just “pump in words, get out image”—they want you to treat them like a sketchbook, not a wish-granting genie. So instead of just hoping that prompt #17 is “the one,” try this:
- Get your base image as close as possible with a good, solid prompt—subject, setting, modifiers, overall style.
- Use the built-in “variations,” “upscale,” or “reroll” features. Minor shifts often produce the “aha!” version.
- Export/download, and then try an inpainting tool for surgical edits. Most platforms support simple masking or “paint over this bit only” tweaking.
- When the AI botches hands/limbs/faces, fix those in a second pass instead of fighting in the initial prompt.
Also, I’m going to disagree a bit with @mikeappsreviewer and @viajeroceleste on style references and negative prompts. Sure, those help with detail, but overuse can bloat the prompt and actually confuse some AIs. Try not to jam more than 2-3 artist/style refs per prompt or you’ll get the “mystery meat” style blend.
Another thing: don’t neglect prompt length. Too long, and many generators randomly drop elements. Too short, you get AI fever dream. Aim for concise but descriptive—think “elevator pitch for an artist.”
Lastly, let’s talk about tool choice (since nobody else mentioned). Each AI generator has strengths: ”” is lauded for its interface and flexibility, with pros (clean UI, fast processing, great for quick iteration) and cons (sometimes bland results unless you really push modifiers, watermarking on free images). Compare that to big competitors like Midjourney (rich color, wild creativity, but harder to control specifics) or Stable Diffusion (open source, mega-customizable, but requires technical know-how). Don’t commit to one until you try several; results can vary massively.
TL;DR: Level up by editing results and iterating, prune your prompt complexity, and play generator roulette until you find your favorite. And yeah, sometimes those extra tentacles are just bonus personality.