The creator’s guide to AI image generation
Iconic images like Pope Francis looking trendy in a white puffer jacket really show off what AI can do — it can mimic and even sometimes outdo human creativity.
This guide is here to help you master AI image generation, turning your creative visions into breathtaking visuals.
Designing effective prompts
Effective prompts are the backbone of successful AI-generated images. They should be:
- Specific. Clearly describe the main elements and setting, like ‘Blue butterfly on a sunflower in a sunny cornfield’.
- Descriptive. Utilize adjectives and adverbs to convey colors, emotions, and atmosphere.
- Structured. Prioritize important elements at the beginning of the prompt to guide the AI’s focus.
Prompting strategies
Clarity and precision
Ensure your prompts are clear and straightforward. Each word should purposefully contribute to describing the desired outcome, guiding the AI without ambiguity. “Blue butterfly on a sunflower in the cornfield on a sunny summer day” is specific enough and not too detailed.
Grammar and syntax
Accuracy in language construction is crucial. Proper grammar and deliberate syntax help avoid misinterpretations by the AI, ensuring the generated image aligns with your vision.
Strategic keyword placement
The sequence of words matters. Prioritize essential elements early in the prompt to emphasize their importance to the AI, influencing the focus of the image generation.
The first prompt was: ‘wolf pack on a cliff with a dense green wood in the background at night, stars shining’. For the second one, we modified it and went with ‘cliff in a dense green wood at night, stars shining, wolf pack’.’
Experimentation and adjustment
View initial AI outputs as drafts for refinement. Adjust and experiment with prompts based on these results to fine-tune the imagery according to your specifications.
Negative prompt
Indicate what should be omitted from the image. This directs the AI away from introducing unwanted elements, ensuring a cleaner and more targeted visual result.
Check out more tips here
Experimenting with prompts
Before committing resources to a paid platform, experiment with free generators to tweak and perfect your prompts. This practice allows you to see which elements are captured well by AI and which need adjustment, without wasting any investment on subpar results.
You can try these prompts for the starters:
poison dart frog wearing a princess tiara, sitting on a water lily in a green pond, pencil drawing
blonde girl warrior wearing silver armor fights a green three-headed dragon, in front of an old castle, fire burning in the background, 8-bit pixel game style
traditional japanese house with a garden, a dog sitting on the porch, rain falling down, studio ghibli anime style
black female bartender making a strawberry daiquiri cocktail, in a small vintage bar in new york, dimly lit bar, professional 4k photography
1961 lincoln continental on a highway in the desert in nevada, at night, crescent moon in the sky, shooting stars in the sky, acrylic painting
Conclusion
The possibilities with AI image generation are limited only by your creativity and understanding of the technology. As you continue to experiment and learn, you’ll find that creating compelling, high-quality AI art becomes a more intuitive and rewarding experience.
This article was previously posted on Icons8’s blog
