Just like with text-based AI, the quality of your AI-generated images depends almost entirely on the quality of your prompt. A simple prompt like "a dog" will give you a generic image, but a well-crafted prompt can create a masterpiece. Think of yourself as an art director, guiding the AI to your precise vision.

Key Elements of a Great Visual Prompt

1. Subject & Action: Be specific. Instead of "a person," try "An elderly, joyful woman with laugh lines, holding a steaming mug of tea."

2. Style & Medium: This is where the magic happens. You can specify almost any artistic style imaginable.

   • Medium: "oil painting," "watercolor," "pencil sketch," "3D render," "photograph."
   • Artist Style: "in the style of Vincent van Gogh," "inspired by Studio Ghibli."
   • Artistic Movement: "impressionist," "surrealist," "cyberpunk," "art deco."

3. Composition & Framing: Control how the scene is shot.

   • Shot Type: "close-up portrait," "wide-angle landscape," "aerial view."
   • Lighting: "dramatic lighting," "golden hour," "neon glow," "soft, diffused light."

4. The Negative Prompt: Just as important is telling the AI what not to include. Most image generation tools have a "negative prompt" field where you can list things to avoid, like text, watermarks, blurry, extra fingers.

The AI Academy Way: You are the Director

Imagine you are directing a movie scene.

A bad prompt: "A man in a forest." (This is like telling your crew "just film something.")

A great prompt:

"A cinematic wide shot of a lone, grizzled explorer with a grey beard, wearing a worn leather jacket, standing at the edge of a mystical, glowing forest at twilight. The style should be photorealistic, with dramatic, moody lighting coming from the strange plants. --no cartoon, painting"

This prompt gives the AI specific instructions for the character (subject), the setting (context), the camera shot (composition), the lighting, and the overall style.

As you progress through your lessons in AI Academy, you'll learn to think like a director. And in our AI Learning Adventures, you can use these skills to generate your own character portraits, scene backgrounds, and artifacts, making your story truly unique!