AI Image Prompting Guide

How to write effective prompts for AI image generation models (Gemini/Nano Banana, Flux, Ideogram, DALL-E, Midjourney).

Prompt Structure

A strong image prompt follows this formula:

[Subject] + [Setting/context] + [Visual style] + [Lighting] + [Composition] + [Technical specs]

Example Prompts by Use Case

Blog hero — SaaS product:

A clean workspace with a laptop displaying a colorful analytics dashboard,
minimalist desk with a coffee cup and notebook,
bright natural window lighting from the right,
shallow depth of field, commercial photography style,
1200x630, high resolution

Social media graphic — announcement:

Abstract flowing gradient in deep purple and electric blue,
geometric shapes forming a network pattern,
dramatic rim lighting on edges,
modern tech aesthetic, clean and minimal,
1080x1080, vibrant colors

Product lifestyle shot:

A person in a modern office smiling while looking at a tablet,
showing a project management interface on screen,
warm candid photography, natural lighting,
medium shot, shallow depth of field, editorial style

Profile banner — professional:

Wide panoramic abstract background in navy blue and teal,
subtle geometric grid pattern with soft gradient,
clean corporate aesthetic, muted lighting,
1584x396, no text, space for logo overlay on left third

Directory listing — Product Hunt:

Product screenshot on a clean gradient background,
soft shadow underneath, slight 3D perspective tilt,
modern SaaS product presentation style,
1270x760, bright and professional

Style Keywords

Photorealistic

“commercial photography”
“shot on Canon EOS R5”
“editorial style”
“natural lighting”
“shallow depth of field”

Clean/Corporate

“clean modern aesthetic”
“minimal design”
“professional corporate style”
“bright and airy”
“white background”

Illustrative

“flat vector illustration”
“isometric 3D render”
“hand-drawn sketch style”
“watercolor illustration”
“line art”

Abstract/Brand

“flowing gradient”
“geometric pattern”
“abstract data visualization”
“particle effects”
“holographic iridescent”

Tech/SaaS

“dark mode UI aesthetic”
“neon accent lighting”
“glassmorphism”
“futuristic minimal”
“developer-focused”

Lighting Keywords

Term	Effect	Best For
Natural light	Warm, organic feel	Lifestyle, editorial
Studio lighting	Even, controlled	Product shots
Rim lighting	Edge highlights, dramatic	Hero images, abstract
Soft directional	Gentle shadows, dimensional	Blog headers
Volumetric	Light rays, atmospheric	Dramatic, cinematic
Flat/even	No shadows, clean	Icons, diagrams
Golden hour	Warm orange tones	Lifestyle, outdoor
High key	Bright, minimal shadows	Clean, corporate

Composition Keywords

Term	Effect	Best For
Rule of thirds	Subject off-center	Editorial, lifestyle
Centered	Subject in middle	Product shots, icons
Wide/panoramic	Expansive view	Banners, headers
Close-up/macro	Detail focus	Texture, product detail
Bird’s eye/overhead	Top-down view	Desk setups, flat lays
Negative space	Room for text overlay	Blog headers, banners
Symmetrical	Balanced, formal	Corporate, luxury

Model-Specific Tips

Gemini Image (Google)

Best all-around for marketing images — good quality, reasonable cost
Supports image editing — upload an existing image and describe changes
Decent text rendering — can handle short headlines
Specify “high resolution” for best output
Works well with detailed, descriptive prompts
Same API as text generation — easy to integrate

Flux (Black Forest Labs)

Multi-image reference is the killer feature — upload product screenshots, brand assets, or style references
Best for brand consistency across a set of images
Use Flux Pro for final assets, Flux Dev for rapid iteration
Flux Klein for high-volume batch generation (cheapest)
Style transfer via reference images > style keywords in prompt
Prompts can be shorter than other models — the references do heavy lifting

Ideogram

Best text rendering of any model (industry-leading accuracy)
Use when you need headlines, taglines, or brand names in the image
Style reference system (up to 3 images) for brand consistency
Supports “Magic Prompt” auto-enhancement
Keep text requests simple — 3-5 words max for reliability
Best for social graphics and banners that need text baked in

GPT Image (OpenAI)

Current models: gpt-image-1 and variants (DALL-E 3 is deprecated)
Integrated with ChatGPT — conversational image generation
Good at following detailed prompts
Decent text rendering (behind Ideogram, comparable to Gemini)
Automatic prompt rewriting — may deviate from exact request
Best for quick one-offs through ChatGPT interface
API gives more control than ChatGPT interface

Midjourney

Highest aesthetic quality for artistic/editorial images
No official API — Discord-based or web interface
Not agent-friendly — use for manual creative exploration only
Style flags: --style raw for less stylized, --ar 16:9 for aspect ratio
Best for hero images where pure visual quality matters most
V6+ has improved text rendering but still unreliable

Common Prompt Mistakes

Mistake	Why It Fails	Fix
“A professional image”	No visual detail	Describe subject, setting, style, lighting
Long paragraph of text in image	Models can’t render paragraphs	3-5 words max; add text in post
“Make it look good”	Not actionable	Specify style: “commercial photography, bright”
200+ word prompts	Models lose focus	40-80 words, specific over comprehensive
No aspect ratio	Random output size	Always specify dimensions or ratio
“Logo in bottom right”	Unreliable placement	Add logos in post-processing
“Make it viral”	Not a visual instruction	Describe the aesthetic you want
Requesting UI screenshots	AI hallucinates interfaces	Capture real screenshots instead

Batch Generation Workflow

When you need multiple images with consistent style (e.g., a blog series or social campaign):

Generate 3-4 test images with different style prompts
Pick the winning style based on brand fit
Save the exact prompt as your template
Use Flux multi-reference — upload the winning image as a style reference
Batch generate variations with the same style, different subjects
Post-process — add text overlays, logos, crop to platform sizes

Aspect Ratios Quick Reference

Use Case	Ratio	Pixels	Notes
Blog hero / OG image	1.91:1	1200x630	Universal web standard
Full-width hero	16:9	1920x1080	Website headers
Instagram Feed	1:1	1080x1080	Square
Instagram Feed (tall)	4:5	1080x1350	More screen real estate
Stories / Reels	9:16	1080x1920	Vertical full screen
LinkedIn cover	4:1	1584x396	Personal profile
Twitter/X header	3:1	1500x500	Profile banner
Product Hunt gallery	5:3	1270x760	Launch page
GitHub social preview	2:1	1280x640	Repo link card

Cost Optimization

Iterate at low quality first — use Flux Dev or Gemini Flash for drafts, upgrade for finals
Use references over long prompts — Flux multi-reference produces more consistent results with fewer retries
Batch similar requests — generate all blog headers in one session with the same style
Cache and reuse — abstract backgrounds, patterns, and textures can be reused across multiple images
Post-process instead of re-generate — crop, overlay text, and adjust color in code rather than generating new images