Image prompt basics for designers

1. 1

   Write subject → style → composition → light

   The mug looks lovely, but there is nowhere to put the headline. A good-looking picture can still fail its layout. Our fictional brief is a reading-group banner; it is a practice assignment, not a real promotion.

   

   Write the destination first: a landscape banner, a mug and laptop on the left, and clear space for a headline on the right. Add the headline separately in your editor. Sketch those regions in a blank rectangle before requesting an image.

   Subject, style, composition and light are a checklist for omissions, not a universally superior word order. Replace “pretty” with visible properties. When two instructions conflict, say which one matters more.

   The same image, described vaguely and slot by slot

   Slot	Vague	Specific
   Subject	A mug	A white mug and a laptop on a wooden desk
   Style	Pretty	Minimal product photography, muted colors
   Composition	(none)	45-degree overhead angle, empty space on the right
   Light	(none)	Soft afternoon sunlight from a window on the left

   Use: a landscape banner for a fictional reading group
   Subject: a white mug and laptop on a wooden desk, both on the left
   Style: a calm photographic concept with muted colors
   Composition: an oblique overhead view, with a simple empty area for a headline on the right
   Light: soft afternoon window light from the left
   No text or logos. Prioritize the clear headline area.

   Check it

   • Hold the result up against the four slots. If one slot missed, rewrite only that slot more specifically.
   • Composition instructions like "empty space on the right" land differently from image to image, so generate a few and pick the closest.

1. 2

   Change one thing at a time

   Save baseline A. Change only the light for B, then return to A for a style variation C. Editing B into C mixes two changes. Record both the parent image and the requested change in your version log.

   Changing one instruction does not ensure that only one output feature changes. Record requested and observed differences separately. A supported reference-image feature may help, but it is not a geometry lock.

   The table is an observation plan, not a record of generated results. Set a generation or spending limit before optional tool use. If clear space repeatedly disappears, revisit the layout sketch before adding adjectives.

   A comparison plan; fill observations after making each image

   Version	Slot changed	Change	Note
   A	—	Base prompt	Save as baseline
   B	Light	Warm orange sunset light	Inspect color temperature and object placement
   C	Style	Film photo look, light grain	Inspect texture and clear space
   D	Composition	Straight on, mug in the center	Inspect headline space and object size

   Keep everything from the last result, but change only the light to warm orange sunset light, and give me three versions.

2. 3

   Spell out brand colors and things to avoid

   Name brand colors precisely — "deep navy (#1E3A8A)" rather than "blue" — and list what you don't want, such as text, faces or logos.

   Some models struggle with "don't include" instructions. Describe what you want instead — "an empty street" rather than "no people" — or use the tool's exclusion field (a negative prompt) if it has one.

   A hex code is a target, not an instruction for every lit and shaded pixel to be identical. Put exact-color logos or interface elements on separate layers. Inspect them independently of photographic shading, and do not assume a screen preview establishes print color.

   Add this to the prompt above.
   Brand colors: deep navy (#1E3A8A) as the accent, white and light grey for the rest
   Leave out: text, faces, logos

   Check it

   • Sample the result's colors with your editor's eyedropper and compare them with the brand colors. Image generators often miss exact color codes, so final colors are safer to fix in your editing tool.
   • If something you asked to leave out still appears, rephrase the request as what you do want.
3. 4

   Check usage conditions and source assets separately

   Write whether the banner is for internal discussion or a public ad. Tool terms and rights to uploaded reference photos are separate checks. An image being searchable does not establish permission to upload or reuse it.

   A paid account alone does not complete the review. Record the service, model, plan, terms URL, date and reference-image source. Inspect unintended logo-like marks at both delivery size and magnification.

   Copyright protection and permission for commercial use are different questions. Here you are preparing evidence for a decision; the copyright lesson examines human contributions, source assets and delivery conditions.

4. 5

   Put the draft into its actual layout

   Use a 1,200 by 600 pixel practice canvas; this is an exercise size, not an ad-platform specification. Add “A line we read this week” in your editor. A handle or window frame cutting through the headline is a layout failure even if the picture is attractive.

   

   Also test a square crop. Center-cropping the landscape image may remove the left-hand mug. Make a separate composition when necessary; changing dimensions alone does not reposition the subject.

   Separate defects visible at magnification from problems at reading size. Inspect text legibility at its destination size and object geometry close up. Both views belong in the final review.

This is a learning check, not a test you must pass. Use the explanations to understand the ideas.

1. Q1How would you fix “large mug in the center; leave the right half clear”?

   Write your thoughts (optional)

   Write your thoughts (optional)

   Your writing is not sent anywhere. It disappears when you leave or reload this page, so copy anything you want to keep.

   Read the answer and explanation

   Place the mug on the left and prioritize clear headline space on the right. Resolve the spatial conflict so the result has a testable criterion.

   I read and understood the explanation

   This is your own review, not an automatic score.

2. Q2B changes the light; C edits B to change composition. Can A and C isolate composition?

   Write your thoughts (optional)

   Write your thoughts (optional)

   Your writing is not sent anywhere. It disappears when you leave or reload this page, so copy anything you want to keep.

   Read the answer and explanation

   No. C also inherits the lighting change. Create a composition variation from A and record unintended differences as well.

   I read and understood the explanation

   This is your own review, not an automatic score.

3. Q3The landscape banner works, but a square crop removes the mug. Does it pass?

   Write your thoughts (optional)

   Write your thoughts (optional)

   Your writing is not sent anywhere. It disappears when you leave or reload this page, so copy anything you want to keep.

   Read the answer and explanation

   Hold the square version if it is part of delivery. Review subject and headline regions for each aspect ratio and recompose when needed. The 1,200×600 size is an invented exercise specification.

   I read and understood the explanation

   This is your own review, not an automatic score.

1. 6

   Try it: deliver a brief and a review sheet

   Start without a generator: sketch the layout and write the four-slot brief. Mark the headline region, mug location and light direction. Resolve competing instructions before generating anything.

   If you have an approved tool, make A and a light-only B, then note up to two deviations in each. Otherwise compare two drawings. Label which method you used; the illustrations in this lesson are explanatory drawings, not evidence of model performance.

   Deliver the selected concept, prompt, version log and unresolved issues. Check space, subject identity, color roles, reading size and source permissions. For each hold, identify the next question instead of generating indefinitely.