Best Way to Write Image Prompts for AI Generators (2024 Guide)
Learn the best way to write image prompts for AI generators like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Flux. Expert tips, real examples, and a proven structure to get results
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Pulkit Porwal
Apr 30, 2026•8 min read
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I have spent the last two years writing thousands of AI image prompts — good ones, terrible ones, and everything in between. When I first started using tools like Midjourney and DALL-E, I had no idea why some of my prompts produced breathtaking results while others gave me something that looked like melted plastic. The difference, I learned, was not the AI tool itself. It was the way I was writing my prompts. In this guide, I am going to share everything I have learned about the best way to write image prompts so that you can skip the frustration I went through and start getting great results from day one.
According to research from LTX Studio, vague instructions produce generic results, while a well-crafted prompt delivers exactly what you envision. This is not just about being creative — it is about learning a simple communication skill that any 12-year-old can pick up in an afternoon. Let me show you how.
1. The Proven Structure Every Good Image Prompt Needs
After testing hundreds of prompts, I always come back to the same basic formula that consistently produces great results: Subject + Action/State + Environment + Style + Details. This is the backbone of every strong image prompt, no matter which AI tool you are using. I think of it like building a sandwich — the subject is your bread, and everything else is layered on top to make it complete and satisfying.
Start by placing your main subject first — for example, "a majestic lion" instead of something abstract like "power." Then add what it is doing: "roaring fiercely." Then describe where it is: "on a savannah at sunset." Then add the visual style: "photorealistic." Finally, finish with modifiers like lighting ("golden hour glow"), mood ("dramatic"), or camera framing ("wide shot"). Keeping prompts between 50 and 150 words is the sweet spot for most tools.
Here is a quick example of how this structure works in practice:
- Weak prompt: "A lion in nature"
- Strong prompt: "A majestic lion roaring fiercely on an African savannah at golden hour sunset, photorealistic, dramatic lighting, wide shot, warm orange tones, National Geographic style"
The second prompt gives the AI every piece of information it needs. The first leaves too much to chance. Always ask yourself: if I were describing this image to someone over the phone, would they be able to draw it? If the answer is no, add more detail.
Want to understand how structuring your language affects AI outputs in general? Check out how to prompt AI to write like a human for more useful framing techniques.
2. Why Specificity Is the Most Important Thing in AI Image Prompts
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make — and I made this mistake constantly at the start — is using vague, general language. Words like "beautiful," "nice," or "amazing" mean almost nothing to an AI image model. The model does not feel beauty; it recognizes patterns from millions of training images. So the more specific and concrete your language, the closer the AI gets to your actual vision.
According to Meta AI's research, the difference between "a watch" and "an antique wristwatch with a cracked leather strap and aged brass dial" is enormous in terms of output quality. The same applies to every element of your prompt. Instead of "a house," say "a rustic wooden cabin with a mossy roof." Instead of "a forest," say "a dense pine forest in the Pacific Northwest with morning mist." These small changes make a huge difference.
Here are the key elements to be specific about in every prompt:
- Subject: Describe exactly who or what the image is about, including size, shape, age, and appearance
- Colors: Name specific colors like "vibrant autumn oranges" or "muted navy blue"
- Lighting: Specify the type of light — "soft diffused daylight," "harsh neon glow," or "candlelight warmth"
- Mood: Use emotional descriptors like "eerie," "peaceful," "tense," or "joyful"
- Composition: Tell the AI how to frame the shot — "close-up portrait," "birds-eye view," "rule of thirds"
- Style: Name the artistic style, medium, or even a specific artist for reference
I once spent three hours trying to get a specific product mockup right before I realized I had never told the AI what color the product was or what angle I wanted. Once I added those two details, I got exactly what I needed in the very next generation. Specificity saves you time, credit allocations, and frustration.
3. How to Use Style References and Artist Names Effectively
One of the most powerful tricks I use in my own workflow is referencing a specific artist, film, or art movement in my prompt. This instantly gives the AI a rich visual vocabulary to draw from — and the results are often stunning. Saying "in the style of Van Gogh" is like handing the AI a complete set of instructions about brushwork, color, and emotion all in one phrase.
You can reference painters ("impressionist painting in the style of Claude Monet"), photographers ("shot on a Leica M6, street photography style"), films ("cinematic like Blade Runner 2049"), or entire art movements ("Art Deco architecture with geometric gold patterns"). According to LetsEnhance's prompting research, combining style references with specific visual details creates images that feel intentional and polished rather than random.
Here is a table of style reference examples I use regularly:
| Goal | Style Reference Example |
| Fantasy Art | "Art by Greg Rutkowski, epic fantasy scene, dramatic fog, golden armor" |
| Portrait Photography | "Photorealistic portrait, shot on Canon 5D, 85mm lens, bokeh background, soft natural light" |
| Product Mockup | "Studio lighting, minimalist product photography, white background, Apple-style clean aesthetic" |
| Landscape Art | "Watercolor landscape in the style of Turner, moody sky, loose brushstrokes, misty lake" |
| Cyberpunk Scene | "Neon-lit alley, rain-slicked streets, cyberpunk aesthetic like Blade Runner, deep shadow contrast" |
One important note: not every AI tool handles artist references equally. Midjourney is excellent at blending artistic styles, while Flux tends to do better with natural descriptive language rather than named references. Always test your style references on whichever tool you are using and adjust accordingly.
Curious about what unusual prompts can produce? I wrote an interesting piece on what happens if you type "God" in an AI prompt — the results might surprise you.
4. Negative Prompts: The Secret Weapon Most Beginners Ignore
When I first learned about negative prompts, it completely changed my results. A negative prompt tells the AI what you do not want in the image — and it is just as important as what you do want. Think of it like placing a food order and saying "no onions, no spice, no mayo." Without that instruction, the AI might add elements you hate. With it, you get exactly what you asked for.
The most common negative prompt I include in almost every serious generation is: "blurry, deformed, extra limbs, low quality, watermark, text, oversaturated, cluttered background, bad anatomy, disfigured." This simple list prevents the most common AI image problems — and if you have ever seen an AI image with six fingers on a hand, you know exactly why this matters.
Here are the most useful negative prompt terms organized by problem type:
- Quality issues: blurry, pixelated, low resolution, grainy, out of focus
- Anatomy errors: deformed, extra limbs, bad hands, missing fingers, disfigured
- Unwanted elements: watermark, text, signature, logo, border
- Style conflicts: cartoon (if you want realism), sketch, rough draft
- Color problems: oversaturated, washed out, too dark, neon colors (if unwanted)
Different platforms handle negative prompts differently. In Midjourney, you use the --no parameter followed by what you want to exclude. In Stable Diffusion, there is a dedicated negative prompt field. In DALL-E 3, you include exclusions directly in your written prompt with language like "without any text or watermarks." Always check your specific platform's documentation to use negative prompts correctly. For more advanced prompt techniques, see 10 best AI prompts for expert web development.
5. How to Tailor Your Prompts to Different AI Tools
One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: not all AI image tools are the same, and the same prompt will give you very different results across different platforms. I spent weeks using the exact same prompt style across Midjourney, DALL-E, and Flux and wondering why the results were so inconsistent. The answer is that each tool has its own language, its own strengths, and its own preferred prompt format.
Here is what I have learned from personal experience about each major tool:
- Midjourney (V6/V7): Prefers short, punchy, high-signal phrases. Uses parameters like --ar 16:9 for aspect ratio, --v 6 for version, and --style raw for less stylized output. Excellent at artistic styles and fantasy imagery.
- DALL-E 3 (via ChatGPT): Works best with natural, conversational language. You can describe a scene in full sentences and it will interpret intent well. Great for realistic and conceptual images.
- Flux: Favors natural language descriptions over short keyword lists. More literal in its interpretation, which is great for precise product images and portraits.
- Stable Diffusion: Responds well to weighted keyword prompts. Highly customizable with models, LoRAs, and samplers. Best for users who want fine-grained technical control.
- Ideogram: The best tool for generating images that include readable text. Use quotation marks around any text you want the AI to render accurately.
According to LetsEnhance's 2026 prompting guide, ChatGPT with GPT-4o image generation works best with paragraphs and multi-turn edits, while Midjourney V7 prefers short, high-signal phrases with reference images. Matching your prompt style to your tool is one of the fastest ways to improve your results without changing anything else.
A portrait prompt that works brilliantly on Flux might look completely different on Midjourney — and that is okay. Build a library of prompts for each tool you use regularly, and note which formats and styles give you the best results. This prompt journal habit has saved me hours of work.
6. Real Prompt Examples You Can Use Right Now
I always learn best from real examples, so here are some of my favorite tested prompts across different use cases. These are prompts I have personally used and refined, and they consistently produce strong results. Feel free to use them as starting points and adjust the details to match your own creative vision.
Here are six ready-to-use image prompts for common use cases:
- Product Mockup: "Sleek black smartphone on a white marble table, studio lighting, minimalist product photography, high detail, white background, sharp focus, no shadows --ar 16:9"
- Professional Portrait: "Confident Indian software engineer smiling, modern office background in Jodhpur, warm natural window light, photorealistic, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field, sharp focus --style raw"
- Fantasy Scene: "Elven warrior standing in an enchanted ancient forest, ethereal blue glow, cinematic lighting, art by Greg Rutkowski, dramatic fog and mist, golden armor, epic wide shot --v 6"
- Food Photography: "Fresh avocado toast on a rustic wooden board, overhead shot, soft morning light, bokeh background, food photography style, vibrant greens, droplets of olive oil, garnished with microgreens"
- Landscape Art: "Snow-capped Himalayan mountains at dawn, golden pink sky, dramatic clouds, wide cinematic shot, photorealistic, National Geographic style, 8K resolution, sharp detail"
- Character Design: "Young female astronaut in a worn NASA spacesuit, standing on the surface of Mars, red dusty terrain, Earth visible in the background, cinematic lighting, concept art style, detailed textures"
Each of these prompts follows the Subject + Action + Environment + Style + Details formula. Notice how every prompt answers the six key questions: Who? What are they doing? Where? What does it look like? What is the mood? What is the style? When your prompt answers all six questions, the AI has everything it needs to produce something truly impressive.
Also, if you are wondering whether using AI tools has any environmental impact, I found this interesting discussion on whether ChatGPT uses water — worth a read if you care about sustainable AI use.