How to Write Great Image Prompts

Fantasy hero — close-up portrait

“A young half-elf woman, mid-twenties, with copper skin, silver hair braided with small green leaves, and luminous amber eyes. She wears light elven leather armor with vine engravings over a linen shirt. Determined, slightly tired expression. Seated at a campfire. Warm firelight from below, cool moonlight from behind. Close-up portrait, shallow depth of field.”

Villain — low angle, dramatic

“A gaunt pale man in his fifties with hollow cheeks, white hair swept back severely, and irises that glow with pale violet light. Black robes embroidered with silver sigils, one hand outstretched with dark crackling energy. Standing atop crumbling castle battlements in a thunderstorm. Shot from below looking up, lightning illuminates his face from the side. Ominous, commanding atmosphere.”

Sci-fi crew member — medium shot

“A Black woman, early forties, with natural hair pulled back, wearing a worn orange flight suit with mission patches and a cracked visor pushed up on her forehead. Confident half-smile, arms crossed. Leaning against the hull of a battered spacecraft with stars visible through a porthole behind her. Soft interior ship lighting, warm amber tones. Upper body medium shot.”

Side character — watercolor style

“An elderly gnome tinkerer, long white braided beard, thick round spectacles, wearing an apron covered in burn marks and oil stains over a bright red shirt. Gleefully holding up a tiny brass clockwork bird that is fluttering its wings. Workshop background with gears and blueprints. Warm diffuse light. Watercolor painting style, loose expressive strokes.”

Enchanted forest — wide shot

“An ancient forest where the trees grow hundreds of feet tall, their bark silvered with age and covered in luminous blue moss. The forest floor is carpeted with glowing white flowers that bloom only at night. Slender stone bridges connect the treetop dwellings of the wood-elves high above. Twilight, soft bioluminescent glow, mist rising from a dark stream. Wide establishing shot, sense of deep magic and age.”

Cyberpunk city — aerial at night

“A vast cyberpunk megacity at night viewed from directly above. A grid of neon-lit streets cut between impossibly dense towers. Holographic advertisements in dozens of colours reflect off wet rooftops. Flying vehicles leave light trails across the scene. Pollution haze diffuses the glow into a pink-purple canopy. Aerial bird's eye view, cinematic, neon palette.”

Cozy interior — candlelit

“A small apothecary shop interior with low wooden beams and shelves packed with glass jars of herbs, dried flowers, and strange coloured liquids. A round window with thick glass looks out onto a rainy cobblestone street. Bundles of herbs hang drying from the ceiling. An old black cat sleeps on a pile of leather-bound books by the counter. Candlelight and warm lantern glow, rain on the window, cosy and slightly magical atmosphere.”

Post-apocalyptic wasteland — overcast

“A cracked four-lane highway stretching to a horizon of rusted billboard skeletons and collapsed overpasses. The land on either side is grey and barren except for patches of mutated yellow weeds. In the distance, the broken skyline of a long-dead city. Overcast sky the colour of ash, no sun visible, flat cold light. Wide shot from road level, desolate, silent, oppressive atmosphere.”

Epic fantasy cover

“A dramatic fantasy book cover composition: a lone armored figure stands on the peak of a crumbling stone bridge over a void, silhouetted against a sky torn open with magical energy — gold and violet light pouring through a rift. Two massive armies are faintly visible in the fog below. Composition with generous empty space at the very top for a large title. Dark, epic, cinematic. Rich jewel tones, dramatic rim lighting.”

Psychological thriller cover

“A dark, minimalist book cover: a woman's face half-submerged in perfectly still black water, eyes open, staring upward. Her reflection stares back at her with a slightly different expression — a subtle disturbing smile. Night, pale moonlight, extreme close-up. Muted desaturated tones with a single cold blue accent. Space at the top of the image for a title.”

Cozy fantasy / romantasy cover

“A romantasy book cover: a young woman in an elaborate ballgown of midnight blue and silver stands in a moonlit rose garden, looking back over her shoulder. Fireflies drift around her. Behind her, the warm golden windows of a fairy-tale castle glow in the dark. Soft romantic lighting, warm and magical atmosphere. Painterly illustration style. Open space at top for title.”

Horror — creature

“An emaciated humanoid figure with too many joints in its limbs, standing in a flooded basement. Its face is smooth and featureless except for a wide lipless smile. Pale skin, soaking wet, reflected in the black water around its feet. Single bare lightbulb swinging above, harsh shadows. Shot from the doorway looking in, extreme wide angle, deeply unsettling.”

Romance — intimate moment

“Two people sitting close together on a window seat as heavy rain runs down the glass behind them. She is reading, he is watching her. Their hands are almost touching on the cushion between them. Soft grey rainy-day light, cosy warm interior with bookshelves visible. Medium shot, intimate quiet atmosphere, slightly warm colour grade.”

Sci-fi — space station interior

“The observation deck of a deep-space research station. A circular room with curved walls of thick glass looking out onto a vast nebula — clouds of deep red, orange, and violet gas lit from within by young stars. A lone scientist floats in zero-gravity in the center of the room, silhouetted against the cosmic vista. Cold functional metal interior contrasting with the awe-inspiring view. Wide shot.”

Historical — battle scene

“A medieval shield wall at the moment of impact with an enemy force. Mud, chaos, overlapping shields painted with a red dragon emblem. Spear tips catch the light of a cold grey dawn. Motion blur on the front rank as the lines collide. Low angle wide shot from behind the shield wall, looking through the gap between warriors toward the oncoming enemy. Gritty, realistic, the weight of battle.”

Children's / Cozy — magical creature

“A tiny fox kit the size of a teacup, with bright orange fur and one oversized ear, curled up asleep inside a hollowed-out acorn. Warm amber bioluminescent mushrooms surround it in a miniature forest floor scene. Hyper-detailed, gentle soft lighting, warm and magical atmosphere. Extreme macro close-up.”

World banner — 16:9 panorama

“A sweeping panoramic view of a steampunk empire: a vast city of iron and brass spills across a river valley. Dozens of airships tethered to mooring towers. Factory smokestacks on the eastern hills. A grand clocktower at the city center. Rolling green farmland to the west. Late afternoon golden light cutting through industrial haze. Ultra-wide cinematic panorama, sense of an entire living world.”